The Great Fire of Smyrna, aka Smyrna Catastrophe, constitutes a milestone in Greek history and marks the culmination of the Greco-Turkish War of 1919–1922 which was fought between Greece and the Turkish National Movement during the partitioning of the Ottoman Empire between 15 May 1919 and 14 October 1922. September 13 marks an anniversary since the end of the Greco-Turkish war, which begun right after WWI, and ended with Greek army’s defeat by the Nationalist Turkish powers led by Mustafa Kemal. Greece participated in the war on the side of the ‘Entente’ forces while the Ottoman Empire sided with the ‘Central Powers’. At the end of August 1922, the Turkish army entered Smyrna, causing the front to collapse, leading to the Greek genocide reaching its peak.

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The Greeks first resided on Asia Minor in the 11th century B.C. Their contribution to the economic advancement of the region and particularly Smyrna was notable, especially towards the end of the 19th century. Smyrna was one of the most illustrious ancient Greek cities with an unparalleled cosmopolitan feel while it was well-known for its international appeal, mainly due to its advantageous port. The city was a commercial and cultural hub of Asia Minor and one of the main centers of Greek culture in the western world. It was inhabited by Greeks – the largest population in the region – as well as Armenians, Jews and Turks. The citizens of Smyrna were in their majority, well-read, educated and world-travelled professionals with a high social and economic status. Old Smyrna, located at a strategic point on the Aegean coast of Anatolia, was founded in approximately the 11th century BC and rose to prominence during the Archaic Period as one of the principal ancient Greek settlements in western Anatolia while it was later taken over and developed by the Ionians. Smyrna was the new city to which residents moved as of the 4th century BC. Its foundation was inspired by Alexander the Great while it reached its metropolitan proportions during the period of the Roman Empire.

 

The Refugee Wave

The massive exodus of the Greek population created a huge refugee problem with which Greece was unable to deal all by itself. Approximately 1.2 million Greeks from Asia Minor, Pontus and Eastern Thrace were either killed or forced to flee to Greece, most of whom had no means of sustenance while they faced several fatal epidemics.  Despite sharing the same religion and culture as local Greeks, they were not accommodated to fit in; instead, they faced scrutiny and prejudice by the locals. Specifically, Greek female refugees, were thought of as women of questionable ethics; a false impression that derived from the fact that they lived alone, either because they were widows or due to being separated from the spouses who had been held captive by the Turks. The refugees from Asia Minor to Greece contributed to the Greek culture, economy and instilled elements of their customs, musical and culinary traditions to their everyday life in Greece.

 

The urgent need to relieve the refugees, which exceeded the capability of the Greek government, meant that the contribution of the international community was absolutely essential. In October 1922, the former Prime Minister and a leading political figure of Greece, Eleftherios Venizelos, made a public appeal, asking for the active assistance of the whole world. Given the fact that Europe was still recovering from WWI, Venizelos emphasized that substantial assistance would need to come from the United States while his appeal was founded upon the tangible interest of the American authorities to support the Greek refugees from Anatolia. The United States High Commissioner at Constantinople, admiral Mark Lambert Bristol, in collaboration with American relief and benevolent institutions in the region, had organized a disaster relief committee for Smyrna, while the American Red Cross and the Near East Relief, made available $25,000 for refugee assistance.

 

The Greek government made an urgent appeal to the American Charge´ d’Affaires at Athens, J. Caffery asking for urgent assistance of the US government to help save the thousands of refugees that had assembled in the ports of Asia Minor. At the same time, Greece was willing to receive refugees, yet there were no available means to bring the refugees to Greece as Greek vessels had been employed in evacuating the retreat of Greek troops from Asia Minor. This resulted to Athens asking Washington to provide food, tents and ships for the safe transportation of refugees to Greece. Washington, via the American Red Cross and the Near East Relief, was quick to address the food shortage providing adequate support for the relief of the hundreds of thousands of Greek refugees.

 

Those who were still trying to find a means to leave Asia Minor were faced with the danger of dying either due to the ongoing massacre by the Kemalist forces or because of hunger and diseases. However, same was the case for those who had managed to escape the massacre, as they were faced with hunger and diseases. As money and food we?By the end of September 1922, through the instrumentality of various American relief associations, funds and supplies summing approximately $300,000 had been made available for the relief of Greek refugees.​