Armenian National Committee of America
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Washington, DC 20006
Tel: (202) 775-1918
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PRESS RELEASE
March 22, 2006
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918
NEWLY DECLASSIFIED STATE DEPARTMENT FILES REVEAL EARLY OPPOSITION
TO ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RECOGNITION BY THE UNITED NATIONS
— Confidential Cables from 1970s Provide Insight into
U.S.-Turkish Cooperation in Seeking to Prevent the World
Body’s Recognition of Crime against Armenian Nation
WASHINGTON, DC – A series of formerly classified State Department
cables, recently made available through the National Archives and
Records Administration, provide first-hand insights into the
cooperation during the early 1970s between the U.S. and Turkish
governments seeking to block the recognition of the Armenian
Genocide by the United Nations.
“These files provide new insights into the depths to which our own
government has sunk in its complicity with Turkey’s denial of the
Armenian Genocide,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian.
“Knowing that sunshine truly is the best disinfectant, we welcome
the release of these documents and value the growing public
awareness of the internal mechanics of our government’s immoral and
short-sighted policy of denial – an increasingly untenable policy
that is destined to collapse under the growing weight of its own
lies.”
Commenting on Turkey’s efforts to delete reference to the Genocide
in a Human Rights Subcommission report, the Secretary of State
wrote in a March 1974 cable to the U.S. Mission to the U.N. that:
“Dept [State Department] appreciates Turkish concerns
on Armenian Question and agrees that subject should be
handled even-handedly. Para [paragraph] objected to by
Turkish del [delegation] reads as follows: Quote: Passing
to the modern era, one may note the existence of
relatively full documentation dealing with the massacres
of the Armenians, which has been described as “the first
case of genocide in the twentieth century” unquote.
Apparently seeking to avoid the international criticism it would
face for openly supporting Turkey’s outright efforts to delete this
passage, the State Department advised the U.N. Mission to present
its opposition on procedural grounds:
“We would like to support the Turks and Dept [State
Department] therefore concurs in USDEL [U.S. Delegation
to the U.N.] suggestion that we inform Turks we willing
to speak in support of procedural proposal to urge
rapporteur to assure evenhandedness in study. We do
not think it would be appropriate to request the
rapporteur simply to delete the offending para
[paragraph], although we would not oppose deletion if
other dels [country delegations] indicate support for
Turkish position.”
In March of 1974, the U.S. Embassy in Ankara wrote to the State
Department outlining its rationale for opposing the U.N.’s
recognition of the Armenian Genocide. Among the reasons cited
were:
“[…] Another reason is that the Turks are apprehensive
that this year’s commemoration of the Armenian massacres
by Armenian communities throughout the world will be on
a more impressive scale than in the last few years.”
“[…] In addition, at a time when we are trying to
persuade the Turks to exhibit some appreciation of our
position on the opium issue, we would like to be able
to show some understanding for a position on which
Turkish emotions have characteristically run high.”
In a March 1974 note following the support expressed by the U.S.
for the Turkish position, the U.S. Mission informed the Secretary
of State that:
“Turk del [delegation] warmly thanked U.S. del [delegation]
for support following our intervention.”
These files also provide insight into the early efforts by the
Turkish Government to obstruct U.S. legislation and prevent other
constitutionally-protected efforts by American citizens to work
toward the recognition of the Armenian Genocide. In an April 1973
cable, the State Department wrote to the U.S. Embassy in Ankara
that:
“It clear GOT [Government of Turkey] would like USG
[U.S. Government] to halt all Armenian demonstrations,
and indeed other Armenian activities which are hostile
or offensive to a close ally.”
In a second cable, also from April of 1973, the State Department
reports that it has responded to Turkish concerns in the following
manner:
“We pointed out that peaceful demonstrations could probably
not be prevented, but expressed belief that with adequate
policing, they could be stopped from getting out of hand.”
A June 1974 cable reports on protests raised with the State
Department by Turkey’s Ambassador, Selcuk Esenbel, over a recently
introduced Armenian Genocide Resolution. Under-Secretary of State
Joseph Sisco dismissed the legislation, according to the cable,
explaining to Ambassador Esenbel that the “resolution must be seen
as part of normal domestic electoral politics.”
Despite Turkey’s efforts, the United Nation has established a
record of recognizing the Armenian Genocide:
* In 1948, the United Nations War Crimes Commission invoked the
Armenian Genocide “precisely . . . one of the types of acts which
the modern term ‘crimes against humanity’ is intended to cover” as
a precedent for the Nuremberg tribunals. The Commission stated
that “[t]he provisions of Article 230 of the Peace Treaty of Sevres
were obviously intended to cover, in conformity with the Allied
note of 1915 . . ., offenses which had been committed on Turkish
territory against persons of Turkish citizenship, though of
Armenian or Greek race. This article constitutes therefore a
precedent for Article 6c and 5c of the Nuremberg and Tokyo
Charters, and offers an example of one of the categories of ‘crimes
against humanity’ as understood by these enactments.”
* In August 1985, after extensive study and deliberation, the
United Nations SubCommission on Prevention of Discrimination and
Protection of Minorities voted 14 to 1 to accept a report entitled
“Study of the Question of the Prevention and Punishment of the
Crime of Genocide,” which stated “[t]he Nazi aberration has
unfortunately not been the only case of genocide in the 20th
century. Among other examples which can be cited as qualifying are
. . . the Ottoman massacre of Armenians in 1915-1916.” This report
also explained that “[a]t least 1,000,000, and possibly well over
half of the Armenian population, are reliably estimated to have
been killed or death marched by independent authorities and eye-
witnesses. This is corroborated by reports in United States, German
and British archives and of contemporary diplomats in the Ottoman
Empire, including those of its ally Germany.”
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