Papers written by Curzon on the Near and Middle East [‎24v] (48/348)

(2.) A force distributed along the coast from Adalia in the south to Ephesus
in the west, occupying as intermediate points between these two places
Makri, Marmarice, Budrum, Sokia, and Scalanova. Ihis force is hasec <>u
the Island of Rhodes, where, according to the Director of Military
Intelligence’s information, a reserve force of at least five infantry battalions
and one cavalry regiment exists.
Of these places Adalia was occupied on the 3rd April and is held by a force compiising
the 4th Bersaglieri battalion, one company of Carabinieri, and one. machine-gun
company. From Adalia the Italians have pushed inland to Budjak, which they have
occupied, and to Buldur where, if they iiave not established a permanent garnson,
their political officers are extremely active in canvassing the project of a railway to
Of the other coast positions, Budrum, Makri, Marmarice, ■' and Scalanova weie
occupied on the 12th May (that is to say, two or three days before the Greek landing
at Smyrna), and are held by forces varying from 100 to 250 men with machine
guns, except at the last-named place, where there is a force of 500 men with field guns.
There are 250 men at Sokia and 100 at Ephesus. ...
At this western extremity of their area, the Italians have shown a disposition to
dispute the Greek hold on the Smyrna—Aidm Railway, and an incident has aheady
taken place at the village of Cherkesskeui on that railway north-east of Sokia, where
strife seems only to have been averted by the Greek commander’s readiness to evacuate
in favour of the Italians.
2. Turning to the Greek operations, the landing at Smyrna on the 15th May was
effected in force, and Admiral Calthorpe reported that by the 22nd May 15,000 troops
had been disembarked. After this landing the Greeks proceeded to push east along the
railways as far as Alashehr and Nazilli, which was occupied on or about the 3rd June.
The country between these points has apparently been secured by the occupation of
Eudemish, which the Greek troops were expected to enter on the 2nd June, and where
their entry was being contested by the Turks. (We have had no confirmation of the
place having been actually occupied.) A force of about 1,000 men was landed at Aivali
on the 29th May.
West of Smyrna they have occupied Vourla and Chesme with small detachments,
while within the last ten days they have pushed north of Smyrna up to Menemen and
Bergama.
In addition to the considerable forces already employed it is reported from Athens
that the 13th Greek division, lately released from South Russia, will not improbably
be sent to Smyrna.
The boundaries of the Sandjak of Smyrna and the Vilayet of Aidin are marked in
the attached map, and it will be seen that while, generally speaking, the Greek
occupations have been carried out in accordance with the authorisation, given by the
Peace Conference and communicated in Mr. Balfour’s telegram No. 914 of the
19th May, their occupation of places in the Aidin Vilayet, north of Aidin, was only to
be effected with the approval of the Senior Naval Officer of the Allied Fleet at Smyrna.
This approval has not, so far as we are aware, been requested, and Mr. Morgan, Admiral
Calthorpe’s representative at Smyrna, has specifically reported that the occupation of
Nazilli was carried out without previous authorisation and was not justified by any
disturbances.
That the Greeks do not regard their occupation as merely temporary appears from
a request, which the Greek Minister has recently addressed to us, that the survey study
of the Meander River Valley made prior to the war by a British group may be
transferred or sold to the Greeks. This view appears to be confirmed by the fact that
the representatives of the Smyrna-Aidin Railway in Paris have approached
M. Venizelos, with the knowledge of the British Peace Delegation, with a view to
securing recognition of their company’s rights.
The Turkish view of these rival movements seems to have been expressed by a
recent deputation from the Council of Ministers at Constantinople, who contrasted the
Greek behaviour at Smyrna with the “ however regrettable, but nevertheless peaceful
Italian penetration.
June 18, 1919.
The Italians have since declared their intention of making Marmarice a naval base.