1916-10-31-DK-001

1916-10-31-DK-001

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Link: http://www.armenocide.net/armenocide/ArmGenDE.nsf/$$AllDocs/1916-10-31-DK-001
Source: DK/RA-UM/Udenrigsministeriet, Akter 1909 ff., 3. G.
53, b-akt, Wandel, Carl Ellis 1912-26.
Edition: Danish diplomatic sources
Departure of telegram: 10/31/1916
Embassy/consular serial number: Nr. 44
Translated by: Matthias Bjørnlund
Last updated: 03/23/2012

The minister in Constantinople (Carl Ellis Wandel) to the Foreign Minister (Erik Scavenius)

Report

No. 44. Constantinople, 31 October 1916. [To] Mr. Foreign Minister Erik Scavenius, etc., etc., etc.

Mr. Foreign Minister,

The journey from Vienna to here went well. As far as I can tell the railroad tracks are in no worse condition than they have been for long, and it takes the trains c. 48 hours to pass through.

In Constantinople no major changes seem to have taken place either since I was here last; only the high cost of living has become more noticable.

As a consequence of the blockade the prices of almost all necessities have become incredibly high, and it seems as if most governments have felt compelled to raise the salaries of their chiefs of mission here considerably.

The Spanish Minister has received an annual cost of living allowance of 540 Pounds, and a similar allowance has been granted to the Spanish Ministers in Belgium, Greece, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Russia, Switzerland, Sweden, Germany, and Austria-Hungary.

The allowances, which amount to some 25 percent of the emoluments, are retroactive and are calculated from 1 January 1916.

It is said in the Dutch legation that the German embassy here has written to Berlin that the Swedish Minister, Anckarsvärd, is consider to be hostile to Germany, because they feared that he should receive consideration as a consequence of the death of Count Taube [Arvid Frederik Taube was Swedish Minister at Berlin].

At the reception at the Porte yesterday the German Chargé d'Affaires, v. Radowitz [Wilhelm von Radowitz], took the opportunity that was offered by chance to be received before the Spanish and Swedish Ministers, which resulted in Anckarsvärd becoming very upset; he immediately demanded to speak to the Under-Secretary of State to protest, and as he was not present he summoned the collegues that were present to leave the Ministry with him, leaving a card for the Foreign Minister.

As the colleagues had a more philosophical approach he did, however, calm down and waited until it was his turn once again.

The Greek Minister [Dimitrios Panas] relates that when the Central Powers recently expected a Greek declaration of war, the Doyen of the Corps Diplomatique, Austrian ambassador Pallavicini, came to him, urgently requesting him to telegraph his government and explain to them how irresponsible it would be for Greece to join the Entente when 4,5 Million Greeks live in Turkey.

The ambassador knew for certain, he said, that if Greece declared war on Bulgaria, the Greeks in Turkey would face consequences even worse than what the Armenians had already faced; no one would in this case be able to prevent the Turkish government from resorting to horrible reprisals.

The Minister says that he answered to this request that he did not believe so; "there exists no Turkish government," he said, and Germany and Austria would, he assumed, under no circumstances let the Young Turks massacre the Greeks.

None of the chiefs of mission have any desire to handle Greek interests here if the diplomatic relations between Greece and Turkey are broken off. The American ambassador [Abram Elkus] is working to thrust this task on to Spain and vice versa.

As opposed to the Bulgarian Minister in Vienna who - albeit rather vaguely - told me that the Turkish Foreign Minister, Halil Bey, had reached his goal in Berlin, the Spanish Minister here [Julian del Arroyo] relates that Halil Bey has returned without having accomplished his object and that the Turkish-German treaties have not been signed, and that he has reason to believe that the Turkish government is deeply dissatisfied with the attitude of the German government in this matter. Anyway, it is a fact that Halil Bey on his traverse from Berlin only stayed 48 hours in Vienna, even though it had been announced all along that he would stay for some time in Vienna to sign similar treaties there after having finalized the negotiations in Berlin. My Spanish colleague believes that Halil Bey has had honors heaped upon him in both Berlin and Vienna, but he has not extracted the desired concessions.

The other day cholera demanded a victim in the Spanish legation´s house for Romanian Affairs, which resulted in the acting Spanish legation secretary and his family and staff being kept isolated for 6 days.

Yours truly,
C. E. Wandel