Remembering the losses of WWI in Anatolia & Kazarian

On April 10, 2014 Jen Psaki [1], US Department of State Press Spokesperson, said: "… our position has long been that we acknowledge – clearly acknowledge as historical fact and mourn the loss of 1.5 million Armenians who were massacred or marched to their deaths in the final days of the Ottoman Empire. These horrific events resulted in one of the worst atrocities of the 20th century, and the United States recognizes that they remain a great source of pain for the people of Armenia and of Armenian descent, as they do for all of us who share basic universal values." In response to a question she also stated that " I know that candidate Obama has his own personal views about this issue, which he – was actually in his statement that the White House sent out last year. I’m sure there’ll be more statements to come at the end of this month."

Thus the figure of 1.5 million was stated once more, and probably we will read the very same figure again in President Obama’s statement on April 24.

I have been wondering where this figure comes from, since I started studying this topic in 2010. I first wrote about the number of losses of the alleged Armenian genocide on April 1, 2012 in my post titled "Inflated Figures of Armenian Genocide & Credibility". With "1.5 million : The Puzzle in Remembrance Day Statements" I touched this issue of figures for a second time on May 11, 2013, and now I can’t help writing a third time.

Guenter Lewy [2] has offered a list of various figures to show the discrepancies in the figures given by various authors in his book titled Armenian Massacres in Ottoman Turkey : A Disputed Genocide. According to this list Kazarian’s figure is 1.5 m. based on his article titled “The Turkish Genocide of the Armenians: a Premeditated and Official Assault” [3].

From  Lewy's Armenian Massacres in Ottoman Turkey

Kazarian's Some References

In principle before I start reading an article I check its references. If references are not reliable it may not be worth reading the article. Kazarian’s references include Aram Andonian’s Memoirs of Naim Bey, Viscount James Bryce and Henry Morgenthau. Existence of someone called Naim Bey is dubious [4], Bryce’s duty was to produce war propaganda material with his assistant Toynbee, who later had friendly relations with many Turks and when queried,  said I did my duty. As for Morgenthau, his mission given by Wilson was to send reports which would persuade American public that US should join WWI.

Although references did not encourage reading I still wanted to have a glance through. The exaggerated  figure of 120 thousand for our losses in Sarikamish and accusations against Tashkilata Makhsuseh (Ottoman Intelligence Service) which are dissmissed by Stoddart and Dyer as gossip and rootless, justified my first judgement [4].

In the case of statements made by official bodies one expects sources to be official as well. Ottoman census figure of 1914 for Armenian Ottomans is near to 1.3 m and Patriarchate figure is 1.8 m. Figures for those who reached several countries safely are available in US National Archives in the Documents cited below [5]. It should not be difficult to make a calculation rather than taking the figures alleged by Armenians.

Neither the number of losses among belligerent Armenians who fought on all fronts for the Allies seems to be clear, nor the number of children and women who were hidden by their Muslim neighbours or converted to Islam and stayed behind. The latter was thought to be around 100.000, but recent revelations on death beds and the assertion that currently there are over 2 m. Armenians in Turkey give the impressison that their number might have been much higher than thought [6]. It is sometimes noted that the figure of 1.5 m includes Assyrians and Nasturians. The total population of the community was 275 thousand for the former and 93 thousand for the latter. Nasturians joined the Russian Army during invasion and most went together when they withdrew. A large number of Assyrians moved towards south and attacked the newly found Turkish Republic in 1924. There is no figure there to justify doubling the number of losses caused by relocation. Perhaps it is more suitable not to give any figures, but if it will be given the figure is better to be taken from a third party researcher such as Toynbee or Zuercher.

I do not lose my hope for the White House to mention more realistic figures and recognize other losses of WWI as well.

I solemnly remember all those who lost their lives during WWI and wish a peaceful world without hate and conflict for future.

Sources

1) Psaki, Jen. Daily Press Brieifing, Washignton DC., April 10, 2014. http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/dpb/2014/04/224644.htm#TURKEY

2) Lewy, Guenter. Utah Series in Turkish and Islamic Studies : Armenian Massacres in Ottoman Turkey : A Disputed Genocide. Salt Lake City, UT, USA: University of Utah Press, 2005. p 233. http://site.ebrary.com/lib/tobb/Doc?id=10509233&ppg=233

3)  Kazarian, Haigazn K. “The Turkish Genocide of the Armenians: A Premeditated and Official Assault,” Armenian Review 30 (1977): 14.

4) Lewy, Guenter. Revisiting the Armenian Genocide. The Middle East Quarterly, XII (4 2005. )

5) Halaçoğlu, Yusuf. Ermenilerin Suriye'ye nakli : Sürgün mü, soykırım mı?" [Transfer of Armenians to Syria*: Relocation or genocide?]  Ankara: TTK.

Archival materials from US Archives referred to by Halaçoglu in this study:

NARA 867.4016/193: Copy no: 484; NARA 867.4016/816 Jan 10,1923; NARA, Microfilm No. T 1192, Roll 8; NARA, T 1192 R2.860J/395; NARA 867.4016/251; NARA, Inquiry Report No. 90. s. 56; RG 84 Box 19. No: 414. From J.B. Jackson to Mr. L. R. Fowle. June 14, 1917-; Department of State Papers..., 86oJ.5811; Near East Foundation Archives, American Committee for Armenian and Syrian Relief Minutes, 1915-1919; Annual Report of the Commissioner General of Immigration to the Sec of Labor, Government Printing Office, beginning 1895-1932;

The New Near East, Vol.6, Nu.7, Genel Nu. 31, 23 Ocak 1920, s.28.

6) Armenian population in the world,” Armenian Diaspora. http://www.armeniadiaspora.com/population.html accessed on: 21.04.2014