High Commission of Greece at Smyrna: Foreign Policy and Diplomatic Affairs May 1919 – November 1919

Ἡ ἀνὰ χεῖρας βίβλος ὡς κύριον ὑποκείμενον μελέτης ἔχει τὸ ἀποκείμενον ἐν τῇ Ὑπηρεσίᾳ Ἱστορικοῦ καὶ Διπλωματικοῦ Ἀρχείου τοῦ Ὑπουργείου Ἐξωτερικὸν ἀδημοσίευτον Ἀρχεῖον τῆς Ὑπάτης Ἁρμοστίας Σμύρνης. Ἐν τῷ πρώτῳ κεφαλαίῳ ἐξετάζονται τὰ περὶ τῆς ἐν Παρισίοις Διασκέψεως Εἰρήνης καὶ δὴ καὶ ὅσα διημείφθησαν ἐν αὐτῷ: αἱ τῶν νικητῶν διεκδικήσεις καὶ αἱ μεταξὺ αὐτῶν σχέσεις, ὥστε νὰ καταδειχθῶσιν αἱ προφάσεις δι᾿ ἃς ἐλήφθη ἡ ἀπόφασις διὰ τὴν ἀποβίβασιν Ἑλληνικῶν στρατευμάτων ἐν Σμύρνῃ κατὰ Μάιον τοῦ 1919. Ἐν τῷ δευτέρῳ κεφαλαίῳ ἔστι λόγος διὰ τὸ ζήτημα περὶ τὴν κυριαρχίαν τῆς Σμύρνης καὶ τῆς Ζώνης Κατοχῆς αὐτῆς ὑπὸ τῶν Ἑλλήνων. Μεῖζον πολιτικῆς ἅμα καὶ στρατιωτικῆς φύσεως ζήτημα, τοῦτο δ᾿ ἐπειδὴ μέχρι σχεδὸν καὶ τὴν ὑπογραφὴν τῆς Συνθήκης τῶν Σεβρῶν ἡ κυριαρχία ἐπὶ τῆς Σμύρνης ἦν ἀσαφής. Ἐν τοῖς ἀκολουθοῦσι δύο κεφαλαίοις, ἃ συντάσσονται ὡς ἐπὶ τὸ πολὺ ἐπὶ τῇ βάσει τοῦ ἀνεκδότου ἀρχείου τῆς Ὑπάτης Ἁρμοστίας Σμύρνης, ἀναφέρονται αἱ κατὰ τοὺς δύο πρώτους μῆνας τῆς Ἑλληνικῆς Κατοχῆς ἐπισυμβᾶσαι στρατιωτικαὶ ἐπιχειρήσεις, αἱ προσομιλίαι καὶ συναλλαγαὶ μεταξὺ τοῦ Ἕλληνος Ὑπάτου Ἁρμοστοῦ, Ἀριστείδου Στεργιάδου, καὶ τοῦ Βρεττανοῦ ἐπιτρόπου, Ναυάρχου FitzMaurice. Πρὸς τούτοις αἱ προσομιλίαι καὶ συναλ- λαγαὶ μεταξὺ τῆς Ἑλληνικῆς στρατιωτικῆς καὶ πολιτικῆς διοικήσεως πρὸς Ἰταλοὺς καὶ τοὺς Ὀθωμανοὺς Τούρκους. Ἐπὶ τέλους, λόγον ἐκτενῆ ποιούμεθα περὶ τῆς Διασυμμαχικῆς Ἀνακριτικῆς Ἐπιτροπῆς, ἣ συνεστάθη ὑπὸ τῶν Μεγάλων Δυνάμεων, κατόπιν καταγγελίας τοῦ Σεϊχουλισλάμη, ἐπὶ τῷ σκοπῷ ἐρευνήσεως τῶν κατὰ τὰς δύο πρώτας ἡμέρας ὑπὸ Ἑλληνικὴν Κατοχὴν γεγονότων ἐν Σμύρνῃ, προσέτι τῶν ὑπ᾿ ἐκείνου καταγγελλομένων αὐθαιρεσιῶν τοῦ Ἑλληνικοῦ Στρατοῦ μετὰ τὴν ἄφιξιν αὐτοῦ εἰς Μικρὰν Ἀσίαν.

The main subject of this book is the unpublished Archive of the Greek High Commission of Greece at Smyrna, which belongs to the Historical and Diplomatic Archive Service of the Greek MFA. The first chapter refers to the Paris Peace Conference and what was discussed in it. What the victors claimed in that Conference and what the relationships were between them, in order to demonstrate the context within which the decision to disembark Greek troops in Smyrna in May 1919 was made. In the second chapter, the question of the sovereignty of Smyrna and its Zone of Occupation under the Greeks is mentioned. A major political and military issue since almost until the signing of the Treaty of Sèvres, the sovereignty of Smyrna remained an unclear issue. The next two chapters, which are largely written on the basis of the unpublished archive of the Greek High Commissioner of Smyrna, concern the military operations that occurred during the first two months of the Greek occupation, the interfaces between the Greek High Commissioner, Aristidis Stergiadis and of British Admiral FitzMaurice. Also the relations between the Greek military and political bureaucracy and the Italians, as well as relations with the Turks. Finally, extensive reference is made to the Inter-Allied Commission of Inquiry at Smyrna, which was set up by the Great Powers, following a complaint by Şeyh’ül-İslam, in order to investigate the events that occurred during the first two days of the Greek occupation, as well as the alleged abuses of the Greek army after its arrival in Asia Minor.