11th February 1915
With preparations underway, the commander of the Ottoman 5th Army had to get every man moving. Holding the Dardanelles under his feet, he wanted every precaution put in place.
Taking a look at the map, he ordered men to face Cape Helles as well as Gaba Tepe. Having men at the easiest landing sites, he would be able to pin any force down before pushing them onto the beach. Taking coffee in the winter time, Otto Liman viewed the wide and open sea. Standing on this ground, he knew that this place would be focus of many people. People in Constantinople, Berlin and Vienna and those in Petrograd, London and Paris. Sooner or later, the ground would shake underneath him. Shake not with the fury of marching men towards their defences, but by shells and shell fire. The fortresses on the Asian side had no preemptive attacks on them, which made him calm. Looking to the horizon, he wondered if they would come today. The British or even the Greeks. He knew what happened in 1453 and what happened in 1914. They would have to come for here, he wondered. Something had to give, after what he had heard of the Russians.
'Foolish Tsar. Thinks he can beat Prussians. The idiot wears the crown. Such a shame that German girl had to marry him.' he said to himself, shaking his head.
Advancing towards him was the commander of the 19th Division. Saluting him, he requested an audience with Liman.
'Of course, please join me. You must tell me of the work so far.' the German said. The commander, Mustafa Kemal, obliged him. Being a man promoted by the German himself, he had no choice but to follow what he asked.
'General, we have more than enough men to take on any landing. Cape Helles is secure as is Gaba Tepe, with the artillery overlooking the beaches. I can assure you, there will be no chance that the Allies can land - '
' - But in the event - '
' - "in the event" what?' Mustafa asked, shrugging his shoulders. Smiling, Liman sipped on his cup.
'Tell me, in the event of an attack, what would occur?' Liman asked him.
'Depends on where they land - '
' - Pick a place. Any place on the map. As long as it is in our region, that is - '
' - Cape Helles,' Mustafa said, jabbing it with his gloved finger, 'beneath the old Seddülbahir fortress. They will face machine gun fire. No man would be sane enough to attack - '
' - What if the enemy did what you did? What if they attacked everywhere except that fortress?' Liman asked him, staring at him as he finished the cup. Taking in a deep breath, Mustafa looked at the map.
'I would not change the men. They would be in positions the way they are, right now. Only the day of the attack would guide us to a more, realistic chance of defence and attack.' Mustafa said, taking out his canteen and drinking from it. Showing him a hand, Liman saluted Mustafa.
'Now may not be a good time, given your hard training. Another day will suffice. In the meantime, attend to your men.' said Liman, before he dismissed him. At once, Mustafa left for the 19th Division.
Two hours pass, with no -
' - General, the Minister of War wishes to seek an audience with you.' said one of the guards of Liman's quarters said. Nodding, he beckoned the man to enter. Wiping away sweat from his brow, Enver Pasha entered Liman's presence.
'Minister,' said Liman, trying not to show shock, 'what brings you here of all places.' Taking in several deep breaths, the Minister for War managed to look the General in the eye.
'As part of recent developments, I am here to relieve you of a segment of your men - '
' - Hha ahaha, forgive me Minister,' said Liman, thinking it was a mistake on Pasha's part, 'I do not understand. Could you at least - '
' - The Russians have advanced through the east. They - '
' - The last time that I heard of the east, it was stuck on the west of the Vistula - '
' - I mean the Caucasus,' the Minister said, trying not to unleash any anger, 'the Russian forces have made their advance.'
'Forgive me, Minister, but I say that the 3rd Army headquarters in Erzurum would stand - '
' - It would, General Liman,' said the Minister, 'but it stands no more. Neither does the 3rd Army.' Hearing this, the General could not look away. The sweat started to drip off, even when it was winter. The Minister's wide eyes, the grinding of the teeth, the hot pink of his cheeks and the clenched fists. He was no more different than General Liman in his reaction.
'How many men?' the General asked, his voice dropping at the end.
'The entire 3rd Army has either died or faced captured by the Russians and the bloody Armenians!' Turning around, the Minister for War stomped up and down in fury.
'We can win this. By God, we can,' said the General, 'what we - '
' - No. What you need to do is to follow my orders. I have lost a battle and I will not let someone else lose it. Which is why I ask you for the relief of some of your soldiers to ensure that the Russians and the Armenians do not move. They will not achieve much if there is a force powerful enough to deal with it.' the Minister of War said. Hearing him say this, Liman noticed what the Minister said. Knowing of the clash between himself and Pasha, he wasn't too sure if this was some trap.
'I am, occupied with the - '
' - "occupied"? The Allies have not attacked since we have declared war. They have not bombarded our shores, they have not attacked with a land invasion. All the fighting has been in Egypt, there is nothing - '
' - Minister, I have orders about the defence of the Dardanelles. I mean to uphold them and I cannot do that with a depleted 5th Army - '
' - General Liman. I have orders about the defence of the east. I mean to uphold them and I cannot do that with a depleted defensive force. I need a division of men to ensure that the Russians and the Armenians will keep to where we want them.' The Minister's snort was not giving Liman any favours. Calling for a division, Liman wondered how he was going to take on any force. The situation should call for more soldiers from...Thinking about it, he asked the Minister -
' - Why can't there be more soldiers raised elsewhere? Why the Dardanelles of all places - '
' - I ask in person so that you cannot disobey the orders given. You will relinquish a division of men or - '
' - Or what?' Crossing his arms, Liman wondered if the man was going to follow through with the idea. Taking three steps closer, the Minister was about a forearm's distance from Liman.
'Otherwise I will look forward to working with your successor - '
' - My successor and his successor and his successor and his successor will say the same answer for your demand. It cannot occur - '
' - You will give me one division of men!' the Minister shouted, loud enough for any man to hear within a reasonable distance. With a shiver up his spine, the General cleared his throat.
'How am I to defend?' Liman asked, thinking of the sacrifice of one division. Looking at the Turk, he struggled to follow such an order. If such an order arranged itself in reality, his men would have to double their efforts to fill any gap of the line.
'You have the high ground, General.' said the Minister.
'You seem to underestimate the power of the Allies - '
' - In the same way you underestimate my order. One division, that is all I need to clear away these Russians and Armenians.' said the Minister, before spitting onto the ground after the last word.
'Forgive me Minister, but I cannot lose a single man from this position. The, the Sultan would expect me to defend - '
' - "The Sultan"? The Sultan would expect a visitor to his land, one that fights with us, to aid the Sultan's ministers in the war. The Sultan would also expect you to relinquish his men, men of the Ottoman Empire by the way, not of the Second Reich.' said the Minister.
'The Sec, the Ottoman Empire would allow me the right to control the numbers of men under my command. It was you that gave me that right - '
' - And it is also me that can take away that right! One division, General Liman. That is all that I am asking! One! Tell me, what do you know of Latin?'
'I know enough, Minister,' said General Liman, 'I know enough.'
'Good,' the Minister smiled while his eyes stared, 'are you aware of "Clausula rebus sic stantibus"?'
Shaking his head, the General didn't care much for the inexperience man, 'Tell me then.'
'It states that an agreement is void based off a fundamental change of circumstances. As of now, 90,000 men are dead. That, General, is a change of circumstance - '
' - So, forgive me Minister - '
' - You have my forgiveness, but you also have my order. One division - '
' - Herr Pasha I will not compel myself to - '
' - It is Minister Pasha!' shouted Enver Pasha, trying to be louder than the annoyed and grunting German. Snorting, General Liman wished for another drink. Breaking away from the Minister's sight could be a sight of defeat, something that the German did not want. The Dardanelles was to be secure with the entire 5th Army. Not some section, but with all the 5th Army. God give me strength, said Liman.
'Is there no other way?' General Liman asked, in the hope that he would break, that he would give up in all his fury.
'No.' Minister Enver said, breaking away any assumption that Liman said. Taking in a deep breath, he turned from the Minister. It was too late. Seeing no other road for him, he risked dismissal from the man that put him here. Despite weaker military skill, Enver Pasha was the greater power. Liman's whole presence here was on sufferance, based off no one else being better at the duty. Cursing himself in his mind, he turned back to the devilish smile of Enver Pasha.
'Which division?' General Liman said, calm and defeated before pointing to the map. Looking at the map, both the Minister and the General saw the positions of the men in the area. After half a minute, the Minister pointed to the men positioned at Gaba Tepe.
'I will take the 7th Division, from III Corps. The rest are to remain in the Dardanelles in the event that the Allies come here. All other affairs I will leave to you. Godspeed, General. I will take my leave now.'
Left alone, General Otto Liman von Sanders took a deep breath in, before cursing several times. Walking out, half a dozen soldiers stood to stare at the red faced, heavy-breathing German.
'Alright, no one said you could stop moving. Get to it then!' he shouted, before trying to comprehend what he had done.
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18th February 1915, White House
'Ah, Mr President, what did you think of it?' asked the director. Breaking away from his earlier thoughts of the day, he looked at D. W. Griffith. Moving his tongue around the inside of his mouth, Woodrow Wilson had to think of something to say.
'I thought it was, a decent film for all its faults. I'm sorry, you'll have to forgive me David, but I was - '
' - What was that?' asked the man down the hallway. Walking towards them was the man that created it all. The book that inspired Birth of a Nation. The man that would inspire thousands to join the revived KKK and thousands more to oppose it.
Thomas Dixon Jr.
Lanky and with a stare, the Baptist minister wanted to know the President's opinion.
'Tell me, Mr President, what does the greatest man on earth think of my, I mean our movie - '
' - My movie you mean,' Griffith said, 'you wrote the book, I filmed it - '
' - Gentlemen,' said Wilson with a whisper, 'I commend the process to make that film. It was, stunning beyond all things. The parts where the picture, they go to black - '
' - The fade-aways - '
' - Yes, the fade-aways, quite well put. But I must be honest with you gentlemen. In recent times I have found myself out of favour with some of the hard-handed things. These, hard-handed things done to promote the normal order of things, I do not favour these.' Wilson finished, trying to word what would be his answer. Standing there, both Griffith and Dixon Jr looked to one another.
'Pardon?' Griffith asked.
'Do not fret, I know what he means.' Dixon Jr said.
'What, don't you like my film?' asked Griffith.
'It's more than that. It seems that President Woodrow Wilson, a good friend of mine, doesn't like it when the niggers get what they deserve - '
' - What I do not like is lynching and the Klu Klux Klan. They are un-American ideals that should not encourage people. Segregation cannot stand without a peace between the races. The whites have their positions and the negro - '
' - the nigger, President Wilson, there's not a single one of them here - '
' - They have theirs. And as for my quotations, you have butchered them in the name of racial discord - '
' - "Racial discord"? Mr President, there's been racial discord since you have been President! We gave them housing, the right to vote, the right away from bondage, the right to serve the public! These things are not for the unintelligent darkies, but for the white man! Mr President, the only right that the "negro" gets is the right to travel back to Africa - '
' - Mr Dixon, I have had enough of your words - '
' - Well, based off your reaction, you haven't had enough, you nigger-lover - ' - How dare you say that to me, how dare you! I have stood here as the most powerful man on earth in the name of segregation and yet you call me that? The quotations used serve nothing but a technical marvel mixed with un-American degeneracies. Such as the Klu Klux Klan and the act of lynching - '
' - Without those two things, what is to stop the nigger from rising up and taking over the South? What is to stop them from doing it - '
' - Get out! I have had enough of your insolence! You may have nothing of my endorsement, you may have none of my sympathy and you may have nothing of my friendship! To the devil you go, Mr Dixon Jr! The sooner you leave this place, the better - '
' - I look forward to seeing the back of you! To get a champion of the white man back into the White House, not some goddamn phony like you!' Dixon Jr. said before he stormed out of the door. Taking in a deep sigh, the President remembered the presence of the director.
'Forgive me, Mr Griffith,' said Wilson, 'it was, a brilliant film. Art by lightning. All those - '
' - Fade-aways - '
' - and all that,' Wilson trailed off, 'I wished I felt better given the circumstances. I heard from overseas of the Russian offensive from Morgenthau and I, I had to think of what the future would hold. I was pressuring myself too much from what Morgenthau said.' Nodding away, Mr Griffith tried as hard as he could to not be sad in the President's presence.
'Mr President, it's not your fault. I suppose that there is, anything that I could do. I mean, what could I do?' Mr Griffith asked him. Looking out to the door, Wilson turned back to the director.
'I do not know. What I do know is that you are capable. My, my attitudes have always been to promote segregation in peaceful manner. Not to, not to go out of the way to demonise the negros. Segregate them, through legal means not violent ones. I believed that the white and the black races of this country would work that way. Not like that film. I'm sorry, but I could not enjoy something so against my heart.' Wilson said.
Offering his hand, Wilson shook hands with the director. D. W. Griffith left that night, bitter and defeated. Wilson himself would urge his private secretary to draft his opinion of the film.
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On the 19th February 1915, the New York Times published the President's opinion. This also included the reported shouting match between Wilson and Dixon Jr.
In short, it was damning. In long, it was something of a great change.
On that day, Dixon Jr. and Griffith presented the film at the Raleigh Hotel Ballroom. There was Dixon Jr.'s friend, the Secretary of the Navy. Blatant white supremacist, supporter of lynching and the KKK, Josephus Daniels. With the Secretary's help, the director and Dixon Jr. managed to bring in over 300 people to watch the film.
Another blow to Dixon Jr. and Griffith was Edward D. White, the Supreme Court Chief Justice. Who so happened to be a member of the original KKK in his youth in Louisiana. Already adamant, White confirmed his gripes when he read of the President's opinion. With White's refusal to go, the entire Supreme Court bench refused to go.
The mood dumbed down, given the knowledge of those men between Wilson and Dixon Jr.'s "talk" the night before. Writing a review for Chicago American, Josephus Daniels gave great praise to the film.
When members of the NAACP read the headlines, they purchased as many copies as possible. The 19th February Edition is a part of the NAACP's campaign to boycott and ignore Griffith's film. It wasn't until the 23rd when the National Board of Censorship viewed it for distribution. Viewing the film as a piece of free expression, D. W. Griffith lobbied for its approval. Viewing the film as a piece of promoting the status quo, Thomas Dixon Jr. lobbied for approval. After watching the film and debating it, the board approved the film with a vote of 13 to 10.
When the review finished on the 24th, the NAACP issued pamphlets. These would have the New York Times's recording of Wilson's opinion and the shouting match. "If President Wilson thinks this film is Anti-American, why should you watch it?" was one of the great quotations, which was not corrected until Wilson's death in 1920. He regarded in private his displeasure for the Klu Klux Klan and for lynching, but not for the film itself. With the message in bold spread far and wide, it was also accompanying a recruitment drive. By the end of the year 1916, the NAACP would have a total of 40,000 members compared to 6,000 in 1914. The backlash proved to be a shot in the arm for the NAACP.
On the 1st March 1915, a total of 1,000 NAACP members picketed the entrance to the premiere. The Liberty Theatre on Times Square, New York City, was the place for the premiere. The theatre showed the film to a full and packed house, with some in the isles so desperate to see it.
Now, a moment, if you will (a break from the narrative). The subject matter was far beyond acceptable boundaries. Yet, I cannot deny the impact of technique or filming that this production had. I will defend it against censorship, but I do not have to like it. Now, back to the good stuff.
Having watched the film, there were diverging opinions. There were those exposed to the new medium, transfixed by the special effects. There were those involved in white supremacy liking the film. This was in spite of its obvious revisionism. There were those, of the more liberal minded view, that abhorred the blatant bias. 17 of the latter walked out halfway through the movie. As the public left, one of the more venomous members managed to push away one of the protestors. Without a word, he had himself pushed onto the ground. With no one owning up to anything, several of the viewers attacked the protestors.
For the next three hours, close to 8,500 people assaulted and bruised each other. In the Brooklyn area, African-Americans had become targets of white supremacists. A total of 600 policemen had to intervene, as well as Good Samaritans, to try and prevent the spread of the violence. This was before efforts failed and the violence spread to the rest of the city. This would become known as the Times Square Race Riot, based off where it started. From the 1st - 3rd March, a total of 29,000 people caught themselves in the fighting. During this time, Governor Charles Seymour Whitman ordered the state National Guard. A total of 12,000 militiamen mobilised on the night of the 2nd, before marching into the streets. With many citizens moving out of their way, others began to resist. In the middle of the fighting, white supremacists gathered to commemorate the riots. These 29 men formed the "White Man's Redemption Front" on the 2nd inside Liberty Theatre. By the time that the National Guard reached Times Square on the 3rd, a total of 700 men gathered to resist them. Armed with knives and pistols, they faced the well armed and well trained militia.
At 10:25am, a shot went off. No one admitted responsibility, even in the trial or even after the fact. When it went off, one of the National Guardsmen dropped dead. Advancing forward, they unleashed a torrent of gunfire, with another 12 men dead. Charging forward, the men faced bayonets and close-quarters gunfire. By 10:38am, only 149 men were still alive compared to only 28 of the Guardsmen dying.
By midday that day, Governor Whitman was able to declare an end to the riots. A total of 851 deaths recorded, with 11,053 injuries recorded. Arrest warrants numbered well over 10,000, which would be in the courts for the first half of the year. The costs to the city amounted to $10,000,000, more than the infamous New York Draft Riots of 1863.
Upon hearing the news, President Wilson offered his condolences. He was lukewarm unlike the message he gave following his confrontation with Dixon. Following the details of the violence, Booker T. Washington in Boston urged for a boycott of the film. The NAACP would have success in having Chicago, St. Louis and Cincinnati ban the broadcast of the film. They would follow states like Pennsylvania, Vermont, New Hampshire and Wisconsin. The news of the Times Square Race Riot went around the country, with opinions divided on the matter. Those that were already apprehensive would not go. Despite this, the film was popular in the South as well as the broader country.
Profits of the film from Epoch Producing Co. would be $2.4 million dollars. This would mean that the film would make around $27,000,000 at the box office by 1917. It would have had a larger share, if not for the outbreak among other things. It would be the most successful silent film with no other reaching its profits. It would also hold the title of most successful film. That is, until Orson Welles' Caesar came out on the 16th March 1938, to earn $191,000,000 by 1942.
Birth of a Nation would contain itself within the American mindset for all time. In the year 1980, President Heston would approve of its entry as part of the National Film Registry. He argued, in the name of better race relations, that it was better to see evil than to hide it.
D. W. Griffith had shock from the violence as well as backlash to the film. Having felt justified to tell the story, he would draft a new film. But his relationship with Dixon Jr. felt that it was responsible for his public downfall. Both men would have a reasonable split by the end of the year.
As for Thomas Dixon Jr., he had outrage over the reaction -
' - Why did they do that? Why did Mr Washington say all that about me? Doesn't he know that I am his best friend? The man who could educate him and all his, niggers, to act civilised instead of looting and raping New York City.' he said to himself. Packing all his belongings, he and his family would move away. Away from New York City, where his own face had presented itself on every street corner thanks to the NAACP. Instead, he and his family would go somewhere, anywhere.
Travelling by train out of the city, he would ponder on his work. Despite the riot, he was a rich man. Despite the content of the film, he was a well known man. Despite the beliefs he held, he was a popular man. Looking down, he saw the sketches drawn of The Clansmen. Admiring them and remembering his youth, his eyes lit up.
If Thomas Dixon Jr. couldn't promote the heroism of the KKK on the film, then he would promote it another way. He would do it another way.
He would promote them himself. Thomas Dixon Jr., the first Grand Wizard of the Revived, Renewed KKK
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Okay, so that is what happened in February 1915.
1. Couldn't help myself with the title. I'm not a fan of either men, but I could not resist the title.
2. ATL Sarikamish and Erzurum lead to Enver Pasha demanding troops for the east. The Allies have not attacked the fortresses yet, which is bad, but it does not alert the defenders yet. During this time, the Russians will be dealing with the Second Battle of the Masurian Lakes as it would in OTL. But the news of the destruction of the 3rd Army in ATL will come by the end of the month.
3. Clashes between Sanders and Enver Pasha occurred in real life. At least Sanders manages to keep Mustafa Kemal by his side. Pasha would start the order to send Armenians away a few days earlier than OTL.
4. US consuls within the Ottoman Empire would know of Russian victory as quick as Enver Pasha. These men would pass it on to Henry Morgenthau Snr (the father of the man who wanted to destroy Germany in WW2). As the Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, Morgenthau could pass on the message to Wilson. As he contemplates this, he also has to deal with Dixon Jr. and Griffith. Wilson was personal in hating the act of lynching as well as the KKK despite being a segregationist. Griffith would find it more distasteful that the public would oppose a film with such force. Meanwhile, Thomas Dixon Jr. wonders why the African-Americans don't like him. While that occurs, he is stating that the Reconstruction Amendments were "insane".
5. The opinion of the President would change. The confrontation between Dixon Jr. and Wilson never occurred in OTL. This would be enough to allow the entire Supreme Court to miss it, as well as the Cabinet save for Josephus Daniels.
6. An alt-New York Draft Riots scenario over a film would scare people off more than a campaign by the NAACP. Not disliking what they did, they tried their hardest, but it would miss a lot more of the audience.
7. Because of the faltering revenue and fallout from the riot, Thomas Dixon Jr. leaves New York City. The last words are as subtle as a brick.
8. I hope I don't get kicked because of the word that I mentioned. I hoped to show the horrible Dixon Jr. the"professional" tenor Wilson. This is despite the latter being a segregationist like Dixon Jr.
I hope that this was worth the work. No doubt that the events coming up will be, different.
Anyway, have a good read, see anything you like or anything like that. I'll see you all again soon. Have a good one.
