AZG Armenian Daily #089, 10/05/2008
National Interests
EDITORIAL. IRONY OF GENOCIDE MUSEUM: A SORE POINT FOR
ARMENIANS, BLISS FOR TURKS
For some months now, the Armenian Reporter weekly,
whose president and CEO is benefactor Gerard L.
Cafesjian, has printed articles which lists what is
claimed to be financial contribution of each trustee
of the Armenian Genocide Museum and Memorial, (AGMM)
to that project, yet to be built in Washington, DC,
two blocks from the White House.
This is a method that tries to tarnish the reputation
of well-known and respected individuals in our
community who have given years of service and money to
Armenia and the diaspora. The community does not want
this any more.
What has prompted this gimmick is equally unworthy.
Mr. Cafesjian is suing the Armenian Assembly and all
AGMM trustees, except Mr. John Waters, who is employed
by him. He is trying to stop the present progress of
the museum project and to reclaim title of the four
properties adjoining the National Bank building, which
is the planned site of the Armenian Genocide Museum.
These four plots purchased by Mr. Cafesjian and
donated to AGMM, have appreciated in value since that
time and would constitute a substantial profit if sold
now.
We are sure that Mr. Cafesjian does not realize that a
lawsuit threatening the creation of the museum in our
nation’s capital memorializing the martyrs of the
Armenian Genocide is disgraceful enough and favorable
turn of event for the Turkish Government and all
denialists in the US.
The Armenian Reporter stated all these when it
published a series of articles by John Waters that
chronicled, what he says, was the history of the
controversy. Mr. Waters cited discussions and debates
among the principals and claimed in effect that Mr.
Cafesjian’s efforts were undermined by the rest of the
Trustees whofailed to share his vision of a grand
Armenian Genocide Museum in Washington. One reader
asked why the views of those being criticized were not
included in the paper’s coverage. The editors claimed
that the museum’s current trustees are planning a
project so modest in size and scope that it is
unworthy of depicting the Armenian Genocide. They then
printed a press release by AGMM with arrows and margin
notes demeaning the museum’s progress and plans.
All this prompted us to obtain a publicly available
court documents that summarized the essence of the
controversy. The Armenian Assembly presented it to the
court and AGMM and its contents were very revealing.
It showed that Mr. Cafesjian was named chairman of the
enterprise from 2003 to 2006 and his colleague John
Waters secretary and treasurer. They were given wide
latitude to plan, develop and build the Armenian
Genocide Museum and Memorial. At Mr. Cafesjian’s
request the Armenian Assembly agreed to drop its
sponsorship of the museum in favor of an independent
corporation. The Armenian Assembly’s board of
directors turned title of the National Bank building,
the core site of the museum project, to the AGMM, as
well as its subsidiary, the Armenian National
Institute, (ANI). ANI, a renowned authority on the
Armenian Genocide, was to serve as the intellectual
and programming heart of the future museum.
Mr. Cafesjian’s chairmanship was described as
unresponsive to requests for information and records
from other trustees. The claimants asserted that both
Mr. Cafesjian and Mr. Waters wasted AGMM assets and
"breached their fiduciary duties" to the AGMM. The
document listed other acts of failed management. It
sought to grant the Assembly and AGMM a series of nine
separate actions of relief to alleviate the affects of
misdeeds and other arbitrary actions. Most
importantly, it asked that AGMM be declared the "sole
and exclusive owner" of all properties over which it
has title.
There is much more in the court document…too much to
be discussed in one article.
However, what is clear is that Mr. Cafesjian had three
years as chairman during which time the museum’s
progress was very problematic. He then decided to
abandon the project and proceeded after a year to sue
his trustee colleagues and the Assembly to reclaim the
four properties he ceded to the AGMM, which by thenhad
appreciated in value…
We also know that repeated efforts were made by the
AGMM trustees to resolve the problem privately and
amicably, but Mr. Cafesjian always refused. Even His
Holiness Karekin II, during the his pontifical visit
last October to the US offered to meet with Mr.
Cafesjian and AGMM trustees to find out if a common
ground could be found to affect a resolution of the
problem, failed.
To that effect we got in contact also with Mr. John
Waters, who commented the following: "In a perfect
world, we wouldn’t be suing the Assembly or involve
the museum in the actions. The driving force to get
anything done (for the museum) was Mr. Cafesjian. He
attended every single meeting. There were a lot of
discussions. We recommended that a team be assembled
for the project board on how to get forward. AGMM sent
packages to 60 architectural firms. From that, we got
30 responses. One of the 30 was Edgar Papazian, who
made a presentation to the board in early 2006. The
person represented by the Assembly and Hovnanian
rejected his concept and all other previous proposals.
Then Mr. Cafesjian said he would resign."
Thus, it seems the matter is fated to be battled out
in the courts.
Huge legal fees, continued embarrassment for the
community, more angry rhetoric in the Armenian
Reporter and blissful Turkish disposition can be
expected.
This newspaper has been in disagreement with several
projects that the Armenian Assembly has done in the
past, and we might disagree on future projects as
well, but we are confident that the Armenian Genocide
Museum will become a noble icon memorializing the
unparalleled tragedy of our people under the direction
of the Armenian Assembly, because we have seen their
plans and anticipate their progress, especially after
their recent partnership with the Armenian Genocide
Museum-Institute at the Tsitsernakaberd Memorial
Complex in Yerevan, Armenia.
It deserves the full support of the Armenian Community
and we urge everybody to let them complete their
mission.
Press Committee of the Armenian Mirror-Spectator