NO Doinke of War, Banani Upbacvul, and Revolution My triends here are very glad to have me wich them, for they have a very difficule prob- tem on eheie hands and are nearly crazy with the horrors they have been chrougb here, The Mut cessrifand other officials here and at Sivas have reac me orders from Canscaneinaple [Istanbul] again and again vo the effect that the lives of these exiles are tn he procected, and from heir actions | should judge thae they muse have re- ceived such orders bu they certainly have mus. ered a rear many in every city. Here there were great crenches dug by the soldiers for deill- ing purposes, Now chese tzenches are all filled up, and our friends saw carts going back from the city by night. A man I know told me that when he was our to inspeee some work he was having done, he saw a dead body which had evi- dlencly been pulled out of one of these trenches, probably by doys.... The Beledia Reis (villaye chief] here says chac every male over cen years old is being murdered; thac not one is eo live, and no woman over fifteen. An Official Version of the Deportations - 21 * Talaat Pasha, POSTHUMOUS MEMOIRS At the conclusion of the war, officials of the Ottoman government and Great Britain des red their incention to punish ehe perpetrators of the Armenian _senocide. Ottoman courts ordered che execution of two minor officials and one police officer, but other guilty parties were given prison sentences or convicted in absentia, Judicial proceedings were halted and all prisoners released when che Ottoman government was replaced by a new Turkish yovernment under Muscala Kemal in 1921. Also in 1921, British efforts to cry Turkish officials in Bricish military courts, already bogyed down by legal and pol ical difficulties, were abandoned, Throughoue the process, efforts to punish those responsible were weakened by the face that in November 1918 Turkey's wartime leaders fled the country and hence could nor be cried in person, Among those who fled was Talaac Pasha (1874-1921), the Ottoman minister of che interior during che war. Although the precise lines of author ity in the Ottoman government are murky, there is litcle question that Tas faatt Pasha, along with Enver Pasha (minise ‘of war) and Kemal Pasha (navy minister and military governor of Syria), were the key figures in the warcime There is also liedle doube chat Talaat and Enver were mainly responsible for the government's Armenian policy. After he fled ‘Turley in 1918, Talaae lived in Europe until he was assassinated by an Armenian stu. lene in coureeuled that his act 1915 mass, Berlin suburb in 1921. The assassin was acquitted wher as justifiable homicide in view of Talaat's role in the a German Before his death, Tataat had written a memoir chat was unpublished at the * assassination, After his assassin's acquittal, Talaat's wife released the ‘memoir co 4 Turkish newspaper, It was published in 1921 with the enigmatic ng words, “Ido nae tell all the trueh, but all I ellis eruth.” In the following section, he gives his perspective on the Armenian question Hs" Creo Hit, Vol. 13, No 1 pp. 2946285,Chapter 3 World War Land Is Clo Signifitume — 8 QUESTIONS FOR ANALYSIS 1, In what ways.were the Armenians responsible for their own deportation, ac- cording to Talat Pasha? 2. How credible do you find Talaat’s arguments about the Aemenians responsi- bility for their fate? 3. How would you characterize Talaae’s portrayal of his role in che massacres? Does he admit personal responsibility for the massueces? Why. in Talaat’s view, have che numbers of victims been exaggerated? 5. How and in what ways are Talaat’s assertions confirmed or refuted by evi- dence provided in Graffam’s letcer? ‘The deporcation of the Armenians, in some lo~ calities of the Greeks, and in Sycia of some of ‘the Arabs, was used inside and outside the em- pire as a source of ateack on the Turkish Gov- feenment. First of all, I wish to inform the public that che eumors of deportation and assassination were exceedingly exaggerated, The Greeks and the Armenians, taking advantage of the iyno- rance of the American and European public of the Near Bastern situation and of the character of the Turks, used the deporeation as a means for propaganda, and painced it as best suited theiraim. In saying this, I do noe mean to deny the facts. I desire only co eliminate the exayger~ ations and to relace che factsas chey occurred. Tamir that we deported many Armenians from our eastern provinces, but we never acted in this matter upon a previously prepared scheme. ‘The responsibility for these aces falls firseof all upon the deporced people chemselves, Russia, in border to luy hand on our eastern provinces, had armed unl equipped the Armeaian inhabitancs of chis district, and had organized strong Ar~ ‘menian bundic Forces in the said area, When we eneered the great war, these bandits beyan their ulestructive activities in che tear of the Turkish Army on the Caucasus front, blowing up che bridges, secting fire co the Turkish towns and ‘ae Armenians served i ehe Russian sty is hal rex ‘mural since many Armenians were Ruston subjects, Although i is crue Some Aemeniaas sympuhied with the Alfie and boned for Turkey's deft: mony thousands Sf Armenians Tonge i dhe Orton sey. Tis ls re ‘hac many Armenians were armed, bi this wis ao solely the wrk of Russia My Aemenians armel themselves Villages and Killing ehe innocent Mohammeetan [Muslim] inhabitanss, regardless of age an sex. ‘They spread death and tecror all over the eastern provinces, and endangered the Turkish Army's line of retreat. All these Armenian barwlies were helped by the native Armenians. When they were pursued by che Turkish wendarmes, the Armenian villages were a refuge for them. When ‘hey needed help, the Armenian peasants around them, taking cheir arms hidden in cei churches, ran co their aid. Every Armenian church, it was later discovered, was 1 depot of ammuni tion. In this disloyal way they killed more than 300,000 Mohammeckins, and skstiyedl the: com, ‘munication of ee Turkish Army with ies buses The informacion that we were receiving fram che administrators of these provinees and from the commander af ehe Cac n Army uve us details of the mose revolting and barbaraus a Uivities of che Armenian bandits. Ie yas impex- sible co shut our eyes co the treucherous acts uf the Armenians, ata cime when we were engaged in a war which would determine che fate of eur councty. Even if chese atrocities hil occurred ina time of peace, our Government would have been obliged co quell such outbreaks. ‘The Porte,’ acting under the same « wishing to secure the safety of its army and its belone the war for selfslefense. The assertions “evers ‘Arman church" was uns sleet a at Aronson Due! Killed hee hun! esa Turks aes crealy ragueracions| The Pre, "Sublime Poets wis w sm hr ee Ot _soverment. Te ef thea cht Inu th ah ‘ical ofthe Otten se88 Deals of War. Eeonumic Upbertal and Revalasion citizens, cook energetic measures to check these uprisings. The deportation of che Armenians ‘was one of these preventive measures, Tacimir also chat che deportation was aot carried our lawfully everywhere. In some places unlawful aces were commitced. The already existing hatred among the Arme- nians and Mohammedans, intensified by che barbarous activities of the farmer, had cre- ated many tragic consequences. Some of the officials abused cheie authority, and in many places people cook preventive measures into cheir own hands and innocent people were molested, [ confess it.I confess, also, that the duty of the Government was co prevent hese buses and accocities, or at least co hunt down and punish their perpecrators severely. In many pluees, where che property and goods of the deparced people were looted, and the Armenians molested, we did arrest those who ‘were responsible and punished them according to the lay, [ confess, however, chat we ought to have acted more sternly, opened up @ gen- eral investigation for the purpose of finding, ‘out all the promocers and looters and punished chem severely, But we could nor do chat, Although we pun- ished many of che guilty, mose of them were luncouched. These people, whom we might call outlaws, because of their unlawful aetitude i isregarcling che onder of che Cenceal Govern- ment, were divided into ewo classes. Some of them were acting under personal hatred, or for individual profit. Those who looted che goods of the deported Armenians were easily pun- ishable and we punished them. But chece was another group, who sincerely believed that the general incerese of the community necessitated the punishment alike of those Armenians who massacred che guiltless Mohammedans and those who helped che Armenian bandits to en- danger our nacional life. The Turkish elements here referred to were short-sighted, fanatic, and yet sincere in their belief. The public encour- ‘aged them, and they had che general approval behind them, They were numerous and strong, ‘Their open and immediate punishment would have aroused great disconcent among the peo- ple, who favored their acts. An endeavor t0 at- rest and co punish all these promoters would hhave created anarchy in Anatolia ae a time when we greatly needed unity. Ie would have been dangerous to divide the nation into two camps, when we needed strength to fighe outside en. emies. We did all char we could, but we pre- ferced to post-pone the solution of our incernal difficulties until after che defeat of our external ‘These preventive measures were taken in every country during che war, but, while che regrettable resules were passed over in silence in the other countries, the echo of our acts was heard the world over, because everybody's eyes ‘were upon us, aE Aa EER aEETSsnnanInInInSnSSnES”ensnaOSSISESSSSSSSSSSaOSaSSSORIS SSSEESSESESEEID