The Blight of Asia is a gripping personal testimony by diplomat George Horton, who served as the U.S. Consul General in Smyrna during the years of the Asia Minor Catastrophe. As an eyewitness, he highlights the organized massacres of Greeks and Armenians by the Turks and the passive stance taken by the Great Powers. "The Blight of Asia is a book that must be read by anyone even slightly interested in understanding the complex and avoidable events that led to the destruction of the city of Smyrna... Horton's narrative is reliable and significant. He was himself an eyewitness to many of the shocking events he recounts in his book and saw with his own eyes many acts of terrorism, including the persecutions against Christians living in Asia Minor."                                                                                                             From the preface                                                                                   by author and historian Giles Milton