Blared L'Intransigeant: "There has never been such a scandal in the history of France!" Premier Painleve, soundly harassed, tried to soothe his public: "Despatches have been greatly exaggerated. . . . Annoying events have taken place in our Syrian Mandate, but the Government is taking necessary steps to remedy the situation."
The "annoying" or "scandalous" events marked the bombing and shelling of Damascus, "oldest inhabited city in the world," by order of General Maurice Sarrail, French High Commissioner in Syria. Impartial witnesses placed the human loss at 1,000 lives, the property damage at...
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