26 MAY 1928, Page 26

On August 31st, 1915, Tala'at Bey informed his German allies

that " La question armenienne n'existe plus." Why it did not exist, the callous attitude of Europe and America towards the whole bloodstained tragedy, can be read in Dr. Nansen's Armenia and the Near East (Allen, illustrated, 15s.). It is an awful story which he tells, but we must remember that there were atrocities committed on both sides, that a state of war and a hostile population in the centre of their country did not predispose the Turks to kid-glove methods, and that several Valis resigned rather than carry out brutal orders from Enver. All the same, the Armenians are a sorely tried race and Dr. Nansen's chapters are of sombrely terrible interest. There is also much concerning the prospects and resources of a country about which very little is generally known.

* * * *