Talat Pasha and Armenians

Armenian & Turkish Leaders of Young Turk Revolution

July 29, 2013 issue of the Armenian Weekly included an article by Raffi Bedrosyan who criticized Turks for naming streets and some public buildings after Talat Pasha alleging that he was responsible for the Armenian genocide. Recently I came across another article along the same line written by Racho Donef. For those who regard Talat Pasha the arch-assassin of Armenians it is probably incomprehensible why Turks value him. An unbiassed and holistic approach to the issue may help for a better understanding.

Even advocates of the view that 1915 tragedy was a genocide, like Dadrian and Akçam, admit that there is no concrete document or proof to this effect, but assume that that was the case based on selective use of sources… or in other words, selective collection of evidence. Selective approach can lead to distorted, misleading conclusions. We should remember the principle that one is considered innocent until proven guilty which is a legal right of the accused in a criminal trial, recognised in many nations even for ordinary crimes let alone a statesman. Genocide is a too serious crime to base on assumptions deducted from selective collection of evidence.

During the Young Turk Revolution of July 3, 1908 the Committee of Union and Progress (CUP / İttihat ve Terakki Cemiyeti) and Armenians struggled shoulder to shoulder and set up the Cabinet in the Second Constitutional era together. In the Cabinet Talat Pasha was Minister of Home Affairs while Minister of Foreign Affairs was an Armenian, For instance, in 1913, the Ottoman Foreign Minister was Gabriel Nouradoungian. (Ataöv). Can you imagine a Jewish member in Hitler's cabinet? If the relocation decision were to be taken on racial basis would CUP cooperate with Armenians?

Hayriye Talat Bafralı

In an interview Talat Pasha's wife Hayriye Talat Bafralı quoted that when an Armenian member of Cabinet told Talat Pasha that they wanted autonomy in Eastern Anatolia, his response was "We are governing the whole country together, what are you talking about?" (Bafralı) Would someone with hostile feelings towards a certain community make friends from this community and set to road together with them towards an ideal, a cause?

Kastamonu

Governor Faik Ali Bey, who resisted to relocate Kütahya Armenians is highly appreciated for his protective and courageous behavior. However, it is overlooked that Talat Pasha has allowed him to take care of and keep an Armenian community in Kütahya. Nevertheless Kütahya Armenians and other few communities protected by local governors were not the only ones allowed to stay. Davut Kılıç from Fırat University lists groups not relocated as Protestant Armenians, Catholic Armenians, families of soldiers and those living in certain provinces where they did not pose a threat such as Istanbul, Aydın, Antalya, Kastamonu (Order date October 23, 1915), Karesi (relocated 27 families to be returned home - March 16, 1916) Armenians to be distributed only to the villages within the province in Balıkesir (April 30, 1916). Particularly Kastamonu should be noted here. Some sources report that the governor protected the Armenians similar to Kütahya. In fact the government sent a decree stating that there is no need to relocate Kastamonu Armenians as no threat was perceived in this location. Some other sources list widowers, children, elderlies, and ill people among those kept exempt from relocation. The number of those not relocated were 284.000. This was nearly one fifth of the Armenian population. Those who are grateful to Faik Ali Bey should equally be grateful to Talat Pasha. It is a pity that Faik Ali Bey's request from the Armenians he protected, which I would expect to be owned as a legacy by their grandchildren, has been forgotten today:

...It is a conscientious responsibility for you to announce to the whole world and to the humanity, as loud as possible, that all those events were murders of some villainous traitors and Turkish citizens turned away from them. Yes, do announce together with us that the Armenians are victims and excusable as much as the Turks, and Turks are victims and excusable as much as Armenians. ... if millions of innocent individuals of a society are to be held responsible and reproached for the Armenian case which is a part of the calamity of war and was perpetrated by a few or maybe several hundred people, this will be overwhelmingly offensive to divine retribution and sense of justice,which we all seek in great destitute and await forlornly (Aslan).

Armenian Camp in Beirut

Talat Pasha's comment on this tragedy which has been cited in several sources explicitly manifest that there was no intention to annihilate the Armenians: "Relocation which was nothing but only a military measure in essence turned to a tragedy in the hands of remorseless and dishonest people. I have no intention to conceal disgracefulness of this conduct". In the interview with Murat Bardakçı, Hayriye Hanım mentions Talat Pasha's personal efforts concerning provision of food and jobs to those who were relocated and resettled. Talat Pasha expected Armenians to revive economic life in the south with their wit and skills.  Armenian community still living in Lebanon which was non-existent prior to WWI, and communities in other countries which was within Ottoman territory at the time demonstrate that the efforts of resettlement were not futile altogether, though surely was not sufficient under war conditions. Provision of food and sanitary services at camps was a great challenge. Near East Relief was allowed to help Armenians and government did its best. But for instance a ship full of potatoes sent by Spain could not put in and discharge its cargo because Britain did not allow in fear that Ottoman soldiers would get fed together with relocated Armenians. I don't know if specialists did ever discuss at all whether this was a  war crime or not.   Relocation was realised within the Empire, Armenians were not expelled out of the country, those who wanted to go to other countries went themselves. 

Talat Pasha

Talat Pasha's words "The Armenian issue is over" is denounced as a proof of genocide. What was the Armenian issue? Uprisings and demand for autonomy, even independence in Eastern Anatolia overlooking the fact that they formed only some 20 per cent of the population in the region. That is simply what was over. It does not make any sense to attribute any additional meanings to what happened.

Role of Teşkilat-ı Mahsusa (Ottoman Secret Service) and killing of traitors and rebels are shown as proof of genocide. Is there any country who hasn't got a secret service? Can you imagine a country at war which would not act against quislings working with the enemy. That is exactly what Teşkilat_ı Mahsusa did. There were respectable professional patriots in the organization who did whatever had to be done for the security of the country. What they have done was no different from French patriots did against Hitler's Germany when France was occupied during WWII as we watched admiringly in films starred by Mel Ferrer, Yves Montand and other actors of 50's and 60s. Similarly in WWI Eastern Anatolia was occupied by Russia and Armenians were cooperating with them. A number of Armenian eminent people like Papazian have admitted that "Armenians were far from innocent victims in what ensued. Indeed, Papazian's text makes it clear that incompetent but treacherous Armenians themselves were also to blame for what had befallen their cause. It is unfair to fix unique blame upon the Turks." (Gunter)

Turn of century from 19th to 20th was an era young intellectual patriots were ardent nationalists,  whether be Armenian or Turkish. Andranik Ozanian, Garekin Pastermadjian and their friends believed that Eastern Anatolia should be theirs and by help of Russia and West they can get it. While Balkan Turks were being burnt in their villages or expelled from their homeland; Moslems of Northern Black Sea shores, Caucasian peoples pushed down by Russia causing millions to die or suffer; Europe cheering with the hope of sweeping Moslems from Asia Minor as the Ottoman Empire was collapsing; Talat Pasha, Enver Pasha and their friends sought salvation in unison  with Moslems along the Caucasus and Northern skirts of Russia and did their best to save the Empire from collapse. Both Armenian and Turkish nationalists were dreaming the impossible. But they had good intentions, they were patriots. They did their best for their nations. Armen Garo (Garekin Pastermadjian), Andranik Ozanian are terrorists, killers for Turks, but heroes for Armenians. So is Talat Pasha, who deemed a killer by Armenians, a respectable statesman for Turks! Not only Talat Pasha, but all leaders and statesmen assassined at the time were declared national martyrs by the National Grand Assembly (Özdemir).

Assassin Soghomon Tehlirian

Talat Pasha and other CUP leaders were subject to extrajudicial killing under Operation Nemesis as an organized crime. As Professor Şeref Ünal describes, Talat Pasha's case turned completely political where Turkey was judged and sentenced incredibly in two days, listening only to Armenians, legitimizing wreaking revenge through murder and turning a criminal to a hero. A monument of assassin Soghomon Tehlirian was erected in Yerevan in 2006. It is a striking contrast that when Hrant Dink was assassinated in Istanbul in 2007 thousands of Turks protested the killing shouting "We are all Hrant" recognizing rule of law for every one, although he was one of those who demonized Turks joining genocide allegations !

Armenian grandmas who were lucky to survive tell their bitter stories and we all symphatize with them. But it should be remembered that sufferings do not count for genocide. The keyword is intent, intent to exterminate a group of people, and such an intent was not there. The intent was to take measures for defense of Eastern Anatolia. Armenians know very well that they paid for their treachery. But intentionally they demonize Turkey to take revenge of their failure in seizing Eastern Anatolia to found a bigger Armenian state comprising Eastern Anatolia. When the term genocide is used loosely for any mass killing of any size, one can talk about genocide of small groups of Armenians in certain locations by outlaws or ill-intentioned people who had authority at local level. CUP government punished them as much as possible. Therefore local misdeeds does not require neither Turkish peoples nor government's apology, nor legitimize false accusations put on CUP. When it comes to volume of killings and sufferings caused, the results of ethnic cleansing of Turks and other Muslims by Armenian chetes and Volunteer Units have been heavier in Eastern Anatolia and Caucasus. Moslems of Van killed and expelled during April 11, 1915 Uprise --just before relocation decision--; piled dead bodies all around in Erzurum, villagers stuck into wells in hundreds and hundreds of villages in 1918 can all be regarded small scale genocides perpetrated by Armenians. Christian solidarity and propaganda war have not allowed this fact to be seen by people in the West. If relocation had not been materialized the situation for Muslims could probably even be worse in 1918.

Researcher Edward J Ercikson in his article titled "Armenian Massacres: New Records Undercut Old Blame: Reexamining History" concludes that "Clearly, many Armenians died during World War I. But accusations of genocide demand authentic proof of an official policy of ethnic extermination. Vahakn Dadrian has made high-profile claims that Major Stange and the Special Organization were the instruments of ethnic cleansing and genocide. Documents not utilized by Dadrian, though, discount such an allegation."

In a later military study Erickson's findings has been as follows: "

Nothing can justify the massacres of the Armenians nor can a case be made that the entire Armenian population of the six Anatolian provinces was an active and hostile threat to Ottoman national security. However, a case can be made that the Ottomans judged the Armenians to be a great threat to the 3rd and 4th Armies and that genuine intelligence and security concerns drove that decision. It may also be stated that the Ottoman reaction was escalatory and responsive rather than premeditated and pre-planned. In this context the Ottoman relocation decision becomes more understandable as a military solution to a military problem. While political and ideological imperatives perhaps drove the decision equally, if not harder, these do not negate the fact that the Armenians were a great military danger." 

Scholar Michael M. Gunter has studied the state of art concerning the concept of genocide and re-evaluated the Armenian case in an article published earlier this year. Here is his conclusion:

As for the necessary attribute of premeditation to demonstrate genocide, there are no authentic documents to such effect. Although there are countless descriptions of the depravations suffered by the Armenians, they do not prove intent or premeditation. The so-called Andonian documents that purport to demonstrate premeditation are almost certainly a fabrication. And in response to the Armenian contention that the huge loss of Armenian lives illustrates premeditation, what then should be said about the enormous loss of Turkish lives among civilians, soldiers, and prisoners-of-war? Were these Turkish deaths also genocide or rather due to sheer incompetence, neglect, starvation, and disease? And if the latter were true of the ethnic Turkish population, they were all the more so in respect to an ethnic group that had incurred upon itself suspicion of acting as a fifth column in a time of war. .... Gunter concludes that "herefore, without denying outright murders and massacres that today might qualify as war crimes, it seems reasonable to question the validity of referring to the Armenian tragedy as genocide.

During a war opposing parties become enemies. As Michael M. Gunter quotes from Guenther Lewy, in the case of Armenians and Turks, "both sides have used heavy-handed tactics to advance their cause". However, when peace comes hostilities should be put aside. Once Armenians realize how unrealistic it was to dream expelling, killing 80 percent of the population and seizing a piece of land to found a country, and this "cause" caused the fatal relocation decision; we can look forward as two neighbour countries to go forward establishing a good relationship and can thrive together respecting each others' values.

Sources

Aslan, Selma. Remembering Governor Faik Ali Bey and his open letter to Armenians of Kütahya. Armenian Holocaust: My Story. October 1, 2013.
http://armenianholocaustmystory.blogspot.com/2013/10/remembering-governor-faik-ali-bey-and.html

Ataöv, Türkkaya. Was it a genocide. http://www.diplomat.com.tr/sayilar/s6/sayfalar/s6-7.htm

Bafralı, Hayriye Talat. Hayriye Talat Bafralı'nın Ağzından Ermeni Meselesi [Armenian issue in Hayriye Talat Bafralı's words]. Tarihin Arka Odası. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjAsyYzX_Oo.

Bedrosyan, Raffi. The Real Turkish Heroes of 1915. Armenian Weekly. July 29, 2013. http://www.armenianweekly.com/2013/07/29/the-real-turkish-heroes-of-1915/

Donef, Racho. Righteous Muslims during the Genocide of 1915. November 2010
Sydney. http://www.atour.com/library/authors/pdf/DrRachoDonef-RighteousMuslimsDuring

Erickson, Edward J. "Armenian Massacres: New Records Undercut Old Blame: Reexamining History," Middle East Quarterly. Summer 2006. XIII : 3 : 67-75. http://www.meforum.org/991/armenian-massacres-new-records-undercut-old-blame

Erickson, Edward J. Armenians and Ottoman Military Policy, 1915. War In History 2008 15: 141. http://wih.sagepub.com/content/15/2/141.

Gunter, MM 2013, 'What Is Genocide? The Armenian Case', Middle East Quarterly, 20, 1, pp. 37-46, Political Science Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 21 February 2013. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=poh&AN=83832163&site=ehost-live

Kılıç, Davut. "1915'te Sevk ve İskan Edilmeyen Ermeniler [Armenians Not Relocated and Resettled in 1915]," Ermeni Araştırmaları 1. Türkiye Kongresi Bildirileri-II.Cilt. Copy available at: http://www.ermenisorunu.gen.tr/turkce/makaleler/makale51.html

Operation Nemesis. http://www.operationnemesis.com/

Özdemir, Hikmet. Talat Paşa Cinayeti [Murder of Talat Pasha]. Lecture given at Başkent University, March 21, 2005.