File No. 367.116/486
The Chargé in Turkey (Philip) to the Secretary of State
[Received May 22, 2.50 p. m.]
1814. My 1800, May 11 [12], 9 p. m. Telegram from Sivas states:
College buildings occupied by military; school, hospital taken over. Clark, Eva K. Belmanasian [?]2 and two children born America left Saturday Constantinople. Orphanage temporarily in girls’ school.
Graffam Fowle
Telegram dated Caesarea states:
Schools and hospital taken without warning for hospital purposes, pupils, lady teachers, widows, and children taken from compound to Caesarea pending further disposition.
Wingate
Minister for Foreign Affairs told me to-day that whenever and wherever there was military exigency, military authorities would take over and use temporarily buildings belonging to American missionaries. He repeated that this was only temporary measure and assured me of his sympathy for American institutions. I told him Americans were ever ready to help sick and wounded and had already been of great service to the Turks, but protested against this manner of dealing with our institutions, more especially the use of Sivas College as a military school by the Government. I again cautioned him to take all necessary measures for the protection and comfort missionaries and their charges. He replied he had already requested Talaat Bey to send the necessary instructions, but that he would cause any further instructions I wish to be forwarded. I shall carefully avoid acquiescing in steps taken by Turkish authorities in order to be in a position to protest formally in case the Department instructs in this sense. Besides the above buildings, American mission [Page 834] at Urfa now occupied by Turkish authorities and hospitals at Harput, Mardin, Adana and Mersina have had only Turkish soldier patients for many months.
- Referred to in later reports simply as “a young Armenian woman.”↩