Amazingly Frank Diary Of Ex-Sultan Of Turkey.

New York Times 100 years ago today, March 2, 1913:
Abdul Hamid Shows A Cynical Attitude Toward The European Powers And Is A Caustic Critic Of The Nations He So Ably Held At Bay — A Story Prophet About The Balkans.
    CONVINCING "inside information" about the chess game which Turkey played for so many years with the great European powers as pieces is contained in some extracts from ex-Sultan Abdul Hamid's diary, which the German magazine Nord und Süd has begun to publish in its current number. These extracts have been given out by a Turk, who declares that he obtained them from thoroughly reliable persons who assumed entire responsibility for their authenticity.
    To say that Abdul Humid is frank is putting it mildly. So brutally outspoken is he in spots as to make one believe that, like Pepys, he wrote only for his own edification, and never expected anybody else to get a look at his diary.
    In preface, Ali Vahbi Bey, who turned over he extracts from the imperial diary to the German magazine, says:

    Through entire decades Abdul Hamid fought off with unparalleled skill the assaults of the powers and stubbornly combated the internal disintegration of his empire. He set his mind unceasingly toward safeguarding the combined interests of all the Moslems of the world; he created Pan-Islamism and raised Turkey to the position of a great power of the first class.
    The following pages, which contain the thoughts and reminiscences of Sultan Abdul Hamid II., and which we owe to several men who once stood very close to that ruler, should, in view of the downfall of the Ottoman Empire, command more than ever the interest of a very wide circle of readers. They give a human likeness of the deposed Padishah and show that the greater part of his mistakes were due to unfavorable circumstances and to the unlucky star under which Turkey seems to stand.

    Here is a translation of the extracts from the diary, as published in the German magazine:

THOUGHTS AND MEMOIRS.
By Ex-Sultan Abdul Hamid of Turkey
    People always maintained that Bismarck, unlike other diplomats, did not hide his thoughts behind his words, but always spoke out what he thought — but his statement regarding the East not being worth the bones of one Pomeranian grenadier cannot possibly have represented his real meaning. If they did, I should consider him a shortsighted statesman. Perhaps he felt then that the time had not yet come to turn his eyes, before all the world, toward the East. Had he recognized early enough that it is a most important matter for Germany to keep Turkey strong, it would have been better for both parties.
    It is too bad that Bismarck did not wish to receive us into the Triple Alliance. It would have been possible. Even Kaiser William ought to have dared to take us quietly into the alliance. Instead of splitting up his superfluous strength all over the world and acquiring colonies from which no profit will ever be had. Germany should have extended her influence premeditatedly as far as the Persian Gulf. She would have profited thereby — likewise ourselves.

Germany, Turkey, and Anatolia.
    It is really high time that we should once more curtail German influence. We must show the "grand seigneur" (Ambassador Marschall von Kieberstein) that we feel distrust toward him and the policy of Germany. The plan of the German Emperor, according to what my Ambassador in Berlin tells me, is to create a German sphere of influence in Asia Minor. Well, I have nothing to say against an economic revival in Anatolia through the Germans, but German newspapers demand German colonization along the route of the Bagdad Railway.
    What do these newspaper writers suppose? Do they think that we will hand over to German settlers the Anatolian districts won by our forefathers with heavy sacrifices? For a long time back, unfortunately, we have neglected to keep foreigners from our throats — to this is due all our misfortunes.
    In Anatolia we wish to and must remain alone. Allah be praised that at least this last refuge remains to our fellow-countrymen and fellow-believers, harassed from all sides!

The Balkan States in Turkey.
    My old gardener at the Yildiz Kiosk was right when he gave me his ideas on the political confusion in the Balkans as follows:
    An apple tree, a pear tree, a plum tree, an oak, and a pine tree stood side by side, so near that their twigs almost touched. The oak rose far above the other trees, but nevertheless the latter robbed the giant's lower branches, of air and light, so that they rotted and fell away.
    And it happened that these trees quarreled as to their place in the sunshine and their upbraidings grew so bitter that finally Allah in heaven heard them. So he appeared among them and said: "Wherefore do you quarrel?
    You all have a right to live; no tree is better than another; each is great in its place."
    So it is in the Balkans. Imagine that the apple tree is Rumania, the plum tree Servia, the pine tree Greece, the pear tree Bulgaria, and that the oak is our own Turkey, from which already many a rotted branch has fallen. To my mind, this has not hurt the trunk, since the hollow, rotten branches which we have lost constituted a danger to the health of our tree.

England on the Nile.
    The report of my Pasha in Egypt (Mukhtar Pasha, Imperial Commissioner) praises what the English have accomplished in the Nile region. "The material welfare of the land seems to have improved greatly; the education of the people progresses day by day," he says.
    Mukhtar is a fool. He has been poisoned by the English. How can he praise these people, who act only through selfishness, who squeeze everything out of the Nile region, who wish to make it into an English province?
    In order to accomplish this the more easily they are spoiling the character of the inhabitants; they seek to destroy the Mohammedan virtues.
    What use have we for all this progress of European culture? It blinds the ignorant and deceives the people who before its advent lived so peacefully and happily.
    No! Occidental civilization is for us a deadly poison, offered to us with hypocritical smiles. We received foreigners hospitably, and this is their gratitude — they annihilate us; they work for our ruin.

Crusade Against Turkey.
    The crusade against us has never really stopped!
    Gladstone, that old troublemaker and charlatan, walks in the footsteps of Pope Pius II. Yet, in spite of this, the Ottoman Empire, so hated by Christians, was, even in the Middle Ages, the refuge of all who were persecuted on account of their beliefs, while in the West the crudest religious persecutions were the order of the day. At the time when the Holy Inquisition, which burned Jews at the stake or drove them into exile, was active in Spain, we offered them aid and received them into our midst. The Crescent has always provided a secure haven for those banished on account of their religion or political views.
    But who in the Occident knows our history? Who gives himself the trouble to learn it? What for instance, does the grand old man Gladstone know about Eastern affairs? If I should characterize his vagaries rightly, his attacks on my Government, "based not on laws but on violence," then  I could only call them barbarous!
    Is it not the same way with the Armenian atrocities as it was with the "Bulgarian horrors"? Was it not long ago proved what lies the English papers published at that time?
    They told about the destruction of Christian villages, the extermination of their inhabitants. Yet it turned out later that these places were in a flourishing condition, that the inhabitants were living in undisturbed harmony with their Mohammedan neighbors.
    I think that everybody who has lived a long time in the East and has kept his objective sense will say that we Moslems, after all, are better than the Eastern Christians.
    Moreover, what horrible cruelties the Spaniards committed when they undertook their voyages of discovery, and how savagely the French behaved when they conquered Algiers, and how cruel the English were in the Indian mutiny, and the Belgians in the Congo — to say nothing of the Russians and their Siberian atrocities!
    Should one be surprised when the patient Turk, who has pampered the Armenian up to now, and, in lieu of gratitude, is attacked by the latter in his own house, feels his blood boil? Have not the Armenians laid about them with daggers and dynamite like thoroughgoing anarchists?
    The powers will not allow us to be masters in our own house — they always come bothering us with their agreements, &c. What is right and equitable for all nations on earth, even Monaco, is not to be permitted us by any means by the Christian powers. The crusade against Turkey is steadily kept up by them in secrecy.

France and Turkey (1899.)
    Our relations with France unfortunately leave much to be desired. It is evident that the French are displeased on account of the German Emperor's visit to me. During these last centuries we have turned our gaze too much toward France — ever since the time when Louis XIV. declared that the other Christian rulers of Europe were not worthy of his help in the war against the chivalrous Ottomans there has been friendship between Turks and Frenchmen.
    We certainly owe thanks to those French officers who reorganized our army, and especially our artillery; and in later times we have often seen French officers in our ranks. Finally, the Crimean war created a sort of brotherhood in arms between the two nations.
    This last century of our history may rightly be called the French century. The most important reforms instituted by my noble predecessor, Abdul Aziz, and my deceased father, Abdul Mejid, are French in character. Our army, schools, and language were, until quite recently, on an almost entirely French basis; our first railroads were built by Frenchmen.
    Naturally it is bitter for these sensitive gentlemen to see that Germans are now our instructors, that Germans have positions in our Ministries. No wonder they look upon the strengthening of German influence in the Levant with dislike. Only two decades ago we were, in Bismarck's opinion, not worth the bones of a Pomeranian grenadier, yet, nevertheless, Germany has been able to worst all other nations in the East without a fight.
    I must say that Constans, the French Ambassador, worked very energetically to strengthen French influence in the Orient. He materially helped the French missions, those pioneers of France; he also was lucky regarding various concessions. In the quay question it was really a mistake on my part to do away with the old privileges of the French.
    Unfortunately, we have for some time been going from one conflict into another. First, we had a postal quarrel, then the trouble about the international sanitary commission, afterward that of the public debt, &c.
    Yes — it is Fate! It drives men to do things the wrong way. What can anybody do against it? At all events, we now stand better than ever before with our old arch-enemy, Russia.

Bulgaria (1903.)
    My Imperial Commissioner in Sofia, Nedjib, has got hold of an interesting document. "The time has not yet come [so writes the Russian Ambassador, Sinovieff, to my vassal, Ferdinand] "to make Bulgaria independent. Your Royal Highness should await a better opportunity. Russia can just now make no promises. Above all, it would be well to make Austria-Hungary more willing," &c.
    The sly Nedjib need not have spent so much money to get possession of this letter. Long ago my Ambassador at Vienna informed me that Ferdinand was moving heaven and earth to get support there for the separation of Bulgaria from Turkey.
    In spite of all his amiability and subservience to us, this Prince Ferdinand is not to be trusted! Just let him try to proclaim himself King! That we cannot and must not ever allow, unless we wish to give up our prestige as a great power.
    If he does it, the troops at Adrianople should at once march on Sofia. Russia would hesitate to attack; Austria would make a great mistake if she should support Bulgaria's desire to be a great power.

Bulgaria in the Balkan Alliance (1903)
    Of what value, are all Prince Ferdinand's protestations, all the efforts at reconciliation made by the Bulgarian Government? Twenty thousand men in Rumelia are harassing our frontiers. And the powers pretend to be astonished because we are mobilizing, because we at last wish to make war on the Bulgarians, so that we may be let alone. Already Russia has come to an understanding with Austria to send mixed corps against us, and a French fleet puts in an appearance in our waters at Russia's behest.
    The Russian papers bring forward the idea of a union of all the Balkan nations. Servia, Bulgaria, Rumania, and Greece, together with the Christians in Macedonia Bosnia, and Herzegovina, are to form an alliance to which the Russian press credits 18,000,000 souls. Disunion and mutual distrust condemn the Balkan States to complete impotence, to the role of instruments in the hands of others. In truth, our power in Europe is founded upon this lack of union among the Balkan nations.
    How can the Russian journalists imagine a Balkan union? Servians and Bulgarians do not love each other, the latter hate the Rumanians; Greeks and Bulgarians are, as is well known, deadly enemies. The Bulgarians maintain that in Macedonia the Bulgarian race predominates; the Greeks maintain that Macedonia has a Greek population and was forcibly conquered by the Bulgarians. The religious schism of 1870 has separated Greeks and Bulgarians for all time.

English Aspirations to the Caliphate.
    The English are more to be feared than any other nation. No promise is sacred to them. As late as November of last year Lord Granville declared that, as regards Egypt, the English policy had no other object than that stated in our proclamations. In July, 1882, Admiral Seymour declared that Britain had no intention of conquering Egypt or tampering with the freedom of the Egyptians in any way. At the same time Lord Dufferin, British Ambassador at Constantinople, gave the assurance that Great Britain was seeking no special privileges — not even commercial — in Egypt. In August Gen. Wolseley maintained that British troops had appeared in Egypt only to restore the Khedive's power.
    All these promises perfidious Albion forgot only too soon. The influence of my Commissioner in Egypt is being systematically destroyed by the English; down there we are simply being forced to the wall. I cannot understand how the French can be so lazy as to look on quietly at all this.
    The British arc doing all their utmost to undermine our authority in Egypt, and the Egyptian Moslems are already inoculated with the British poison. They think the English brand of culture the only one that can lead to happiness; they place nationality above religion. They believe that European civilization can be assimilated with their own.
    But could two such radically opposite ways of looking at the world as Islam and Christianity ever be united? Even the Khedive, in spite of all his uprightness, for which I admire him, has almost become a giaour.
    How could it be otherwise? First, there was his education in Geneva; then, at the Theresianum in Vienna — was he not destined to become a European?
    The English would willingly play into his hands as regards giving him the Caliphate, in order to break the influence of Islam and bring the Caliphate into their power. No upright Moslem would acknowledge the Khedive as the ruler of true believers. The English might just as well proclaim Lord Cromer Caliph!

Bulgaria and Pan-Slavism.
    What else can Russia want than to push Pan-Slavism to the Bosphorus? The Bulgarians are simply the outriders of this Russian onslaught — they are and will remain the Czar's obedient tools. Only Hellenism can cope with Slavism in the Balkans. Allah be praised that Bulgarians and Greeks hate each other like fire and water!
    Bulgaria is not only the protege of Russia, but also of England. Is it not a proved fact that the Balkan committee in London contributes enormous sums for the support of the Bulgarian bands which cross our boundaries and for many years have made peace impossible in our frontier provinces? If Bulgaria were not financially on the brink of ruin she would long ago have made war on us.
    War with Bulgaria will and must come. Seven years ago we should have called this troublesome fellow to account, but Russia and England interfere with us every time we are about to strike this Balkan robber.
    England and Russia burrow our house like two rats. France was formerly a good ratcatcher to us — we could loose her at the right moment against those two unwelcome rodents. But France fails us more and more. Allah be praised that we have found in Germany a substitute! In order to hold them all in check, we can make use of our "honest broker."

Tripoli.
    The occupation of Tripolitania is for us a very thankless task. Every year this vilayet costs us much money, and the intrigues of the Italians there are endless.
    Ostensibly they wish to give us 54,000,000 lire if we open Tripoli "economically" to them and hand it over to their "protectorate." It is worth considering whether we should yield to their importunities.
    If we did, we should be left in peace, and receive money with which to do other things; and, after all, it might be better thus than to have the land later taken from us by violence.
    The best defender of my rights in Tripoli is still the Sheik-ul-Mahdi of the Sentissi. He will not let the Italians enter easily, since he is supposed to be able to raise 30,000 men. Besides, the Sentissi are united with all the dervishes of the world, numbering some hundreds of thousands. Should the Sentissi revolt, the Italians would have on their hands a bloodier war than that against the Mahdi in the Soudan; we have placed at their disposal enough rifles and cannon to make them very formidable opponents.

Germany and France in the East.
    The French are much displeased because I show preference for the Germans. Well, there are good reasons for that! The Kaiser alone would have succeeded in turning all my sympathies toward the Germans. There is a man one can trust and love. He is worthy of admiration — and how he has improved his country!
    Moreover, the German, for his own sake, is much more to my liking than the Frenchman. His character resembles that of the Turk most — like the latter he is somewhat slow and clumsy, but faithful and honest. The German is industrious and works tenaciously; the Frenchman is also very industrious, but does not labor with Teutonic-Germanic energy; he wastes much of his strength by fruitless dabbling in politics.
    Against German perseverance the French can only range their great capacity for enthusiasm, which, like a straw fire, vanishes only too soon.
    But the German — and here it is that he differs most from the Frenchman — is above all else thoroughly conversant with whatever he attempts, That the French are less to the liking of us Turks is easily explained by the fact that they took Tunis away from us and that we cannot become really friendly with a republican form of government. Wherever a monarch's sceptre is lacking order cannot reign permanently.

Russia.
    The successes of the Japanese against the Russians must necessarily fill us with great joy — Japanese victories are our victories. It is lucky for us that Russia is turning her superfluous strength toward the Far East, because her attacking power on the Black Sea will thereby be diminished. As soon as the Russians have somewhat recovered, however, they will probably renew their activity against us.
    If they cannot make the Baltic into a Russian sea they will try to make the Black Sea into one. That is easily understood and natural.
    The principal arteries of Russia — the Dniester, Dnieper, Don and Volga — the latter indirectly by means of canals — fall into the Black Sea. Russian strength therefore seeks an outlet through the straits into the Mediterranean. Doubtless it is an important matter for Russia to burst the Dardanelles bonds, but it is also a matter of life and death to us to keep these straits in our possession. If we did not stand face to face with Russia on this question as irreconcilable enemies, we might be the best friends in the world.
    There is altogether too much that is similar and related between my empire and the Czar's. This is no less true of the character of the two peoples. All this should tend to make the two countries allies instead of arch enemies. It must also be borne in mind that, in Russia, we have several million Mohammedans, while Russia, in turn, watches over the orthodox church in my realm. Yet we can find no modus Vivendi with Russia! * * *