In September 1922, Mustapha Kemal (Atatürk) led his troops into Smyrna (now Izmir), a wealthy and predominantly Christian city, as 27 Allied warships, including three American destroyers, looked on. The Turks proceeded to indulge in an orgy of rape, pillage and slaughter that the western allies, anxious to protect their oil and trade interests with Turkey, silently condoned and refused to intervene. After massacring many Christian inhabitants and closing avenues of escape, they proceeded to cover up their crime by setting fire to the city. The fire was started in the Armenian quarter, at a time when the wind was blowing in a direction that would drive the flames to destroy Christian homes and businesses, but avoid the Turkish area.
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