"Greece and the Allies 1914-1922" by G.F. Abbott - FREE ebook - (27 Names Transcribed)

Available as FREE Internet Archive ebook 

"Greece and the Allies 1914-1922"

by G F. Abbott

Published by Methuen & Co., Ltd., London - 1922

Note:  This book does not have a Table of Contents.  I have transcribed  below the 27 Names mentioned in the book along with the Prefaces written by:

Admiral Mark Kerr, C.B., M.V.O. - Late Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Hellenic Navy and Head of the British Naval Mission to Greece

and

G. Abbott - Author

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NAMES MENTIONED IN BOOK

Averoff

Benazet

Bratiano

Callimassiotis

Calogeropoulos - Premier

Coundouriotis - Admiral

Danglis - General

Delyannis

Dimitracopoulos

Dousmanis - General

Dragoumis - Ex-Premier

Gounaris - Premier

Hatzopoulos - Colonel

Lambros - Professor; Premier

Mercati

Metaxas - Colonel

Moschopoulos - General

Politis

Rallis

Repoulis

Rufos

Skouloudis - Premier

Stratos

Venizelos, Eleutherios

Vlachopoulos - Colonel

Zaimis - Premier

Zalocostas

Zographos

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PREFACE

The late convulsions in Greece and Turkey, and the consequent revival

of all the mis-statements which, during the War, flowed from ignorance

or malice, render the publication of this book particularly opportune.

Mr. Abbott deals with his subject in all its aspects, and presents for

the first time to the British public a complete and coherent view of

the complicated circumstances that made Greece, during the War, the

battle-ground of rival interests and intrigues, from which have grown

the present troubles.

In this book we get a clear account of the little-understood relations

between the Greek and the Serb; of the attitude of Greece towards the

Central Powers and the Entente; of the dealings between Greece and the

Entente and the complications that ensued therefrom.  Mr. Abbott traces

the evil to its source--the hidden pull of British versus French

interests in the Eastern Mediterranean, and the open antagonism between

M. Venizelos and King Constantine.

All these subjects are of acute interest, and not the least interesting

is the last.

The persecution of King Constantine by the Press of the Allied

countries, with some few good exceptions, has been one of the most

tragic affairs since the Dreyfus case.  Its effect on the state of

Europe during and since the War is remarkable.  If King Constantine's

advice had been followed, and the Greek plan for the taking of the

Dardanelles had been carried out, the war would probably have been

shortened by a very considerable period, Bulgaria and Rumania could

have been kept out of the War, and probably the Russian Revolution and

collapse would not have taken place; for, instead of having Turkey to

assist Bulgaria, the Allied forces would have been between and

separating these two countries.  

In this case King Constantine would not have been exiled from his

country, and consequently he would not have permitted the Greek Army to

be sent to Asia Minor, which he always stated would ruin Greece, as the

country was not rich enough or strong enough to maintain an overseas

colony next to an hereditary enemy like the Turk.

It is illuminating to remember that the Greek King's policy was fully

endorsed by the only competent authorities who had a full knowledge of

the subject, which was a purely military one.  These were the late

Field-Marshal Lord Kitchener of Khartoum, the British Admiral at the

head of the Naval Mission in Greece, and Colonel Sir Thomas Cuninghame,

British Military Attaché in Athens; but the advice tendered by these

three officers was disregarded in favour of that given by the

civilians, M. Venizelos and the Allied Ministers.

Mr. Abbott's book will do much to enlighten a misled public as to the

history of Greece during the last nine years, and many documents which

have not hitherto been before the public are quoted by him from the

official originals, to prove the case.

For the sake of truth and justice, which used to flourish in Great

Britain, I hope that this book will be read by everyone who has the

welfare of the British Empire at heart.

MARK KERR

4 _October_, 1922

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AUTHOR'S PREFACE

As this work goes to press, the British Empire finds itself forced to

vindicate its position in the East: a position purchased at the cost of

much blood and treasure during the war, to be jeopardized after the

conclusion of peace by the defeat of Greece and the defection of France.

In the following pages the reader will find the sequence of events

which have inevitably led up to this crisis: an account of transactions

hitherto obscured and distorted by every species of misrepresentation

and every known artifice for manipulating public opinion.

The volume is not a hasty essay produced to exploit an ephemeral

situation.  It embodies the fruit of investigations laboriously carried

on through six years.  A slight account of the earlier events appeared

as far back as the winter of 1916 in a book entitled, _Turkey, Greece,

and the Great Powers_: that was my first effort to place the subject in

its true perspective.  The results were interesting.  I was honoured by

the reproaches of several private and by the reprobation of several

public critics; some correspondents favoured me with their anonymous

scurrility, and some bigots relieved me of their acquaintance.  On the

other hand, there were people who, in the midst of a maelstrom of

passion, retained their respect for facts.

I pursued the subject further in a weekly journal.  Two of my

contributions saw the light; the third was suppressed by the

Authorities.  Its suppression furnished material for a debate in

Parliament: "This is a cleverly written article," said Mr. John Dillon,

"and I cannot find in it a single word which justifies suppression.

All that one can find in it is that it states certain facts which the

Government do not like to be known, not that they injure the military

situation in the least, but that they show that the Government, in the

opinion of the writer, made certain very bad blunders."  The Home

Secretary's answer was {viii} typical of departmental dialectics: "It

is inconceivable to me," he declared, "that the Government would

venture to say to the Press, or indicate to it in any way, 'This is our

view.  Publish it.  If you do not, you will suffer.'"  What the

Government did, in effect, say to the Editor of the _National Weekly_

was: "This is not our view.  Publish it not.  If you do, you will

suffer."

With an innocence perhaps pardonable in one who was too intent on the

evolution of the world drama to follow the daily development of

war-time prohibitions, I next essayed to present to the public through

the medium of a book the truth which had been banned from the columns

of a magazine.  The manuscript of that work, much fingered by the

printer, now lies before me, and together with it a letter from the

publisher stating that the Authorities had forbidden its publication on

pain of proceedings "under 27 (b) of the Defence of the Realm

Regulations."

And so it came about that not until now has it been possible for the

voice of facts to refute the fables dictated by interest and accepted

by credulity.  The delay had its advantages: it gave the story, through

the natural progress of events, a completeness which otherwise it would

have lacked, and enabled me to test its accuracy on every point by a

fresh visit to Greece and by reference to sources previously

inaccessible, such as the Greek State Papers and the self-revealing

publications of persons directly concerned in the transactions here

related.

I venture to hope that so thorough an inquiry will convey some new

information respecting these transactions even to those who are best

acquainted with their general course.  If they find nothing attractive

in the style of the book, they may find perhaps something useful,

something that will deserve their serious reflection, in the matter of

it.  For let it not be said that a story starting in 1914 is ancient

history.  Unless one studies the record of Allied action in Greece from

the very beginning, he cannot approach with any clear understanding the

present crisis--a struggle between Greeks and Turks on the surface, but

at bottom a conflict between French and British policies affecting the

vital interests of the British Empire.

G. F. A.

5 _October_, 1922