Asa Jennings: The American Who Rescued 350,000 Greeks from the Smyrna Massacre

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Asa Kent Jennings was the unsung American leader who helped prevention implicit 350,000 Greeks from slaughter by the Turks successful the larboard metropolis of Smyrna successful 1922.

For thousands of years, Smyrna was the wealthiest of cities located connected the Aegean seashore of what is present modern Turkey. It was a cosmopolitan metropolis known for spiritual tolerance, arsenic it was inhabited by Greeks, Armenians, Turks, and Jews among others, each surviving and moving together.

Yet, successful 1919, the “Young Turk Revolution” established a nationalist authorities that started a lethal run calling for the demolition and persecution of the Christians of Asia Minor, Pontus, and Eastern Thrace.

At the extremity of World War I, the Eastern Mediterranean was successful chaos. In 1919, Greek equipped forces entered Asia Minor to reclaim Greek lands that had been usurped by the Ottomans aft the autumn of Constantinople. The Greco-Turkish War lasted 3 years, and, by 1922, the Turkish service had won, forcing the Greek troops to retreat.

The defeated Greek forces withdrew successful September 1922, chased distant by the Turkish troops who were led by the laminitis of the caller nation, Kemal Ataturk.

Jennings arrives successful Smyrna close earlier the destruction

Asa Kent Jennings arrived successful Smyrna arsenic caput of the YMCA (Young Men’s Christian Association) successful 1922 lone fourteen days anterior to Turkish troops’ entering the city, which was, astatine the time, mostly a Christian one. Upon entranceway of the Turkish army, astir 350,000 Greeks, Armenians, and Jews were trapped with nary mode out. The oversea was to their westbound and the approaching Turks to their east.

The Turkish troops were ruthless successful entering the Greek, Armenian, and—to a lesser extent—Jewish neighborhoods, with the occurrence chiefly targeting Greek and Armenian quarters. They looted homes and acceptable them ablaze, raping, torturing, and sidesplitting residents. Those who attempted to flight by oversea drowned erstwhile trying to scope the overseas ships anchored nearby. Others chose to leap into the oversea to flight from the raging Turks.

American and British warships were stationed disconnected the seashore to prime up their ain fleeing citizens. As neutral forces, they were not allowed to get involved.

Jennings sent his household to the information of the American ships but stayed down to spot however helium could assistance the Smyrna Greeks and different Christians who were trapped successful the blazing city. He arranged for nutrient supplies to beryllium brought successful to provender the refugees. Despite the danger, the American leader was determined to forestall the impending massacre of those incapable to flee.

Jennings risked his ain beingness by traveling done the chaos to conscionable with the Turkish leader, Ataturk. In a mode that immoderate would deem miraculous, helium managed to person the overmuch feared Ataturk to let the non-Muslim refugees—with the objection of men aged 18 to 45—to permission Smyrna but was lone fixed eleven days to find them a harmless transition retired of the country.

Jennings’ program to prevention the Greeks

Jennings instantly contacted the Greek authorities by cablegram to petition that they supply ships to get the refugees to safety. The Greek officials were puzzled arsenic to who helium was. As the lone American near successful Smyrna, Jennings introduced himself arsenic the apical American authoritative successful the metropolis and threatened to exposure the Greek authorities to the world.

He fundamentally blackmailed Prime Minister Nikolaos Triantafyllakos, threatening to internationally denounce the Greek authorities for transgression inaction and work for the nonaccomplishment of countless lives. Finally, the bid was fixed for the involution of the Greek navy nether the supervision of the American fleet successful the region, and 26 ships rushed to supply aid. Jennings directed them into the port, and the Greek ships picked up the refugees wrong the eleven-day model framework permitted by Ataturk.

Word of Jennings’ deeds reached different ports on the Aegean coast. Radio requests were sent retired to fetch refugees. Jennings spent overmuch of the pursuing twelvemonth directing an expanded fleet of 55 ships to ports from the Black Sea to Syria. By the extremity of 1923, helium and his crews had retrieved implicit 1.2 cardinal refugees, galore of whom would person faced definite decease had they remained successful Turkey.

The Greek authorities honored Asa Kent Jennings for his publication to the rescue of refugees from the burning city, his diplomatic mediation, and the repatriation of prisoners of warfare from the Asia Minor campaign. The Greek State presented him with the Golden Cross of the Order of the Savior and the Medal of Military Merit.

The American leader was a erstwhile Methodist pastor

Asa Kent Jennings was the 2nd of six children, calved connected September 20, 1877 to Hiram Jennings and Emma Carvy successful Webster, New York. He attended respective classes astatine Syracuse University anterior to opening his vocation astatine the YMCA successful Utica, New York.

He met Amy M. Will portion moving astatine the YMCA, and they were joined connected August 5, 1902. Together, they had 4 children: Ortha, Asa Will, Wilbur Ferguson, and Bertha Marguerite.

In 1904, Jennings was diagnosed with Pott’s disease, oregon acute tuberculosis of the spinal cord, a perchance terminal illness. He spent respective months successful the Adirondacks for treatment. After having 2 infected vertebrae removed, helium was 5 inches shorter and was required to deterioration a metallic brace.

In 1908, Jennings became an ordained Methodist minister. He held pastorates successful churches astatine respective towns crossed Oneida County, New York. When World War I broke out, the United States joined the allied forces against Germany. Jennings past joined the Red Cross and served successful France until the extremity of the war. His acquisition with the Red Cross led him to a precocious station with the YMCA, which yet sent him to Smyrna.

For his enactment during and aft the catastrophe of Smyrna, helium gained the respect of the Greek and Turkish governments. Both utilized Jennings to assistance negociate captive exchanges betwixt the 2 countries.

The antheral who saved the lives of truthful galore Smyrna Greeks and Armenians remained successful Turkey pursuing the struggle and helped to found an organization, “The Friends of Turkey,” which was akin to the YMCA.

On January 27, 1933, Jennings was successful Washington DC to confer with the Turkish authorities. There, helium collapsed successful the vicinity of the White House and passed distant connected the mode to the hospital.

The Guardian study connected the Smyrna destruction

The Guardian correspondent described successful horrifying item the demolition of the Smyrna Greek and Armenian quarters connected September 16, 1922:

It is officially stated that British and American refugees who near Smyrna past nighttime study the full demolition of the Greek, Armenian, and overseas quarters of the municipality by fire.

The occurrence was started with petroleum yesterday astatine midday by Turkish regular troops with the entity of hiding the bodies of those massacred the nighttime before. The fig of radical massacred is unknown, but is estimated by American alleviation workers who investigated earlier the outbreak of occurrence to beryllium good implicit 1,000.

Destroyers successful the harbour are giving assistance to the overseas colony, who are being embarked. The French and American Colleges, the YMCA and YWCA office for Near East relief, and each their stocks of nutrient person been destroyed. The consulate were successful sedate information past night. The Turkish municipality was past untouched. There are 60,000 refugees connected the quays starving. The nonaccomplishment caused by the demolition of baccy is enormous.

College girls’ fate
Frightful reports person been received present of Turkish atrocities to Smyrna. The Turks acceptable occurrence to the Armenian and Greek quarters, and the American Girls’ Collegiate Institute, arsenic good arsenic the Evangelical College and the French St Joseph College, was burnt.

Miss Minnie Mills, the main of the Girls’ College, saw a Turkish serviceman carrying a petroleum tin adjacent the house, which was past acceptable connected fire. The assemblage girls, unneurotic with 1,300 refugees wrong the assemblage ground, fell into the hands of the Turks portion trying to escape.

The YMCA buildings, besides the Near East alleviation warehouses of flour supplies, were burnt down. The British and American consulates appeared to beryllium doomed by the fire. All the British fled to battleships, but galore failed to flight and were massacred, including 1 named Rees.

The president of the International College, Dr Maclachlan, was beaten astir to decease by the Turks, who robbed each houses careless of nationality, scorning the Allied flags.

Last nighttime the flames from the burning houses lit up the full city. On the harbour quay, successful semi-darkness, thousands of refugees were huddled crying oregon connected their knees praying. The lone Allied assistance extended was the absorption connected the masses of refugees of searchlights from the Allied battleships to prevention them from the activities of the Turks successful the dark.

The Armenian archbishop was killed, and it is reported that the Greek Metropolitan, Chrysostomos, met the aforesaid end. The fiscal nonaccomplishment from the occurrence is estimated astatine £15m. Smyrna is doomed to starvation oregon massacre.”

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