890d.00/406
The Consul at Damascus (Keeley) to
the Secretary of State
Damascus, May 18,
1926.
[Received June 11.]
No. 378
Sir: I have the honor to transmit herewith, in
French and in translation, a copy of a communiqué issued to the local
press on April 27, 1926, by the French Military Governor of Damascus, to
the effect that certain villages of the Ghouta and quarters of the city
of Damascus might henceforth be subjected to coercive measures in
retaliation for the nonpayment of fines and the nonexecution of other
measures imposed upon them.
Despite the fact that neither the villages and quarters exposed to these
measures were specified nor the nature of the coercive measures
themselves defined, the Military Governor stated that following the
publication of this notice he would assume no responsibility whatsoever
for any accidents that might happen as a result of the putting into
execution without further notice of the coercive measures. Since it was
conceivable that foreigners might suffer from these measures should they
take the form of bombardments or other general punitive operations and
since it was not possible to warn the foreigners so exposed because of
the absence of information as to what villages and quarters of the city
were likely to be made the object of these measures, the Consular Corps
thought it proper to request the French Authorities to be more explicit
and to give foreigners timely warning before the execution of any
program which would endanger their lives or property.
There is transmitted herewith, in French and in translation, a copy of
the Consular Corps’ note of April 28, 1926, addressed to M. Alype, Envoy
Extraordinary of the French High Commissioner, on this subject; a copy
of M. Alype’s reply of May 14, 1926, together with a copy of the
Military Governor’s letter to him of May 8, 1926, transmitted therewith;
and a copy of the Consular Corps’ acknowledgment of May 18, 1926. It is
believed that all of these communications will be found self-explanatory
and that extended comment thereon is therefore unnecessary.
It may be remarked, however, that General Vallier, the present Military
Governor, in the last paragraph of his letter manifests a disposition to
cooperate with the Consuls in their task of protecting their nationals,
…
The bombardment of the Meidan Quarter of Damascus on May 7, 1926, the
circumstances of which were reported in my despatch No. 373 of May 12,
1926,78 was
undoubtedly the execution of one of the
[Page 148]
contemplated coercive measures. It was carried out
without any warning whatsoever. …
Fortunately the number of American citizens left in this district is
small, and all those known to this office were advised several months
ago to leave the district.
I have [etc.]
[Enclosure
1—Translation]
Communiqué Issued to the Press by the French
Military Governor of Damascus on April 27, 1926
A certain number of villages of the Ghouta or quarters of the city,
being found under the penalty of fines, may be the object of
measures of coercion, in case of non-execution. As these measures of
coercion will become effective without any previous notice, by the
sole fact of the non-execution of clauses agreed upon, the General
commanding the troops of the region invites instantly the interested
local Syrian Authorities to evacuate, in due time, from the said
localities, the women, old men and children, because the Military
Governor, following this notice, assumes no responsibility, even
moral, for accidents that may occur.
[Enclosure
2—Translation]
The Dean of the Consular Corps at Damascus
(Keeley)
to the Envoy Extraordinary at Damascus
(Alype)
of the French High Commissioner to the States
of Syria and the Lebanon (De
Jouvenel)
Damascus, April 28,
1926.
Sir: I am directed by the Consular Corps to
inform you that according to a communiqué published in the Arabic
newspapers the French Military Authorities have announced that a
certain number of villages of the Ghouta or quarters of the city may
be the object of measures of coercion, in case of the non-payment of
fines, and as these measures of coercion will take effect without
any previous warning, by the mere fact of the non-execution of the
clauses agreed upon, the Military Governor, after this notice,
assumes no responsibility, even moral, for accidents that may
occur.
This communiqué being susceptible to many interpretations, even
ambiguous ones, the Consular Corps would like to know more precisely
the nature of the measures of coercion in view. It hopes that these
measures will not be of such a nature that the lives or property of
foreigners may be endangered.
If the Mandatory Authorities do not believe that they are in a
position to give it formal assurances on this subject, the Consular
[Page 149]
Corps is fully
confident that these measures of coercion will not be put into force
without the Consuls being directly advised in sufficient time to
enable them to withdraw their nationals out of danger.
In case the Mandatory Authorities decide that certain villages and
quarters of the city must be the object of measures of coercion, the
Consular Corps requests them to be good enough to notify it which
villages and quarters will be exposed to these measures as well as
which villages and quarters will be safe in order that the Consuls
may cooperate with the French Authorities in removing the foreign
nationals to the places indicated as secure. At the same time, the
Consular Corps would be grateful to you to be good enough to inform
it what measures the Mandatory Authorities intend to adopt to enable
the Consuls to assure the efficient protection of their nationals in
the villages or quarters exposed to the measures of coercion.
The Consular Corps does not share the Military Governor’s opinion
that he can, by the simple publication of this communiqué, decline
responsibility for incidents that may occur from the measures of
coercion in view, and it holds always the Mandatory Power
responsible for the safeguarding of the lives and property of
foreigners.
The Consular Corps wishing to facilitate as much as possible the task
of the Mandatory Authorities and being thankful for the kind
solicitude for foreigners shown by the French Authorities in the
past renews its assurances that it is inspired only by a desire to
collaborate with the Mandatory Power in its efforts to insure the
protection of foreigners.
Accept [etc.]
[Enclosure 3—Translation79]
The Envoy Extraordinary at Damascus
(Alype)
of the French High Commissioner to the States
of Syria and the Lebanon (De Jouvenel) to the Dean of the Consular Corps at Damascus
(Keeley)
Damascus, May 14,
1926.
No. 248/SP
Mr. Dean: Referring to your letter of April
28th, I have the honor to address to you herewith the reply that
General Vallier, in charge of the maintenance of public order and
security in the region of Damascus, has transmitted to me.
I am persuaded that the information given by the General will allay
the anxiety of the Consular Corps of this city.
Accept [etc.]
[Page 150]
[Subenclosure—Translation80]
The General Commanding the Troops of the Region
of Damascus and the Hauran (Vallier) to
the Envoy Extraordinary at Damascus (Alype) of the High Commissioner to the States of Syria and the
Lebanon (De
Jouvenel)
Damascus, May 8,
1926.
No. 1567/2
In returning to you herewith the letter, dated April 28, from the
Dean of the Consular Corps of Damascus which you were good enough to
transmit to me for the basis of a reply, I have the honor to bring
to your knowledge:
- 1.
- That the communiqué which appeared in the newspapers of
April 28 is aimed only at the villages upon which fines in
arms and money are imposed as a reprisal for proven acts
such as open and repeated complicity with the bands or
attacks on our troops or on representatives of the French or
Syrian authorities.
- 2.
- That far from constituting a new menace to the villages,
it aims only to spare the lives of the women, old men and
children, by warning the populations concerned that the
noncompliance with the conditions imposed upon them exposes
them to coercive measures which may lead to the loss of
human life.
- 3.
- That these coercive measures may consist either of
bombardment without forewarning at the expiration of the
time limit or of offensive operations eventually followed by
the seizure of property destined to be sold for the benefit
of the Syrian budget and in substitution of unpaid
fines.
I shall be grateful to you if you will be good enough to communicate
with the Dean of the Consular Corps and make known to him:
- 1.
- That the fact of granting a time limit in which to comply
with the conditions imposed on a particular village
constitutes in itself a forewarning, permitting the guilty
population to take all measures to escape eventual
sanctions.
- 2.
- That obviously I cannot acquaint the Consular Corps with
the repressive operations which I may find it necessary to
carry out and for the success of which secrecy is absolutely
necessary.
- 3.
- But that I remain entirely disposed to assist the Consular
Corps in its mission of protecting foreign nationals by
furnishing it a copy of the notices sent to the villages or
quarters upon which fines are imposed, in order to permit
the interested Consuls to notify in sufficient time the said
nationals of the danger which they may risk in case of
noncompliance.
Accept [etc.]
[Page 151]
[Enclosure
4—Translation]
The Dean of the Consular Corps at Damascus
(Keeley)
to the Envoy Extraordinary at Damascus
(Alype)
of the French High Commissioner to the States
of Syria and the Lebanon (De
Jouvenel)
Mr. Envoy Extraordinary: I am charged by
the Consular Corps to acknowledge the receipt of your letter No.
248/SP of May 14, 1926, with which you were good enough to transmit
to me the reply of General Vallier to the Consular Corps’ note dated
April 28, 1926, on the subject of the protection of foreigners,
particularly the measures to be taken in order to protect foreigners
from the dangers to which they may be exposed by the measures of
coercion of which a certain number of villages of the Ghouta or
quarters of the city may be the object.
The Consular Corps requests you to be good enough to transmit to
General Vallier its thanks for the indications which he was good
enough to give it and which will be very useful to the Consuls in
relation to their respective nationals.
The Consular Corps is particularly pleased to note that the General
is disposed to accept its collaboration to the end of assuring the
protection of foreigners by furnishing it with a copy of the notices
sent out to the villages or quarters which may be the object of the
measures of coercion, in order to permit the Consuls to notify their
nationals of the dangers that they may be exposed to in sufficient
time to permit them to withdraw from the danger. It believes that
this collaboration can have as a result only the better safeguarding
of the lives and property of foreigners without any prejudice
whatsoever to the operations that the Authorities may find necessary
to put into execution.
In reserving the right of their respective Governments to hold the
Mandatory Authorities responsible for any damage caused to the
person and the property of the foreigners, the Consular Corps would
like to reassure you, Mr. Envoy Extraordinary, that it does not at
all desire and has never wished to hinder the execution of the task
of the Mandatory Power in Syria. Being interested only in the
adequate protection of their nationals and wishing, as much as
possible, to facilitate the work of the French Authorities in this
regard, the Consuls in Damascus hope that henceforth they will be
able to concert with them for its realization.
Accept [etc.]