November 6, 2003

Balakian Talks about Genocide as "Landmark Event in American History"

San Mateo, CA, November 4 – Bestselling author Peter Balakian told Bay Area Armenian-Americans and Jewish-Americans Tuesday that the Armenian Genocide was not only a landmark event in 20th century history, but also in American history, as it prompted the first large-scale international human rights movement in the United States.

Speaking at a luncheon hosted by Facing History and Ourselves, the Bay Area Armenian National Committee, and local supporters Joe and Araxi Bezdjian, Balakian discussed the themes of his new book "Burning Tigris: the Armenian Genocide and America’s Response," which debuted at #4 on the New York Times Best Sellers List several weeks ago. The luncheon took place at the Bezdjian’s Simonian Oriental Rugs showroom.

	ANC-SF Representative Roxanne Makasdjian, Peter Balakian, and Jack Weinstein, Director, San Francisco Bay Area Facing History and Ourselves

Bay Area ANC representative Roxanne Makasdjian greeted the attendees, saying that "Burning Tigris" is an important new tool in the fight for recognition of the Armenian Genocide. Jack Weinstein, Director of Facing History’s Bay Area office, introduced Balakian, saying "I want to thank Peter Balakian for bringing us this history, which has been too long out of the public eye." Weinstein said that Balakian’s book, combined with the work of Facing History and local communities, would expose children to this history, "putting an end to the negative tradition of denial." Facing History and Ourselves is a nation-wide organization, which engages teachers and students of diverse backgrounds in an examination of racism, prejudice, and anti-semitism in order to promote the development of a more humane and informed citizenry. Facing History will soon publish its new resource book, "Crimes Against Humanity and Civilization: The Genocide of the Armenians."

Rightful Place in History

Balakian said that Armenian-Americans from around the country embraced the book and helped publicize it. "Armenian-Americans are passionate to see this history take its rightful place," said Balakian, "These are hopeful times."

"No history of the 20th century can be understood without an understanding of the Armenian Genocide. No American history can be properly fathomed without an understanding of the Armenian Genocide," said Balakian. He noted that it was in reference to the Armenian Genocide that the term "Crimes Against Humanity," was first used. It was contained in a message from the Allied Powers in May of 1915 to the Ottoman government, saying Turkey would be held accountable for its crimes against humanity."

A "cast of extraordinary American voices weighed in on the Armenian Genocide," said Balakian, telling the story of the American intellectual and Christian community which rose to the aid of Armenians first during the Hamidian massacres of the late 1800’s during which 200,000 Armenians were slain. Bringing aid to Armenian killing fields was the first international venture to be undertaken by Clara Barton, who headed the Red Cross.

"In an age when a loaf of bread cost five cents, the Near East Relief Fund in the U.S. raised $110,000,000 for Armenian relief," said Balakian. He noted the "density of the movement," in which all kinds of small and large organizations raised money to help the "starving Armenians," and the New York Times wrote an average of 2.2 articles about the Armenian Genocide in 1915 alone.

Turkish Denial

Countering denialists statements that the Armenian Genocide was not organized or the massacres were a result of deportations that "got out of control," Balakian said that after four years of research, he came away with an "overwhelming sense of how well orchestrated and fine-tuned" the genocide was.

That orchestration had several components, making use of the military, legislative and technological means for carrying out the Genocide. Reminiscent of the "SS" organization under Adolph Hitler, which carried out the brutal crimes of the Holocaust, Balakian told about the Ottoman government’s creation of the "SO" or Special Organization, killing squads made up of the 30,000 prison convicts who were released and given orders to eliminate the Armenians.

Two laws passed by the Ottoman parliament were used to legalize the Genocide, said Balakian: a temporary law of deportation, and a temporary law allowing for expropriation and confiscation of property. And the technological advances of the railway and the telegraph were used quite effectively to carry out the planned Genocide. Cattle cars meant to carry no more than 30 were packed with close to 100 people being transported from the West to the far eastern reaches of the Ottoman Empire. Talaat Pasha, the mastermind of the crime, used the telegraph profusely to communicate orders for arrest and deportation.

Balakian said that Armenians resisted bravely when they could, as in Van in the spring of 1915 and in Musa Dagh, but most often it was impossible since the able-bodied men were eliminated early on.

"In the end, 1.2 million to 1.3 million Armenians were murdered, and if you tabulate all of the post-war deaths in Marash, Smyra, and the forced slavery and Islamification, the number reaches 1.5 million," said Balakian, referring to the study of the International Association of Genocide Scholars.

Returning to the theme of the U.S. involvement, Balakian spoke about the important role of the U.S. Consuls across the Ottoman Empire, "who risked their lives to rescue, hide, save, and also help hide Armenians’ wealth." He said the diplomats "wrote some of the most vivid, clear, clean, detached, clinical reports and dispatches back to their Ambassador." Of the 38,000 documents in the US National Archives relating to the Armenian Genocide, Balakian said he read hundreds of the "landmark body of American witness texts to genocide." Balakian said he was also able to read translated transcripts (thanks to Armenian Genocide historian Vahakn Dadrian) of the failed war crimes trials in Turkey, which included hundreds of pages of high ranking Turkish officials’ confessions about how the Armenian Genocide was systematically carried out.

Just a Poker Chip

Balakian said one of the fundamental reasons for America’s change of mood on the Armenian Cause was that a hostile Republican Senate leadership, which unanimously rejected President Wilson’s call for the US to become a protectorate state for Armenia, was eager to court the new Turkish leadership, which was in control of the Mosul oil fields. Noting the similarities with US foreign policy of today, Balakian said, "Armenia is just a poker chip cashed in for lobbyists for oil."

Reading four vignettes from his book, Balakian illustrated the political dialogue taking place within the US and between Turkey and the US during this time, calling US Ambassador Henry Morganthau "a man of great conscious and courage."

Reconciliation Preceded by Truth

Balakian spoke too about the need for critical self-analysis within Turkey. He said Turkey’s human rights record is deplorable, and that it is a culture "locked up in a virulent, xenophobic nationalism," which has kept it from acknowledging the Armenian Genocide. He said minority rights are essential to building a democratic society.

Answering a question later about the possibility for Turkish-Armenian reconciliation, Balakian said, "Of course there can be reconciliation, but it has to be preceded by truth."

"My hope is that Burning Tigris can help make it impossible for the United States to deny its first international human rights movement," said Balakian.