The anxiety at Constantinople seems to have been intense. It
was necessary for Sir Charles Harington to improve the defences of the very weak Ismid Zone long after Chanak was considered safe, and the constant arrival of the apparatus of war caused conster- nation among the population, who fled to Constantinople. The Mudania Conference was a touch-and-go affair from start to finish. Sir Charles Harington, when he had at last pulled the chestnuts out of the fire, made the following remarks to the special correspondent of the Morning Post :- " Up to last night I saw no hope. Delay after delay was driving the situation towards a break. In fact, it was so bad yesterday that I walked into the Conference room with two ultimatums—one in each pocket. They are still in my pocket now. During the Conference, when a break seemed inevitable, I told Ismet Pasha that I had presented my last word. I stood up, walked across the room, and looked at a map on the wall, while absolute silence reigned. Ismet turned and said : Is that really your last word ? ' I put my hand in my pocket, fingered one ultimatum, looked him in the eye, and said : Yes.' Film minutes later I was hopeful for the first time for several days. Only those at Chanak—and the officers and troops there deserve the highest credit for their restraint in face of the greatest provocation—know how near was the first shot which would have precipitated a conflict."
