Slanders On Muslims In History

Somerset Arthur Gough-Calthorpe

British High Commissioner Admiral Calthorpe, stationed in Istanbul, wrote in many of his telegrams to London that one way to weaken the Ottoman Empire was pitting the Kurds and Turks against each other.

During the negotiations for the Armistice of Mudros, Admiral Calthorpe promised that everything would be done to make sure Turks are not offended. He said that he believed Greek ships would not be sent to Istanbul or Izmir, but added that a clause stating that 'Istanbul would not be occupied' could not be included in the armistice.³²² Only 13 days after these statements, Greek and British navy ships anchored in the Bosphorus Strait.

It also fell on Calthorpe to tell about the impending Greek occupation of Izmir. On May 14, 1919, at 09:00 AM, he sent a diplomatic note to Ali Nadir Pasha, Commander of the XVII Corps, informing him that Izmir forts and the territory with defense measures would be occupied by the Allied Forces in line with the 7^th clause of the Armistice. On the same day, he sent a second note, saying that Izmir would be occupied on May 15, 1919 by the Greeks on behalf of the Allies and the fleet in the port would be the highest authority to ensure order during occupation.