Akcam: Obama Should Recognize Genocide and Liberate Turks and Armenians
By KhatchigMouradian • on March 24, 2009 •
Prof. Taner Akcam
WORCESTER, Mass. (A.W.)-On March 19, prominent Turkish-born genocide scholar Taner Akcam delive red his inaugural lecture at Clark University titled, “Facing History: Denial and the Turkish National Security Concept.” In 2008, Akcam was appointed the Robert Aram and Marianne Kaloosdian and Stephen and Marion Mugar Chair in Armenian Genocide Studies at Clark University.
Speaking to an audience that had packed the Tilton Hall of the Higgins University Center, Akcam sent a powerful message to U.S. President Barack Obama, asking him to liberate Turks and Armenians by properly recognizing the Armenian Genocide.
Talking about the reluctance of Congress and some former U.S. presidents to acknowledge the Armenian Genocide, Akcam said, “[T]here’s an ongoing theatrical drama-perhaps ‘comedy’ would be a better term-that all the parties engage in every year, and that has started to grow old. It’s time to end this dishonorable play-acting.” He explained how every time a U.S. president or Congress has the issue of the genocide on their table, “Rhey end up denying for one day what they believe the other 364 days of the year.”
Akcam continued, “All of the parties involved know very well what the U.S. administration and Congress think about 1915. But Turkey asks them to tell a lie only for one day. I have never understood why the Turkish government extracts so much joy out of making the United States lie for one day. I also find it completely dishonorable. Not only does this lie fail to lead to a resolu tion, it needlessly locks up the debate.”
Hence, Akcam argued, the importance of official U.S. recognition of the Armenian Genocide-“if the United States declares what it believes to be the truth and stands behind it”-would not only gain it “some self-respect on the subject, but it will liberate Turks, Armenians, and itself in the process.”
Akcam ended his lecture by asking Obama to stand up for truth. “I believe that we will enter a new era where morality and real politik will not be considered mutually exclusive, if President Obama should put an end to this lingering problem and liberate everybody in the process by an official acknowledgment of genocide,” he said.
Obama, both as a Senator and a presidential candidate, was an outspoken advocate for proper U.S. reaffirmation of the Armenian Genocide. He repeatedly called on former president George W. Bush to recognize the genocide and expressed reservations over the firing of U.S. Ambassador to Armenia John Marshall Evans for his remarks recognizing that crime. In January 2008, Obama issued a campaign statement, noting that “America deserves a leader who speaks truthfully about the Armenian Genocide and responds forcefully to all genocides. I intend to be that President.” The complete statement may be read at www.barackobama.com/2008/01/19/barack_obama_on_the_importance.php.
Last week, Representati ves Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), George Radanovich (R-Calif.), Frank Pallone (D-N.J.), and Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) were joined by 70 of their House Colleagues in the introduction of Armenian Genocide legislation (H.Res.252) calling on the president to recognize the Armenian Genocide. That resolution is identical to the one introduced in the previous Congress, which was adopted by the House Foreign Affairs Committee by a vote of 27 to 21, and had over 200 co-sponsors.
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/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Obama administration is hesitating on a promised presidential declaration that Armenians were the victims of genocide in the early 20th century, fearful of alienating Turkey when U.S. officials badly want its help.
President Obama and other top administration officials pledged during the presidential campaign to officially designate the 1915 killings of Armenians by the Ottoman Turks as genocide. Many Armenian Americans, who are descendants of the victims and survivors, have long sought such a declaration.
But the administration also has been soliciting Ankara’s help on Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran and other security issues amid Turkish warnings that an official U.S. statement would imperil Turkey’s assistance.
Administration officials are considering postponing a presidential statement, citing progress toward a thaw in relations between Turkey and neighboring Armenia. Further signs of warming — such as talk of reopening border crossings — would strengthen arguments that a U.S. statement could imperil the progress.
“At this moment, our focus is on how, moving forward, the United States can help Armenia and Turkey work together to come to terms with the past,” said Michael Hammer, a spokesman for the National Security Council. He said the administration was “encouraged” by improvements in relations and believed it was “important that the countries have an open and honest dialogue about the past.”
Armenian Americans and their supporters, however, say policies that avoid offending Turkey merely advance Ankara’s denial of brutal periods in its history.
An estimated 1.5 million Armenians were victims of planned killings by the Ottoman Turks as the empire was dissolving during World War I, an episode historians have concluded was a genocide. But Turkey and some of its supporters contend that the deaths resulted from civil war and unrest and that their numbers were exaggerated.
American presidents have long sought to avoid calling the killings a genocide, fearing repercussions from a NATO ally that is acutely sensitive to the charge. In 2007, the Bush administration argued for a delay in a congressional genocide resolution, saying that Turkish assistance was needed for the safety of U.S. troops in Iraq.
For Obama, the controversy comes at an especially sensitive time. He is visiting Turkey on April 5, and his views on the issue will command worldwide attention. Armenian Americans, meanwhile, have been pushing for a White House declaration on April 24, the annual remembrance day. Congressional supporters are also planning to reintroduce the genocide resolution soon.
Obama’s visit to Turkey has become risky for the administration, said Mark Parris, a former U.S. ambassador to Turkey. “Plopping the president down over there really does raise the stakes,” said Parris, now co-director of the Brookings Institution’s program on Turkey. “Now it can’t be overlooked. . . . It could carry costs to his credibility.”
Obama declared repeatedly during his campaign that the killings were genocide. Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton are on record with similar positions.
But the Obama administration would like to use Turkey as part of the military supply line for Afghanistan. It also would like more help regarding Iraq, Iran’s nuclear program, Russia and Mideast peace.
Relations between Turkey and Armenia began warming noticeably in September, when Turkish President Abdullah Gul became the first Turkish leader to visit Armenia. The countries are considering opening borders and embassies, initiating economic cooperation and establishing a historical commission.
But Parris said further openings to Armenia would carry domestic risks for Turkish leaders, who could be reluctant to do so if they thought Obama would declare a genocide on April 24.
Congressional supporters of the genocide resolution expressed frustration about the latest resistance.
“The argument that some are making now is only the latest incarnation of the same old tired refrain: that we should recognize the genocide — just not this year,” said Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Burbank), one of the sponsors of the resolution.
Another advocate, Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Sherman Oaks), said that though the strength of Turkey’s cautions was declining, Turks remained influential with lawmakers who believed a halt in Ankara’s aid could hurt U.S. troops. Sherman called it “their ugly ace in the hole.”
Aram Hamparian, executive director of the Armenian National Committee of America, remained optimistic. Obama “is a man of his word and has been crystal clear on the issue,” The Los Angeles Times cited him as saying.
But Turks remain uneasy. Ali Babacan, the Turkish foreign minister, warned in a TV interview last week that Obama’s visit didn’t preclude a genocide declaration.
“The Turks fully understand that the danger of the [genocide] resolution is not going away,” said Bulent Aliriza, director of the Turkey Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Ruben Megrabian from the Armenian Centre for Political and International Research thinks that improvements in Russian-Turkish relations might be a threat for Armenia. He points out that these relations are based on their attitudes towards the West and that the Armenian elite should consider this possibility. Megrabian thinks that both Russia and Turkey have their own particular interests and therefore might ignore the Armenian interest.
Megrabian thinks that Russia and Turkey will use Armenia to achieve their individual goals. For Russia this is preventing Armenia’s integration with the West. Turkey however seeks to build up its relations with Armenia to make concrete steps in the Western direction and resist Western pressure over this.
In a column I wrote last year, I alerted Armenians in Syria, Egypt and Iraq that they had a unique opportunity to receive compensation for their properties in Turkey.All four governments, after protracted negotiations stretching over several decades, are finally close to resolving their conflicting land claims arising from the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. The Republic of Turkey had confiscated tens of thousands of properties owned by citizens of the three Arab countries and vice versa.
During a meeting on May 12, 2008, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyib Erdogan signed an agreement which is expected to be implemented shortly.
Turkey claims that in 1956 the Syrian government confiscated a large number of lands belonging to Turkish citizens. In a reciprocal move, Ankara confiscated in 1966 properties owned by Syrian nationals. After lengthy negotiations, Turkey and Syria signed a protocol in 1972 and created a joint commission to investigate these claims, including the properties Syrian Armenians left behind in the Sanjak of Alexandretta (Hatay), after its annexation by Turkey in 1938.
The Turkish government transferred the title of the confiscated Syrian-owned properties to the National Real Estate General Directorate. The total estimated value of real estate owned by Turks and Syrians in each other’s countries, including rental income since 1966, is more than $40 billion, according to an article by Ercan Yavuz in the March 3, 2009 issue of Today’s Zaman.The Real Estate Directorate has been renting these Syrian properties to Turkish farmers and businesses. The Central Bank of Turkey is holding the rental income in a special account under the name of “the rightful owners.” The agreement signed by Syria and Turkey stipulates that by 2010 the Central Bank will return these accumulated funds to the original property owners, according to Yavuz.
The Turkish National Real Estate General Directorate’s figures indicate that Syrians own 15,067 properties in Turkey, corresponding to 135,000 hectares (334,000 acres or 135 million square meters). On the other hand, Turks reportedly own 2.3 million square meters of property in Syria. “The monetary value of Syrian property in Turkey is estimated to be $10 billion, while the estimated value of Turkish property in Syrian territory is $40 billion,” Yavuz reported.
In an interesting sideline, Turkish citizen Mustafa Muzaffer Salih, whose father was a major landowner in Syria, told Yavuz: “Syrians own more than 200 stores in Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar…. Some of these properties were given to relatives of ministers in the parties that were in the coalition governments of the first and second National Front governments.” To set things right, Salih advocates that “The shame of the past should be cleansed.”
Turkey, Egypt and Iraq have had a similar quarrel. In 1982, Turkish officials signed an agreement with Egypt to settle their land dispute. In 1985, Turkey and Iraq agreed to allow property owners in their respective countries five years to file a claim. The due date was subsequently extended twice. Turkey claimed that its citizens own in Iraq about 160,000 acres of land, 150 buildings, 11 charitable foundations, more than 2 million Iraqi dinars and 8,000 pounds sterling. On the other hand, Iraq claims that its citizens own 48 buildings and 11 plots of land in Turkey. The American invasion of Iraq interrupted the settlement of these claims.
Armenian organizations in Syria, Iraq and Egypt should urge Armenians citizens of these countries, including those who have migrated overseas, to submit to them copies of trust deeds or other documentary evidence of properties they owned in Turkey. The organizations should then provide the list of these properties to their respective governments, demanding that Turkey pay an appropriate compensation to the heirs of the original owners.
As I mentioned in my earlier column, the main advantage of this approach is that Armenians do not need to hire lawyers and go to court, as officials of the three Arab countries, on behalf of their citizens, are negotiating directly with their Turkish counterparts to settle all such reciprocal claims.
This is a unique opportunity for Armenians in Syria, Iraq and Egypt to take advantage of without delay. Once the settlement is finalized, it would be too late for Armenians to make any further claims from the Turkish government regarding their properties.
Just to set the record straight, receiving compensation for such personal properties does not invalidate the Armenian people’s legitimate claims to Western Armenia which remains under Turkish occupation.
——————- END —————
TURKISH FORUMS NOTE TO ARMENIANS LIVING IN THE UNITED STATES
FOLLOWING STATEMENT BASED ON NATIONAL ARCHIVES LOCATED IN WASHIGHTON DC. : : Adjustment of Payments due to United States by Turkey, Sept 1937. (No indemnity claims by USA is possible) US requested originally 5 Million dollars and they settled 1 400 000 Dollars at The end. This was to cover all claims made by all U.S. citizens from Turkish Government. “CASE CLOSED AND CANNOT BE OPENED AGAIN”.
OUR RECOMMENDATION TO US CITIZENS IS TO STOP VESTING YOUR EFFORTS AND DOLLARS WITH THE HOPE OF GETTING LARGE COMPENSATION IN TERM OF LAND OR $$$$ FROM TURKEY… UNDER NO CONDITION YOU CAN GET ANY COMPENSATION TO ANYTHING AT ALL TIMES TO COME.
——————— END —————-
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Many reputable sources account to 1.5 – 1.6 million of Armenian population within Ottoman Empire before WW1. Only the number provided by the Armenian Istanbul Patriarchate in 1912 is way above these general numbers, being around 2 million. Oddly, Patriarchate’s number is the only one taken into account in Toynbee’s Blue
Book and in the declaration published by Boghos Nubar and A. Aharonian before Paris Peace Conference.
Patriarchate’s 2 million figure highly contradicts with the detailed population numbers provided by British H.F.B Lynch and French Vital Cuinet for the periods ending 19th century and beginning 20th century. When we look at the numbers given by Lynch and Cuinet, it’s easy to see that Patriarchate’s number for before WW1 is nearly 100% higher than the British and French sources for the periods ending 19th century and beginning 20th century which is nearly impossible considering populations can not rise by that much for over only 15 to 20 years. Also the number provided by Armenian Patriarchate for Muslim population in Ottoman Empire in 1912 is 20-30% lower than the other reputable sources.
In addition to sources of Lynch and Cuinet, many other reputable sources show that Armenian population with in Ottoman empire before WW1 was around 1.3-1.6 million.
Hence in Lozan Peace Conference, 2 million figure introduced by the Armenians had been found quite an exaggeration and 1.6 million figure by David Magie had been taken into account.
Another disinformation Ottoman Empire had been a victim of during WW1 about Ottoman Armenians is the number of Armenians that had been killed in Anatolia. It’s almost like this number had been introduced to an auction in last 100 years. ( Numbers given by the Red Cross is between 600.000 and 800.000, numbers given by Morgenthau is 1 million and today Armenian Diaspora claims the number to be around 1.5 to 2 million.
Some historians that support the Armenian Genocide allegations ignore this debate by saying that; ‘Numbers are meaningless, it’s the crime that matters’. There is no legal document that highlights or clarifies how many Armenians had died or had been killed under what conditions during 1915 phenomenon. Today the main allegation is that most Armenians (1.5 million to 2 million) had faced ethnic cleansing in Anatolian camps or North Syrian camps.
However when we look at legal documents with European or United Nations origins for the period commencing WW1 and ending 1924, we see just the opposite of these allegations. If we take into consideration the documents of Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutiun) as well as Czardom Russia and Bolshevik Russia documents together with the above mentioned documents, we can see the mobility of Armenians together with how they ended up and their fates.
The most important official document indicating the ‘Armenian Armed Movements’ before WW1 is the 1910 speech given by the Armenian Revolutionary Federation ideologist Mikail Varangian (aka Warangian) in Copenhagen during Second Socialist International.
The report shows that Dashnaktsutiun had organized and formed armed gangs in almost everywhere in Anatolia by adopting a terrorist movement. The report is in Belvedere archives.
Two other sources admitting the ‘Armenian Armed Movements’ that were seen long before WW1 are as follows:
1- Manifesto of First Prime Minister Hovhannes Katzhaznouni of Yerevan Dashnak Goverment published in Bucharest
2- The article of First USA Ambassador of Armenia Garekin Pastırmacıyan called ‘Why Armenian Should Be Free – Boston 1918′
The number of Armenians who had joined in these armed forces were around 200.000 as stated by Armenia Delegation Chairman Avetis Aharonian and World Armenians Delegation Chairman Boghos Nubar in Paris Peace Conference in 1919.
The act of organizing and arming these 200.000 Armenians was naturally not something that Armenians could manage on their own initiatives financially and technically. The Armenian armed gangs were supported directly by Czardom Russia, Britain and France before WW1.
Two years before WW1 on 26th November, 1912, the confidential report sent by Russian Ambassador Zinovyev in İstanbul to Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia S. D. Sazanov included the following (Russian State Archives, Politics Department, nr 117/293):
‘According to the information provided by our Van, Beyazıd, Erzurum, Trabzon Consulates, the Armenians living in these cities are on Russian side and are waiting for our armies’.[RussianStateArchives/political section n.117/293]
As paralel to what stated above, the riots of Armenian armed gangs resulted in Russians occupying Van at the beginning of WW1.
Van tradegy was described as follows in the telegraph sent by German Ambassador in İstanbul Hans Von Wangenheim to Ministery of Foreign Affairs of Germany on 10th May, 1915:
‘Armenians in the city of Van started rioting and started to attack Muslim villages and the castle. The Turkish headquarters in the castle had lost 300 soldiers and as a result of the street combats for days, the rebels took over the city. Russia occupied the city on 17th May, 1915. Armenians sided with Russia afterwards and started to massacre Muslims. Approximately 80.000 Muslims around Bitlis started to flee.[Wangenheim,Deutschisches und Armenien 1914-1918,Postdam 1919 p.65]
The massacres of Muslims by Armenians were also documented in Czardom Russia archives. A report sent by Russian Commander Brigadier Bolhovitinov in Caucasus to headquarters on 11th December, 1915 included the following:
‘The Armenian Volunteer Legions had killed Muslims brutally with racist motives.’[Brigadier General Leonid Bolhovitinov’s Report,1915,Russian Military History Archives (RGVIA) fond2100,list1,folder557,p.303-307]
While these tradegies were taking place in East Anatolia, Russian, British and French were helping Armenians getting armed in East Mediterranean.
The telegraph dated 5th November, 1914 sent by Francois George Picot and French Middle Ambassador Defrance of Egypt stated:
‘Greece accepted to send 15.000 rifles and 2 million bullets to the volunteer legions in Syria and in a possible intervention of France in Syria there are 30.000 – 35.000 volunteers readily avaliable to side with France in the region’. [Guerre Mondiale Turquie Vol.867 XCIII-document 237,Legion d’Orient 1914-1918]
The report sent by the French Admiral in Syrian shore to the British military headquarters in Egypt indicated that the riot in Cilicia had lasted for over one month as of 28th May, 1915 and a total of 300 Turkish gendarmes had been killed. [U.K.Archives W.O. 157/691/8, 28 April 1915,Cairo]
The memorandum sent by Russian Ambassador to British Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 24th Feb, 1915 expressed that an Armenian from Cilicia had contacted Kont Warentzoff Dachkoff in Caucasus and had indicated that they had gathered a force of 15.000 to raid the transportation lines of the Turkish Army but that they had not had enough arms and arsenal to perform and those could have been provided by British and French over through Alexandretta Harbour. [U.K. Archives F.O. 371/2484 No.22083,15 Feb.1915]
As can be seen clearly from documents and information like the ones mentioned above, Armenian Dashnak Forces were committing war crimes behind the battles when Ottoman Empire called all men to the army to fight in Çanakkale, Palestine and Caucasus battles. This situation resulted in Ottoman Empire deciding to relocate Armenians in war zones as well as Armenians in Anatolia who were working for Dashnak Party to Syrian region.
The ones claiming that there is a genocide are accusing Ottoman Empire of ethnically cleansing 1.5 million Armenians in the Empire with the application of this relocation decision dated 24th April, 1915.
Many official documents were obtained in relation to the fate of Armenians forced to relocate during WW1 and after which were highly contradicting with the idea of a genocide.
Although Ottoman Empire decided to relocate Armenians in above mentioned locations, Batumi Ambassador of Britain P. Stevens indicated that many Armenians were not even subject to obligatory relocation and were taken away by Russians to Caucasus in the report he sent to London on 25th Feb, 1916. [Halaçoğlu,Ermeniler:Sürgün Ve Göç,p.84-85]
[Photo: Armenian Refugees From Turkey arrived in Russia,1914– Harold Buxton;Travel & Politics in Armenia,1914]
This is also confirmed in the report of British Lord Major Found which he wrote about 1915. 250.000 Armenians moved to Caucasus Armenia from Anatolia fighting against illnesses and war conditions.
250.000 figure was confirmed in the report sent by Armenian National Delegation Chairman Boghos Nubar to Ministry of Foreign Affairs of France in addition to the figure of 40.000 Ottoman Armenians being in Iran.
When we can reasonably confirm that 250.000 Ottoman Armenians arriving at Caucasus and 40.000 Ottoman Armenians arriving at Iran at the beginning of WW1, we also obtain some other related information from US National Archives: American Counsel J. B. Jackson of Aleppo indicated in the letter he sent to American Ambassador Henry Morgenthau in İstanbul(8February1916) that 486.000 Armenians were located in the camps between Aleppo and Damascus and there were two charities helping the migrants. [U.S. Archives State Department Record Group 59,867.48/271] [—The ones claiming that there was a genocide can not answer the question of why Ottoman Goverment allowed American charities or American ambassadors to help the Ottoman Armenian refugees located in camps between Aleppo and Damascus, locations which were under the control of Ottoman Goverment back then.—]
We can provide more detailed information related to Armenian refugees in Caucasus and Syria from documents obtained after WW1.
WW1 ended with Mondros Armistice signed on 30th October, 1918 for Ottoman Empire. In 1918 after the war when the Bolshevik Revolution was over, the massacres of Muslim civilians in East and South East Anatolia by Armenian Dashnak Goverment which was continuing to fight, reached the maximum possible. In the same year, Cilicia was
Occupied by the French (on 24th December, 1918). It is seen that after Cilicia was occupied by the French, some Armenian refugees in Syria were relocated here. [Photo:George R. Swain(Adana/Turkey). Francis W. Kelsey and Near East Expedition of 1919-1920]
However we obtain the exact number of Armenians living under Ottoman Empire after WW1 from the official document presented to the US by İstanbul American High Council. This document is in US National Archives and was confirmed by İstanbul Armenian Patriarchate.
According to this official document, there were 624.900 Armenians living under Ottoman Empire in 1921. We also know that apparently around 200.000 were located in Cilicia (in Adana, Antep, Maraş etc.) which was under French control. [U.S. Archives NARA, T 1192 R2.860J01/395]
This document shows that there were 624.900 Armenians under Ottoman borders after WW1 until these Armenians were refugees again.
There is also another visual document related to Armenians obtained for these years. The photo of Armenian refugees living in Novorossisk (Black Sea shore – South Russia) taken by G. P. Lloyd is in Frank Carpenter archives and it was taken in 1920. Unfortunately we can not obtain any information related to the number of Armenian refugees in Novorossik.
It is discussed in the Near East Relief Report dated 31st December, 1921 that around 500.000 Armenian refugees in Dashnak Goverment in Yerevan (which was in Caucasus) were being provided aid.
[Report Of The Near East Relief,For The Year Ending 31 December 1921, Washington Government Printing office 1922]
The exact number of Armenian refugees who went to Armenia during the Turkish – Armenian War which started with WW1 and ended with Gümrü Treaty signed on 3rd December, 1920 and Bolshevik Russians occupying Armenia on 4th December, 1920, was provided by Fridjof Nansen, Refugees High Commissar of League of Nations.
Fridjof Nansen indicated that 400.000 of the 1 million population of Yerevan Armenian Goverment was comprised of refugees who came during the war as answer to the question of an Indian representative during the 8th meeting of League of Nations held on 19th October, 1928.
Even if Fridjof Nansen did not give any indications related to the number of Armenians in whole Caucasus or South Russia, he definitely indicated that 400.000 Ottoman Armenians moved to Caucasus Armenia.
Meanwhile the Ankara Treaty signed between France and Ankara government resulting in France withdrawing from Cilicia also resulted in 200.000 Armenians leaving the region (who were located there before) and migrating to other countries without ever coming back. 500.000 Muslims being massacred by Armenian Armed Forces in Anatolia made it impossible for the Armenians and Turks living together.
The document about the ‘Armenian Population Around The World’ dated 1922 and included in US National Archives gives information about the Armenian emigration that started with the French withdrawing from Cilicia. We can follow the refugee movements of the 624.900 Armenians in Ottoman Empire beginning 1921 with the help of the activities of League of Nations. [U.S. Archives, NARA 867.4016/816.Janunary 10,1923]
This refugee movement was also indicated in the declaration prepared by Armenian National Delegation for Lausanne Treaty on 2nd February, 1923.
[League Of Nation,Armenia, Geneva, February 2nd.1923, 0.153. M.56 1923 VII]
CONCLUSION:
From the beginning of WW1 to 1921, there were 624.900 Armenians in Ottoman Empire, at least 400.000 in Yerevan Armenia and finally at least 40.000 in Iran. Unfortunately we can not conclude as to how many Ottoman Armenians immigrated to South Russia, Georgia, Egypt, Greece, USA or Europe.
However the most certain thing we get out of all these documents is that the Armenian population which was around 1.6 million before WW1 was at least around 1.1 million after WW1.
[The Republic Of Armenia–A Memorandum , On The Recognition Of The Government Of The Republic Of Armenia, Submitted By The Special Mission Of The Republic Of Armenia To The United States– Presented By Mr. Lodge,November 10,1919, Washington,Government Printing Office 1919]
GÖÇ EDEN OSMANLI ERMENİLERİNİN AKİBETİ VE SOYKIRIM İDDİASI
Birinci Dünya Savaşı öncesinde Osmanlı İmparatorluğu sınırları içinde yaşayan Ermenilerin sayıları hakkında verilen ciddi rakamların çoğunluğu 1.5-1.6 milyon arasındadır.Sadece İstanbul Ermeni Patrikhanesi’nin 1912 yılında verdiği rakam , bu genel rakamların çok üzerinde, 2 milyon u bulmaktadır.Patrikhane’nin bu değerleri, hem Toynbee’nin Mavi Kitap’ı ve hemde Paris Barış Konferansı öncesi, Boghos Nubar ve A. Aharonian iklisinin yayınladığı bildiride kullanılır.
Patrikhane’nin bu 2 milyon rakamı , 19. yy sonu-20.yy başı itibariyle İngiliz H.F.B Lynch ve Fransız Vital Cuinet’in verdiği detaylı nüfus değerleri ile oldukça çelişkilidir.Lynch ve Cuinet’in verdiği rakamlara bakıldığında, Patrikhane’nin verdiği nüfus değerlerinin hemen hemen %100 fazla olduğu anlaşılır ve 15-20 yıl içinde hiçbir insan populasyonu doğal yollardan bu kadar artamaz.Ayrıca İstanbul Ermeni Patrikhanesi’nin 1912 yılında, Müslümanlara ait nüfus sayılarında ise %20-30 oranında bir eksilme görülmektedir.
Lynch ve Cuinet’e ek olarak birçok kaynakta da, Birinci Dünya Savaşı öncesi için Osmanlı sınırlarındaki Ermenilerin sayısı
1.3-1.6 milyon civarında verilmektedir.
Keza Lozan Barış Konferansı’nda da , Ermeni Patrikhanesi’nin 2 milyon takamı çok abartılı bulunarak, David Magie tarafından hazırlanan ve Ermenilerin sayısını 1.6 milyon olarak veren nüfus istatistiği kabul edilmiştir.
Birinci Dünya Savaşı’nda, Osmanlı Ermenileri hakkında bilimsel olmayan bilgi dezenfermasyonunun bolluğu içinde karşımıza çıkan diğer bir konu ise,Birinci Dünya Savaşı boyunca hayatını kaybeden Anadolu Ermenileri’nin sayısıdır.Bu konu geçen 100 yıl içinde sanki açık arttırmaya çıkmış gibidir. (Kızılhaç 600-800 bin rakamı, Morgenthau 1 milyon, bugünün Ermeni Diasporası ise 1.5-2 milyon kayıptan bahseder)
”Ermeni Soykırımı” iddiasında bulunan bazı tarihçiler, bu sayılar hakkında ”ne kadar insanın öldüğünün ne önemi var,önemli olan suçun kendisidir” diyerek, konuyu geçiştirmektedirler.1915 fenomeni içinde ne kadar Osmanlı Ermenisi’nin hangi koşullar altında öldüğü ya da öldürüldüğünün hukuki bir belgesi yoktur.Bugün itibariyle genel iddia, 1.5 (ya da 2) milyon Ermeni’nin,
Anadolu’da veya Kuzey Suriye’deki kamplarda etnik temizliğe tabii tutulduğu üzerinedir.
Halbuki 1.Dünya Savaşı’ndan 1924 lere kadar olan,Avrupa ve Birleşik Devletler kaynaklı resmi belgeler bize bu iddiaların tam tersi şeyleri söylemektedir.Bu belgelere , Ermeni Devrimci Federasyonu’na (Dashnakzutiun) ait bazı belgeler ile Çarlık Rusyası ve Bolşevik Rusya’ya ait belgeleri de eklediğimizde, Osmanlı Ermenileri’nin hareketliliğini ve akibetlerini genel bir kesinlikle görüyoruz.
1.Dünya Savaşı öncesi, Ermeni Silahlı hareketlerinin tarih ititbariyle en önemli ve resmi belgesi, Ermeni devrimci Federasyonu’nun (Dasnakzutiun) ideolojisti Mikail Varangian(or Warangian) ın 1910 yılında Kopenhag’taki 2. Sosyalist İnternasyonal’e verdiği rapordur.
Raporda bizzat, Dashnakzutiun’un Anadolu’nun hemen her yerleşiminde örgütlendikleri ve silahlı çeteler oluşturarak, terörist eylem biçimini benimsedikleri ifade edilmektedir.Bu rapor Belvedere arşivlerindedir.
1.Dünya savaşı’ndan çok önce başlayan Ermeni Silahlı organizasyonlarını itiraf eden diğer iki kaynak ise, Erivan Taşnak Hükümeti’nin ilk Başbakanı Hovhannes Katzhaznouni’nin Bükreş’te yayınlanan manifestosu ve Ermenistan’ın ilk Abd Büyükelçisi Karekin Pastırmacıyan’ın ”Ermenistan niçin özgür olmalı”(Why Armenia Should Be Free-Boston 1918) yazılarıdır.
Keza bu silahlı hareketlere katılan Ermenilerin sayısı, hem 1919′da Paris Barış Konferansı’nda Ermenistan Delegasyon Başkanı Avetis Aharonian ve hem de Dünya Ermenileri Delegasyon Başkanı Boghos Nubar’ın söylediği üzere 200.000 civarındadır.
Doğal Olarak bu 200.000 kişilik silahlı Ermeni Çetelerin silahlandırılması ve yönetilmesi eylemi, Ermenilerin kendi insiyatifleriyle gerçekleştirebilecekleri teknik ve finansal bir eylem değildir.Ermeni silahlı çeteleri 1.Dünya Savaşı öncesinde bizzat Çarlık Rusyası,İngiltere ve Fransa tarafından desteklenmiştir.
Keza savaştan 2 yıl önce, 26 Kasım 1912 tarihinde, Rusya’nın İstanbul Büyükelçisi Zinovyev’in Rusya Dışişleri Bakanı S.D. Sazanov’a gönderdiği gizli raporda( Rusya Devlet Arşivi,Siyasi Bölüm,nr 117/293);
”Van;Beyazıd;Erzurum,Trabzon konsolosluklarımızın bildirdiklerine göre, bu vilayetlerdeki Ermenilerin hepsi Rusya tarafındadırlar ve bizim ordularımızı bekliyorlar” denilmektedir.
Bunu gelişmeleri takiben 1.Dünya Savaşı’nın başlangıcında, Ermeni silahlı çetelerinin isyan faaliyeti Rusların Van İlini işgal etmesiyle sonuçlanır.
İstanbul Alman Büyükelçisi Hans von Wangenheim tarafından Alman Dışişleri Bakanlığı’na gönderilen 10 Mayıs 1915 tarihli telgrafta, ”Van Trajedisi” şu şekilde anlatılır:
”Van vilayetindeki Ermeniler ayaklanmışlar,müslüman köylere ve kaleye saldırıya geçmişlerdir.Kaledeki Türk garnizonu 300 kayıp vermiş,günlerce devam eden sokak muharebeleri sonunda şehir asilerin eline geçmiştir. 17 Mayıs 1915′te de Van Ruslar tarafından işgal edilmiştir.Ermeniler Rus tarafına geçmiş ve müslümanları katle başlamışlardır.Bitlis istikametinde 80.000 müslüman kaçmaya başlamıştır.”
Ermeni çetelerinin katliamları Çarlık Rusyası arşivlerinde de belgelenmiştir.Kafkas Cephesinde görevli Rus komutan Tuğgeneral Bolhovitinov, 11 Aralık 1915′te karargaha gönderdiği raporda;
”Ermeni Gönüllü Birliklerinin ırkçı duygularla Müslüman Halka karşı vahşi katliamlar yaptı” der.
Doğu Anadolu’da bu trajedi yaşanırken, Doğu Akdeniz’de Rus-İngiliz ve Fransızlar tarafından bölgedeki Ermeniler silahlandırılmaktadır.
Francois George Picot ve Fransa Mısır Orta Elçisi Defrance’ın 5 Kasım 1914 tarihini taşıyan telgrafta;
”Yunanistan’ın Suriye’deki gönüllü kuvvetlere 15.000 tüfek ve 2 milyon mermi yollamayı kabul ettiği ve Fransa’nın Suriye’ye müdahelesi durumunda, burada 30-35.000 gönüllünün bulunduğu” ifade edilmektedir.
Mısır’da ki İngiliz askeri karargahına Suriye kıyısındaki Fransız Amiralinden gelen rapor;
”28 Nisan 1915 tarihine kadar Zeytun’daki (Cilicia) isyan bir aydır devam etmektedir ve toplam 300 Türk jandarması öldürülmüştür.”
Rus Büyükelçisi’nin İngiliz Dışişleri Bakanlığı’na yazdığı 24 Şubat 1915 tarihli memorandumda ;
”Zeytun’lu bir Ermeni’nin Kafkasya’da Kont Warentzoff_Dachkoff ile temas kurduğu, Türk ordularının ulaşım hatlarına baskın yapmak üzere 15.000 kişilik bir kuvvet topladıkları ancak silah ve cephanelerinin yeterli olmadığı, ingiliz ve Fransızlar tarafından İskenderun Limanı üzerinden bunun yapılabileceği …” anlatılır.
Buna benzer birçok belge ve yazışmadan da anlaşılacağı gibi, Osmanlı İmparatorluğu WW1 Savaşı başlangıcında Çanakkale, Filistin, ve Kafkasya cephesinde savaşmak üzere ülkedeki erkekleri askere almışken, Ermeni Taşnak birlikleri cephe gerisinde savaş hukukuna aykırı eylem ve katliamlara girişmişlerdir.Bu durum Osmanlı Devleti’nin savaş bölgelerindeki ermeniler ile tüm Anadolu’daki Taşnak Partisi ile bağlantılı Ermenilerin Suriye bölgesine tehciri kararını almasıyla sonuçlanmıştır.
İşte ‘’soykırım” iddilarını öne sürenler 24 Nisan 1915 tarihli bu tehcir kararı uygulamasıyla 1.5 milyon ermeninin, Osmanlı Devleti tarafından etnik temizliğe tabii tutulduğunu iddia etmektedirler.
1.Dünya Savaşı esnasında ve sonraki yıllarda tehcire maruz kalan Ermenilerin akibeti ile ilgili olarak, ” soykırım” iddialarının aksine , çok farklı resmi belgeler ortaya çıkmaktadır.
Ermenilerle ilgili olarak Osmanlı devleti’nin tehcir kararı almasına rağmen, ingiltere’nin Batum Konsolosu P. Stevens’ın Londra’ya gönderdiği 25 Şubat 1916 tarihli raporda; çok sayıda Ermeninin zorunlu göçe tabii tutulmadığı ve Ruslar tarafından Kafkasya’ya götürüldüğü ifade edilmektedir.
Bu durumu İngiliz Lord Major Found’un 1915 yılına ait raporuda tasdik eder. 250.000 Ermeni bu yıllarda Türkiye’den Kafkasya Ermenistan’ına geçmiş ve savaş koşullarında hastalıklarla mücadele etmektedirler.
Aynı bilgiyi Ermeni Milli Delegasyon Başkanı Boghos Nubar’ın Fransız Dışişleri Bakanlığı’na gönderdiği yazıda 250.000 rakamı teyit edildiği gibi İran’da da 40.000 Osmanlı Ermenisinin bulunduğu bilgisi verilir.
1. Dünya Savaşı’nın ilk yıllarında Kafkasya’ya 250.000, İran’a 40.000 Ermeni’nin gittiği bilgisine ulaşırken başka bir bilgi de Amerikan Ulusal Arşivlerinden çıkıyor.
Amerikan Halep Valisi J.B. jackson’un 8 Şubat 1916′da Amerikanın İstanbul Büyükelçisi Henry Morgenthau’ya gönderdiği raporda, Halep ve Şam arasındaki bölgede Osmanlı’nın tehcir ettiği 486.000 Ermeni göçmenin kamplarda bulunduğu ve iki yardım kuruluşu tarafından bu göçmenlere yardım edildiği bildiriliyor.
— Bu rapora baktığımızda ‘’soykırım” iddiasını ileri sürenlerin, o yıllarda Osmanlı kontrolündeki Halep ve şam bölgesinde, Ermeni mültecilere yardım için niçin Amerikan Yardım Kuruluşlarına ve Amerikan Elçisine izin verildiği sorusuna cevapları yoktur.—
Hem Kafkasya ve hemde Suriye’deki Ermeni mülteciler hakkındaki daha detaylı bilgilere savaş sonrasında ortaya çıkan bilgilerden öğreniyoruz.
Osmanlı İmparatorluğu için 1.Dünya Savaşı 30 Ekim 1918 de imzalanan Mondros Mütarekesi ile sona erer. 1918′de savaş bittiğinde, Bolşevik Devriminden sonra savaşa devam eden Ermeni Taşnak Hükümeti’nin Doğu ve Güneydoğu Anadolu’da sivil halka karşı gerçekleştirdiği katliamlar doruk noktasına çıkar.Aynı yıl içinde Çukurova (cilicia)
Bölgesi Fransa tarafından işgal edilir.(24Aralık1918).Çukurova’nın (Cilicia) Fransızlar tarafından işgalinden sonra, Suriye’deki Ermeni göçmenlerin bir bölümünün buraya yerleştirildiğini anlıyoruz.
Ama 1. Dünya Savaşı sonrası Osmanlı İmparatorluğu içindeki Ermenilerin tam sayısını, Amerikan Ulusal Arşivlerinde bulunan; Birleşik Devletlere, İstanbul Amerikan Yüksek Komisyonunca sunulan ve İstanbul Ermeni Patrikhanesi tarafından da onaylanan resmi belgeden anlıyoruz.
Bu belgeye göre 1921 yılında Osmanlı İmparatorluğu sınırları içinde 624.900 Ermeni yaşamaktadır.Ve görünen o ki, 200.000 kadar Ermeni Fransız kontrolündeki Cilicia (Adana-Antep-Maraş vs) bölgesine yerleştirilmiştir.
Bu belge ile , 1. Dünya Savaşı sonrası , Osmanlı sınırları içindeki Ermenilerin, tekrar göçmen durumuna düşmesine kadar ki tam sayıları 624.900 dür.
Bu yıllarda ortaya çıkan diğer bir fotoğrafik belge de 1920 yılına ait Frank carpenter arşivinde bulunan ve G.P. Lloyd tarfından çekilen, Novorossik’teki(Karadeniz Kıyısı-Güney Rusya) Ermeni Mültecilere ait fotoğraflardır.Malesef Novorossik’teki Ermeni Mültecilere ait sayısal bir değere ulaşamıyoruz.
Kafkasya’da Erivan Taşnak Hükümeti sınırları içindeki mülteci sayısı hakkında ise, 31 Aralık 1921 tarihli Near East Relief raporunda, 500.000 kişiye yardım edildiğinden bahsedilir.
1.Dünya Savaşı ile başlayıp 3 Aralık 1920 deki Gümrü Antlaşması’ na kadar süren ve ertesi gün, 4 Aralık 1920′de Ermenistan’ın Bolşevikler tarafından işgal edilmesiyle tamamen son bulan Türk-Ermeni Savaşı boyunca, Ermenistan’a giden Ermeni Mültecilerin tam sayısını, Milletler Cemiyeti (League of Nations) Mülteciler Yüksek Komiseri Fridjof Nansen net olarak söylüyor.
Milletler Cemiyeti’nin 19 Ekim 1928 tarihli sekizinci oturumunda Hindistan temsilcisinin sorusuna verdiği cevapta , ”Erivan Ermeni Hükümeti’nin 1.000.000 luk nüfusunun 400.000 inin savaş boyunca gelen mültecilerden oluştuğunu söylüyor.
Bu belgeden bütün Kafkasya ve Güney Rusya’daki Ermenilerin sayısını öğrenemesek bile, Ermenistan’a 400.000 Osmanlı Ermenisi’nin geçiş yaptığını öğreniyoruz.
Diğer taraftan Fransa’nın 20 Ekim 1921 tarihinde Ankara Hükümeti ile yaptığı anlaşma ile , Fransızların Çukurova’dan (Cilicia) çekilmesi, Çukuroava’ya geri dönen 200.000 kadar Ermeni’nin, geri dönmemek üzere başka ülkelere mülteci olarak yerleşmesi sonucunu doğurdu.Anadolu’da Ermeni Silahlı Birlikleri tarafından öldürülen 500.000 den fazla Müslüman olması, artık Ermeniler ile Müslümanların birlikte yaşayamayacağı sonucunu doğuruyordu.
Fransızların Çukurova’dan çekilmesiyle başlayan Ermeni göçü hakkında, Amerikan Ulusal arşivlerindeki 1922 tarihli , ”Dünya’daki Ermeni Populasyonu’ nu gösteren belge, bize bu konuda bilgi veriyor. 1921 yılı başlarında Osmanlı sınırları içindeki 624.900 Ermeni’nin, Milletler Cemiyeti’ninde faaliyetleriyle ilk mülteci hareketlerini bu şekilde izliyoruz.
Bu hareketlilik, 2 Şubat 1923 tarihinde, Ermeni Milli Delegasyonu’nun, Lozan Konferansı için hazırladığı bildiride de yine teyit edilir.
SONUÇ:
Dünya Savaşının başlangıcından 1921 yılına kadar ;
Osmanlı İmparatorluğu’nun sınırları içinde 624.900 , Erivan Ermenistan’ınanda en az 400.000, İran’da en az 40.000 Osmanlı Ermenisi bulunmaktadır.1914 ile 1921 yılları arasında, Güney Rusya,Gürcistan,Mısır,Yunanistan,Abd ve Avrupa’ya ne kadar Osmanlı Ermenisi’nin göç ettiği hakkında net bir rakama ulaşamıyoruz.
Ama bu belgelerden öğrendiğimiz en kesin şey, savaş öncesinde sayıları 1.6 milyon olan Osmanlı Ermenileri’nin , savaş sonunda en az 1.1 milyonunun hayatta olduğudur.
05 Mart 2009 Perşembe
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The Report of Emory Niles & Arthur Surherland in U.S. National Archives
Captain Emory Niles and Mr. Arthur Sutherland were Americans ordered by the United States Government (in 1919) to investigate the situation in eastern Anatolia. Their report was to be used as the basis for granting relief aid to the Armenians by the American Committee for Near East Relief. U.S. National Archives 184.021/175
Pls,click to image for read!
Abd Ulusal Arşivleri’ndeki Emory Niles ve Arthur Sutherland Raporu
Amerikalı Yüzbaşı Emory Niles ve Arthur Sutherland,Amerika Birleşik Devletleri Hükümeti tarafından,Doğu Anadolu’nun durumunu araştırmak üzere görevlendirildi.
Bu rapor,Amerikan Yakın Doğu Yardım Kuruluşu (Near East Relief) tarafından, Ermenilere yardım aşamasında referans olarak kullanıldı. Amerika Ulusal Arşivleri 184.021/175
IV. Mezalimler
Bizim araştırma konumuzla direkt ilgili olmamasına rağmen bizde iz bırakan çok çarpıcı bir gerçek var ki o da, Bitlis’ten Trabzon’a kadar geçtiğimiz tüm noktalarda, diğer bölgelerde Türkler tarafından Ermeniler’e karşı işlenen suçlar ve yapılan zulümlerin aynısının bu bölgelerde Ermeniler tarafından Türkler’e yapılmış olmasıdır. İlk başta bize anlatılan hikayelere kuşkulu yaklaşmakla birlikte, görgü tanıklarının ifadelerindeki fikir birliğini, kendilerine yapılan yanlışları gözle görülür bir istekle anlatmalarını, Ermeniler’e karşı duydukları bariz nefreti ve herşeyden daha önemlisi, ortadaki somut kanıtları gördükten sonra şu gerçekler hakkında ikna olduk:
1- Ermeniler Müslümanlar’a büyük çaplı olarak çeşitli zalimliklerde bulunmuşlardır.
2- Köylerde ve kasabalarda meydana gelen yıkımlardan büyük oranda Ermeniler sorumludur.
Ruslar ve Ermeniler ülkeyi 1915 ve 1916 yıllarında hatırı sayılır bir zaman birlikte işgal etmişlerdir ve bu süre içinde çok az düzeyde karışıklık çıkmış olmasına rağmen Ruslar’ın verdiği zararlar şüphesizdir. 1917 yılında Rus ordusu dağılmış ve Ermeniler’i yönetim ve kontrolde kendi başlarına bırakmıştır. Bu dönemde başıbozuk Ermeni askeri çeteleri, ülkeyi amaçsızca dolaşıp köyleri yağmalamışlar ve Müslüman sivil halkı katletmişlerdir. Türk ordusunun Erzincan, Erzurum ve Van’da ilerlemesi üzerine dağılan Ermeni ordusunun düzenli ve düzensiz birliklerini oluşturan tüm askerleri ise bunun arkasından bölgedeki Müslüman halkın mal mülklerine zarar vermişler ve bölge halkına türlü zulümler yapmışlardır. Bunun sonucunda, geriye ülke halkının eski nüfüsunun yaklaşık olarak sadece dörtte biri kalmış ve ülkede bulunan yapıların gene yaklaşık olarak sekizde yedisi talan edilmiştir. Tamamen harabeye dönmüş olan bu ülkedeki en acıklı olay ise Ermeniler’den nefret eden Müslümanlar’ın bu nefretinin, iki ırkın şu gün itibariyle aynı bölgede birlikte yaşama olasılığını tamamen ortadan kaldırmasıdır. Müslümanlar, bir Ermeni Hükümeti’nin boyunduruğu altında yaşamaya zorlanırlarsa savaşacaklarını beyan etmişler ve bize de bu tehditlerini gerçekleştirecek gibi görünmüşlerdir ki bu görüşümüz, karşılaştığımız tüm Türk görevliler, Amerikan görevliler ve İngiliz görevliler tarafından paylaşılmıştır.
Durumu daha da kötüleştirici diğer bir konu ise sınır ötesindeki gidişattır. Mültecilerin şikayetlerinin ne kadarının ne ölçüde doğru olduğunu bilmemize ya da Müslümanların bu duruma ne ölçüde sebebiyet verdiklerini yani gerçekte Ermeniler’e karşı organize bir direniş göstermeleri yüzünden bu durumdan sorumlu olup olmadıklarını bilmemize imkan yoktur. Her halükarda, hududun Türk tarafında olan yerli halk, sınırın Ermeni tarafında bulunan din kardeşlerinin Ermeniler tarafından katledildiğine ve mümkün olabilecek en büyük zalimliklere maruz kaldığına inanmakta ve bu durum da halkın Ermenilere karşı olan hislerini bir kat daha yoğunlaştırmaktadır. Kafkasya’daki gerçek gidişatı tespit etmeye yönelik bir araştırmanın yapılması şiddetle tavsiye edilmektedir. Bu araştırma sonucunda şayet Müslümanlar’ın ifadelerinin doğru olduğu ortaya çıkar ise halihazırda kalıcı bir uzlaşmayı kaçınılmaz kılan şartlar sözkonusu iken, bu durumu daha da zora koşacak olası karışıklıkların ve isyanların bir an evvel engellenmesi gerekmektedir.
Mültecilerin ve yerli halkın ekte bulunan mezalimler ile ilgili ifadelerine dikkat etmeniz hususu arz olunur.
800 Thousand Kurds Were Annihilated With The Attacks Of Armenians
Russian commander: “I consider adding that Armenians are looting Kurdish villages and raping Kurdish women as my duty.” The publication of Armenian nationalists: “The area, where 800 thousands Kurds inhabited were completely emptied.” General Bolhovitinov: “When the hunter battalion came back it encountered with bodies of 20 Muslim children, who were cut into pieces.” Another Russian commander: “Which precautions shall we take against looter Armenian volunteers?”
20 children who were cut into pieces in Tatvan –>Click for Continue
Turkish
Ermeni Saldırılarıyla 800.000 Kürt yok oldu.
Rus Komutan: ”Ermenilerin Kürt köylerini yağmaladıklarını ve Kürt kadınlarına tecavüz ettiklerini eklemeyi görev sayarım”
Ermeni milliyetçilerinin yayın organı: ”800 bin Kürt’ün yaşadığı alan tamamen boşaldı.Yüzlerce Kürt köyü boşaldı ve yerle bir oldu”
General Bolhovitinov: ”Avcı taburu döndüğünde 20 müslüman çocuğu doğranmış halde bulmuş”
Bir başka Rus komutan: ”Yağmacı Ermeni gönüllülere karşı hangi önlemleri alacağız?”
Tatvan’da doğranan 20 çocuk –>Yazının tamamını için(pdf file)
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2785) Media Scanner 22 Mar 2009
2784) Action Alert: Please Congratulate Sen Ferguson of Australian Senate
2783) Love Story: Australian Nurse Rose & Turkish Lieutenant Kemal During Korean War: New Book Release
Armenian Refugees Movements And Genocide Claims
Kultige Feuerbändiger
Armenian Orphans Refugees in Kaiser’s Farm ( ? ) , in Sivas – Turkey
——— YURARIKI SAYFALAR VE YORUM SAHIBI ———–
Şu yazınız için yeni bir yorum yapıldı: #12454 “Talât Paşa’nın Evrak-ı Metrûkesi”
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!.5 milyon civarındaki Osmanlı Ermenisi’ne ne oldu? İşte cevabı.
An official with a leading American Jewish organization told the The Jerusalem Post on Monday that a deterioration in Israel-Turkey relations might prompt his group and others to reconsider Armenian efforts to win recognition of the century-old Turkish massacres as genocide.
In this photo provided by the Photlure photo agency in Armenia, a boy pauses in front of a wall-sized poster depicting the faces of 90 survivors of the mass killings of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire, in Yerevan, Armenia. Photo: AP [file]
A bill that would ensure such recognition by the US, which was backed by Rep. Adam Schiff – a Jewish Democrat who represents a heavily Armenian area of Los Angeles – failed to make it to a Congressional vote in 2007. However, it sparked a row in the American Jewish community between those who sided with Turkey in an effort to protect Israel’s political interests, and those who argued that Jews were particularly responsible for helping other groups block the public denial of genocide.
“No Jew or Israeli in his right mind will insult Turkey,” the official told the Post. “But next time… they might not come to Turkey’s aid or equivocate quite so much on the issue.”
The Bush administration opposed the bill out of concern for what it would do to US-Turkey relations.
The current blowup between Israel and Turkey comes amid expectations that the Obama administration will name academic and writer Samantha Power, an expert on genocide, to a key National Security Council post dealing with multilateral institutions. Power has been outspoken in labeling the Turkish massacre of Armenians genocide, albeit from outside the government.
One Washington-based Jewish community leader said Jewish organizations were unlikely to reorient their views and begin backing legislation to recognize the Armenian genocide, arguing that this would only make a delicate situation far worse.
“If organizations aren’t backing Armenian genocide resolutions because of the Turkish-Israeli relationship and their concern about the Turkish Jewish community, I don’t think they would change now,” he said. “Those same concerns remain, and those same pressures remain.”
Anti-Defamation League head Abraham Foxman – whose opposition to the Armenian genocide legislation in 2007 provoked widespread criticism – told the Post that as long as Israel maintained its diplomatic ties with Turkey, he saw no immediate reason to change his position on any future genocide resolutions.
“This is not a punishment or a reward issue – we don’t change our position on what’s right or wrong based on what people say,” Foxman said. “The interests between Israel and Turkey continue.”
Foxman also noted that he knew of Jewish friends who had cancelled trips to Turkey over Erdogan’s comments, but described the Erdogan flap as a disagreement between “friends.”
“There have been some very inappropriate harsh statements by the leadership, especially by the prime minister, which we think are inappropriate,” he said, “but they have not changed the basic relationship [with Israel].”
Hilary Leila Krieger and Haviv Gur Rettig contributed to this report.
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An Armenian allegation of genocide is monetary scam which has been planed by the New World Occupiers. The fact is London Bankers decided Armenian uprising way before 1915. Yes indeed Turkish genocide has been planned by the imperial war lords. Yes indeed Armenian rebels have been used as private arm forces. Result is 2.7 million Turkish Graves…
Comment by Gusan Yedic — March 23, 2009 @ 3:44 pm
A March 23, 1920, letter of Col. Charles Furlong, an Army
intelligence officer and U.S. Delegate to the Paris Peace Conference,
to President Woodrow Wilson elaborated: “We hear much, both truth and
gross exaggeration of Turkish massacres of Armenians, but little or
nothing of the Armenian massacres of Turks. … The recent so-called
Marash massacres [of Armenians] have not been substantiated. In fact,
in the minds of many who are familiar with the situation, there is a
grave question whether it was not the Turk who suffered at the hands
of the Armenian and French armed contingents which were known to be
occupying that city and vicinity. … Our opportunity to gain the
esteem and respect of the Muslim world … will depend much on
whether America hears Turkey’s untrammeled voice and evidence which
she has never succeeded in placing before the Court of Nations.”
Capt. Emory Niles and Arthur Sutherland, on an official 1919 U.S.
mission to eastern Anatolia, reported: “In the entire region from
Bitlis through Van to Bayezit, we were informed that the damage and
destruction had been done by the Armenians, who, after the Russians
retired, remained in occupation of the country and who, when the
Turkish army advanced, destroyed everything belonging to the
Musulmans. Moreover, the Armenians are accused of having committed
murder, rape, arson and horrible atrocities of every description upon
the Musulman population. At first, we were most incredulous of these
stories, but we finally came to believe them, since the testimony was
absolutely unanimous and was corroborated by material evidence. For
instance, the only quarters left at all intact in the cities of
Bitlis and Van are Armenian quarters … while the Musulman quarters
were completely destroyed.”
Niles and Sutherland were fortified by American and German
missionaries on the spot in Van. American Clarence Ussher reported
that Armenians put the Turkish men “to death,” and, for days, “They
burned and murdered.” A German missionary recalled that, “The memory
of these entirely helpless Turkish women, defeated and at the mercy
of the [Armenians] belongs to the saddest recollections from that
time.”
Comment by Ismail — March 23, 2009 @ 2:03 pm
Hello my Armenian friends!!
I do not know much about Armenian Genocide because I was born in 1965, but I was around when Armenians were KILLING Turkish Embassy staff all around the world in 70’s.. The newspapers were reporting the killings almost on daily basis. At the time I was living a small town called “Samatya” in Istanbul, Turkey where 20% population were Armenians. We (Turks) never had any problems with them. We lived and worked together for decades. Some of my good friends were armenians. We never bother them when their countryman were killing Turks. They were not responsible for someone else whether they were Armanian or not. We were all equally treated at the school, hospital, shops.. There was no such Genocide claims by Armenians by then, even if so I never heard of it.
35 years on, they started this talk about so called “Armenian Genocide”. Nobody knew exactly what has happened in 1915. The history says 4 Turks died for each Armenian dead. We know they were in a war, we know they killed each other. I am asking how can you blame today Turks today what may or may not happened 100 years ago in a war. What about all the Turks who were killed by Armenians at the time. Should we go and kill their grandchildren today? Come on guys, its time to behave responsibly. You have no rights to create “hate” between the two neighbouring nations. They should improve the trade between countries. Time for Peace, not War!! Nobody gains if Turkish and Armenian people had bad relationship. There are still many many armenians living and working in Turkey. If you create bad air, they will feel unsecure and unwanted by Turks. This B.S. needs to end foe everyones sake!!! Go and listen some John Lennon songs..
Comment by Altan Demiray — March 23, 2009 @ 12:27 pm
Here are some excerpts from First Armenian Prime Minister of Republic of Armenia– Hovannes Kachaznouni…
He explains regretfully for forming bands against Ottoman Turks and fighting them.. Does this sound to you like a one sided genocide of Armenians??
What’s below is the complete edition of the 1955 booklet released by the Armenian Information Service, offering a record of Hovhannes Katchaznouni’s parting words to the Dashnagtzoutiun, given in the form of an address to the Party congress in 1923 Bucharest.
……………
If the formation of bands was wrong, the root of that error must be sought much further and more deeply. At the present time it is important to register only the evidence that we did participate In that volunteer movement to the largest extent and we did that contrary to the decision and the will of the General Meeting of the Party.
The Winter of 1914 and the Spring of 1915 were the periods of greatest enthusiasm and hope for all the Armenians in the Caucasus, including, of course, the Dashnagtzoutiun. We had no doubt the war would end with the complete victory of the Allies; Turkey would be defeated and dismembered, and its Armenian population would at last be liberated.
We had embraced Russia whole-heartedly without any compunction. Without any positive basis of fact we believed that the Tzarist government would grant us a more-or-less broad self-government in the Caucasus and in the Armenian vilayets liberated from Turkey as a reward for our loyalty, our efforts and assistance.
We had created a dense atmosphere of illusion in our minds. We had implanted our own desires into the minds of others; we had lost our sense of reality and were carried away with our dreams. From mouth to mouth, from ear to ear passed mysterious words purported to have been spoken in the palace of the Viceroy; attention was called to some kind of a letter by Vorontzov-Dashkov to the Catholicos as an important document in our hands to use in the presentation of our rights and claims — a cleverly composed letter with very indefinite sentences and generalities which might be interpreted in any manner, according to one’s desire.
We overestimated the ability of the Armenian people, its political and military power, and overestimated the extent and importance of the services our people rendered to the Russians. And by overestimating our very modest worth and merit we were naturally exaggerating our hopes and expectations.
The deportations and mass exiles and massacres which took place during the Summer and Autumn of 1915 were mortal blows to the Armenian Cause. Half of historical Armenia —the same half where the foundations of our independence would be laid according to traditions inherited from the early eighties and as the result of the course adopted by European diplomacy — that half was denuded of Armenians: the Armenian provinces of Turkey were without Armenians. The Turks knew what they were doing and have no reason to regret today. It was the most decisive method of extirpating the Armenian Question from Turkey.
Again, it would be useless to ask today to what extent the participation of volunteers in the war was a contributory cause of the Armenian calamity. No one can claim that the savage persecutions would not have taken place if our behavior on this side of the frontier was different, as no one can claim the contrary, that the persecutions would have been the same even if we had not shown hostility to the Turks. This is a matter about which it is possible to have many different opinions.
The proof is, however — and this is essential — that the struggle begun decades ago against the Turkish government brought about the deportation or extermination of the Armenian people in Turkey and the desolation of Turkish Armenia. This was the terrible fact!
Civilized humanity might very well be shaken with rage in the face of this unspeakable crime. Statesmen might utter menacing words against criminal Turkey. “Blue”, “yellow”, “orange” books and papers might be published condemning them. Divine, punishment against the criminals might be invoked in churches by clergymen of all denominations. The press of all countries might be filled with horrible descriptions and details and the testimony of eye-witnesses. . . . Let them say this or that .. . but the work was already done and words would not revive the corpses fallen in the Arabian deserts, rebuild the ruined hearths, repopulate the country now become desolate. The Turks knew what they ought to do and did it.
The second half of 1915 and the entire year of 1916 were periods of hopelessness, desperation and mourning for us. The refugees, all those who had survived the holocaust, were filling Russian provinces by tens and hundreds of thousands. They were famished, naked, sick, horrified and desperate floods of humanity, flooding our villages and cities. They had come to a country which was itself ruined and famished. They piled upon each other, before our own eyes, on our thresholds dying of famine and sickness
And we were unable to save those precious lives. Angered and terrified, we sought the culprits and quickly found them: the deceitful politics of the Russian government. With the politically immature mind peculiar to inconsequential men, we fell from one extreme to another. Just as unfounded was our faith in the Russian government yesterday, our condemnation of them today was equally blind and groundless.
Comment by Cem Tuncoglu — March 23, 2009 @ 12:02 pm
Obama has been extremely foolish to back the lies he has been fed by the Armenians and paid historians and should not even be talking about the Armenian deportations as “genocide”.
One of our foreign ministers was right when in a speech in Brussels he said ‘Turkey would not have been the great country it is today had the Greeks, Armenians, Assyrians been allowed to stay” .
It is right that the US should take note of Turkey, the US needs Turkey much more than Turkey needs America – Turkey is now the leading voice in the middle east.
Comment by Van der Galien — March 22, 2009 @ 8:26 am
An Armenian allegation of genocide is monetary scam which has been planed by the New World Occupiers. The fact is London Bankers decided Armenian uprising way before 1915. Yes indeed Turkish genocide has been planned by the imperial war lords. Yes indeed Armenian rebels have been used as private arm forces. Result is 2.7 million Turkish Graves…
Comment by Gusan Yedic — March 23, 2009 @ 3:44 pm
A March 23, 1920, letter of Col. Charles Furlong, an Army
intelligence officer and U.S. Delegate to the Paris Peace Conference,
to President Woodrow Wilson elaborated: “We hear much, both truth and
gross exaggeration of Turkish massacres of Armenians, but little or
nothing of the Armenian massacres of Turks. … The recent so-called
Marash massacres [of Armenians] have not been substantiated. In fact,
in the minds of many who are familiar with the situation, there is a
grave question whether it was not the Turk who suffered at the hands
of the Armenian and French armed contingents which were known to be
occupying that city and vicinity. … Our opportunity to gain the
esteem and respect of the Muslim world … will depend much on
whether America hears Turkey’s untrammeled voice and evidence which
she has never succeeded in placing before the Court of Nations.”
Capt. Emory Niles and Arthur Sutherland, on an official 1919 U.S.
mission to eastern Anatolia, reported: “In the entire region from
Bitlis through Van to Bayezit, we were informed that the damage and
destruction had been done by the Armenians, who, after the Russians
retired, remained in occupation of the country and who, when the
Turkish army advanced, destroyed everything belonging to the
Musulmans. Moreover, the Armenians are accused of having committed
murder, rape, arson and horrible atrocities of every description upon
the Musulman population. At first, we were most incredulous of these
stories, but we finally came to believe them, since the testimony was
absolutely unanimous and was corroborated by material evidence. For
instance, the only quarters left at all intact in the cities of
Bitlis and Van are Armenian quarters … while the Musulman quarters
were completely destroyed.”
Niles and Sutherland were fortified by American and German
missionaries on the spot in Van. American Clarence Ussher reported
that Armenians put the Turkish men “to death,” and, for days, “They
burned and murdered.” A German missionary recalled that, “The memory
of these entirely helpless Turkish women, defeated and at the mercy
of the [Armenians] belongs to the saddest recollections from that
time.”
Comment by Ismail — March 23, 2009 @ 2:03 pm
Hello my Armenian friends!!
I do not know much about Armenian Genocide because I was born in 1965, but I was around when Armenians were KILLING Turkish Embassy staff all around the world in 70’s.. The newspapers were reporting the killings almost on daily basis. At the time I was living a small town called “Samatya” in Istanbul, Turkey where 20% population were Armenians. We (Turks) never had any problems with them. We lived and worked together for decades. Some of my good friends were armenians. We never bother them when their countryman were killing Turks. They were not responsible for someone else whether they were Armanian or not. We were all equally treated at the school, hospital, shops.. There was no such Genocide claims by Armenians by then, even if so I never heard of it.
35 years on, they started this talk about so called “Armenian Genocide”. Nobody knew exactly what has happened in 1915. The history says 4 Turks died for each Armenian dead. We know they were in a war, we know they killed each other. I am asking how can you blame today Turks today what may or may not happened 100 years ago in a war. What about all the Turks who were killed by Armenians at the time. Should we go and kill their grandchildren today? Come on guys, its time to behave responsibly. You have no rights to create “hate” between the two neighbouring nations. They should improve the trade between countries. Time for Peace, not War!! Nobody gains if Turkish and Armenian people had bad relationship. There are still many many armenians living and working in Turkey. If you create bad air, they will feel unsecure and unwanted by Turks. This B.S. needs to end foe everyones sake!!! Go and listen some John Lennon songs..
Comment by Altan Demiray — March 23, 2009 @ 12:27 pm
Here are some excerpts from First Armenian Prime Minister of Republic of Armenia– Hovannes Kachaznouni…
He explains regretfully for forming bands against Ottoman Turks and fighting them.. Does this sound to you like a one sided genocide of Armenians??
What’s below is the complete edition of the 1955 booklet released by the Armenian Information Service, offering a record of Hovhannes Katchaznouni’s parting words to the Dashnagtzoutiun, given in the form of an address to the Party congress in 1923 Bucharest.
……………
If the formation of bands was wrong, the root of that error must be sought much further and more deeply. At the present time it is important to register only the evidence that we did participate In that volunteer movement to the largest extent and we did that contrary to the decision and the will of the General Meeting of the Party.
The Winter of 1914 and the Spring of 1915 were the periods of greatest enthusiasm and hope for all the Armenians in the Caucasus, including, of course, the Dashnagtzoutiun. We had no doubt the war would end with the complete victory of the Allies; Turkey would be defeated and dismembered, and its Armenian population would at last be liberated.
We had embraced Russia whole-heartedly without any compunction. Without any positive basis of fact we believed that the Tzarist government would grant us a more-or-less broad self-government in the Caucasus and in the Armenian vilayets liberated from Turkey as a reward for our loyalty, our efforts and assistance.
We had created a dense atmosphere of illusion in our minds. We had implanted our own desires into the minds of others; we had lost our sense of reality and were carried away with our dreams. From mouth to mouth, from ear to ear passed mysterious words purported to have been spoken in the palace of the Viceroy; attention was called to some kind of a letter by Vorontzov-Dashkov to the Catholicos as an important document in our hands to use in the presentation of our rights and claims — a cleverly composed letter with very indefinite sentences and generalities which might be interpreted in any manner, according to one’s desire.
We overestimated the ability of the Armenian people, its political and military power, and overestimated the extent and importance of the services our people rendered to the Russians. And by overestimating our very modest worth and merit we were naturally exaggerating our hopes and expectations.
The deportations and mass exiles and massacres which took place during the Summer and Autumn of 1915 were mortal blows to the Armenian Cause. Half of historical Armenia —the same half where the foundations of our independence would be laid according to traditions inherited from the early eighties and as the result of the course adopted by European diplomacy — that half was denuded of Armenians: the Armenian provinces of Turkey were without Armenians. The Turks knew what they were doing and have no reason to regret today. It was the most decisive method of extirpating the Armenian Question from Turkey.
Again, it would be useless to ask today to what extent the participation of volunteers in the war was a contributory cause of the Armenian calamity. No one can claim that the savage persecutions would not have taken place if our behavior on this side of the frontier was different, as no one can claim the contrary, that the persecutions would have been the same even if we had not shown hostility to the Turks. This is a matter about which it is possible to have many different opinions.
The proof is, however — and this is essential — that the struggle begun decades ago against the Turkish government brought about the deportation or extermination of the Armenian people in Turkey and the desolation of Turkish Armenia. This was the terrible fact!
Civilized humanity might very well be shaken with rage in the face of this unspeakable crime. Statesmen might utter menacing words against criminal Turkey. “Blue”, “yellow”, “orange” books and papers might be published condemning them. Divine, punishment against the criminals might be invoked in churches by clergymen of all denominations. The press of all countries might be filled with horrible descriptions and details and the testimony of eye-witnesses. . . . Let them say this or that .. . but the work was already done and words would not revive the corpses fallen in the Arabian deserts, rebuild the ruined hearths, repopulate the country now become desolate. The Turks knew what they ought to do and did it.
The second half of 1915 and the entire year of 1916 were periods of hopelessness, desperation and mourning for us. The refugees, all those who had survived the holocaust, were filling Russian provinces by tens and hundreds of thousands. They were famished, naked, sick, horrified and desperate floods of humanity, flooding our villages and cities. They had come to a country which was itself ruined and famished. They piled upon each other, before our own eyes, on our thresholds dying of famine and sickness
And we were unable to save those precious lives. Angered and terrified, we sought the culprits and quickly found them: the deceitful politics of the Russian government. With the politically immature mind peculiar to inconsequential men, we fell from one extreme to another. Just as unfounded was our faith in the Russian government yesterday, our condemnation of them today was equally blind and groundless.
http://www.tallarmeniantale.com/1923Manifesto-record.htm
Comment by Cem Tuncoglu — March 23, 2009 @ 12:02 pm
Obama has been extremely foolish to back the lies he has been fed by the Armenians and paid historians and should not even be talking about the Armenian deportations as “genocide”.
One of our foreign ministers was right when in a speech in Brussels he said ‘Turkey would not have been the great country it is today had the Greeks, Armenians, Assyrians been allowed to stay” .
It is right that the US should take note of Turkey, the US needs Turkey much more than Turkey needs America – Turkey is now the leading voice in the middle east.
Comment by Van der Galien — March 22, 2009 @ 8:26 am