File 705/1916 Pt 1 'Arab revolt: reports' [‎238r] (23/494)

neutral review to be published at Zurich. I asked Baddour what his
opinion was about the future of Turkey after this war. He said that the
future of Turkey depended on the outcome of the war. If Germany, as
he firmly believed, wins the war, then Turkey will become a great Power
and will reap the benefits of her alliance with the Central Empires. She
will not be, as she has been in the past, subservient to England, France,
and Russia, who abused her of weakness and actually deprived her of her
sovereign rights. Germany, he said, being the ally of Turkey, will
safeguard the latter’s independence and dispense to the populations of
Turkey the advantages of education and culture. She will, besides, help
her materially and financially, and with the help of Germany the Turkish
Empire will thrive and attain a great prosperity. “ But supposing”, I said,
“that Germany was beaten, what would happen to Turkey?” He raised
his hands as to avert a calamity and said, “ Germany cannot be beaten;
her Fleet has just inflicted a crushing defeat on the British Fleet, and she
is growing stronger every day/ But if she is defeated, then Turkey, of
course, will be doomed to ruin, as her lot is intimately connected with
Germany.” I asked Baddour what he thought of the Arab question.
He said that there was no such question. The bulk of the Arabs were
very loyal to the Sultan and would not dissociate themselves from his
rule. Only a small number, he said, of hot-headed Christian Arabs, lured
by England, were foolishly raising the question of independence.
The Arab Mohammedans in Turkey and all over the world are staunch
supporters of the Caliph. The Moslems in Egypt, he said, are all ready
for a general uprising against England as soon as the Turco-Germans
land in Egypt. The seventy million Indian Mohammedans would have
answered the call of Holy War and risen against England : but they are
powerless; the English are ruling them with an iron grip and watches that
no arms or ammunition reach them. I asked Baddour if he knew of any
pamphlets of Turkish propaganda in New York, as I wished to study the
Turkish point of view thoroughly. He said that they did not have any
in America, as the Americans had very little interest in Turkey, but
he said, “You can get them at Zurich, which is the centre of Turkish
propaganda.”
From the general trend of my conversation with Baddour I gathered
that the man was rather shaky in his convictions about the future greatness
of Turkey. His hopes are founded on Germany, of whom he is a great
admirer. Baddour asked me not to mention his name if I published our
interview in the review: I promised him that I would not mention his
name in any review.
Naoum Mokarzal is a Maronite from Lebanon, and a man of certain
education and good standing amongst his fellow countrymen. He is the
editor in New York of the Arabic newspaper Al Houda, whose policy is
chiefly anti-Turkish and prepense to the Allies, especially France. Mokarzal
does not deal in his newspaper with the general Arab question, but confines
himself almost exclusively to the present condition and future asset of
Mount Lebanon. When I saw Mr. Mokarzal in his office in Washington