191) Armenian Rebellion... in the Words of Armenians

 

 

(...With the help of some of their allies.)

 

The excellent, mainly original research of the site, Tete de Turc, is what comprised most of this page.

 

 

"We ask your Seigneury, to present to His Majesty the Emperor, on my part as well as in the name of my community of Russia, the devoted feelings of his faithful subjects, as well as affection and sympathy without defect of the Armenians of Turkey. Also defend with the Czar the hope which the Armenians of Turkey cherish. (...)"

 

Letter of Armenian catholicos of Etchmiadzin to the Russian governor general of the Caucasus, the Count Illarion Ivanovitch Vorontsov-Dashkov, on August 5th, 1914

 

The Reply:

 

"Be it our Armenians or those that are on the other side of the border, I want that they follow my instructions. You should use your authority in your community so that our Armenians join those that are on the other side of the border ; thus, in the current situation of Turkey, as in the future, I shall let them know what they should do in case of turco-russian war, I shall inform them about the nature of their missions and shall ask them to carry out their duty."

 

Answer of the Russian Governor General of the Caucasus, the Count Illarion Ivanovitch Vorontsov-Dachkov, to Etchmiadzin’s Armenian catholicos, on September 2nd, 1914
  

 

 "The Russian Armenians, in the ranks of the Moscow army, will carry out their duty to avenge the insult made on the corpses of our brothers; as for us, the Armenians dominated by Turkey, no Armenian’s rifle has to leave of our ranks against friends and allies of France, our second homeland. Turkey mobilizes, it conscripts us without telling us against whom. Against Russia ? There now, we will not fire against our own brothers of the Caucasus ; against balkanic States for which we feel but sympathy ? Never ! You Turks, you you’ve come to the wrong person. Armenians, Turkey conscripts you without saying against whom : join up as volunteers in the ranks of the French Army and its allies to help to crush the army of Guillaume II."

 

Aram Tourabian, "The Armenian volunteers under the French flags", Marseille, 1917, page 6

 

For the Armenians have been belligerents de facto, since they indignantly refused to side with Turkey. Our volunteers fought in the French ‘Legion Etrangere’ and covered themselves with glory. In the Legion d’Orient they numbered over 5,000, and made up more than half the French contingent in Syria and Palestine, which took part in the decisive victory of General Allenby. In the Caucasus, without mentioning  the 150,000 Armenians in the Russian armies, about 50,000 Armenian volunteers (offered resistance to the Turkish Armies)."

 

Boghos Nubar Pasha, in a January 30, 1919 (pg. 6) letter to The Times of London.
  

 "The awakening of a revolutionary state of mind among the Turkish Armenians resulted from Russian stimulations."

 

Hairenik, newspaper of the Armenian Dachnak Party, June 28th, 1918 issue
  

 

"The aims of the revolutionary committees are to arouse a general discontent and to force the Turkish government and the population to react violently, that would draw the attention of the foreign nations to Armenians’ imaginary suffering and encourage them to intervene to right the situation."

 

The British Blue Book, N° 6 (1894), pages 222-223

 

"The members of Dachnak and Hintchak parties have terrorized their own compatriots, they have irritated the Moslem populations with robberies and wild actions ; they have incapacitated all the efforts to implement reforms ; all the events in Anatolia find their origins in the crimes committed by Armenian revolutionary committees."

 

Note written on March the 4th of 1896 by the British vice-consul in Van, Blue Book, N°8 (1896), page 108
  

 

"The objective of the Armenian Revolutionary Union (Dachnak) was to obtain economic and political freedom in Turkish Armenia by means of the rebellion. Terrorism was adopted since the beginning, it was for the Dachnak committee of the Caucasus a policy or a strategy to attain its aim . In their program adopted in 1892, in the column ’Means’, ’Method 8’ was described this way : ’Make war and subject the government, the officials and the traitors to terrorism’ ; ’Subject the governmental institutions to the destruction and to plunder’. (...) The purpose of these riots was to make sure that European powers would intervene in the Ottoman internal affairs."

 

K. S. Papazian, "Patriotism perverted", Boston, 1934

 

 
 "The Armenians are the voluntary victims of their sympathy to the Allies and, proportionally to their number , are the most affected by the present war. From the first hour, they attached their fate to that of the Allies and, depending on their possibilities , gave all that they could put in the service of the great cause and this without any bargaining; in placing their faith in the justice of the Allies, they are persuaded that at the time of the settlement of accounts they will be rewarded according to their sacrifice."

 

French newspaper Le Soleil du Midi, issue of February 9, 1916
  

 "I shall keep the immortal to recollection of your bravery and your ardor. Generous France will proudly remember that It had the honor to entrust the Sons of Armenia with a batch of bayonets which they handled with enthusiasm : may the blood shed and the public heroism not remain sterile."

 

The Commander-in-chief of the Occupation Forces of Levant Djihan, on August 19, 1920, General Gouraud, Armenian Institute of France
Our Seventh Ally 

 

 "With Serbia and Belgium, the number of the allied States of the Entente had risen to six. But who is the seventh ally ? (...) It’s the Armenians. They participated in the World War from its beginning. (...) They threw themselves enthusiastically into a hand-to-hand fight without waiting for our invitation and without proceeding with any bargaining. (...) Admiring, from the beginning of hostilities, the organization of the Entente, they gave free rein to respect and to the confidence that they gave to us at all times and rushed immediately into fighting. They are still fighting. One hundred thousand of them are in the Russian army, twenty thousand others are fighting with the Caucasus army, and many Armenian volunteers are in the rows of the Entente on the French front."

 

"Our seventh ally", article published in the newspaper Daily Chronicle,September 23, 1914 issue

 

 

"At this moment, 80 000 Armenian soldiers are fighting under the Russian flags against the German and Austrian armies, and 40 000 against Turkey. Thousands of Armenian volunteers coming from everywhere are shedding their blood at the Turkish and Persian border to assure the victory of the Allies. These men are the Armenian revolutionaries so well informed of the mood of the Ottoman soldiers. These men, knowing the most important strategic points, rendered invaluable services to the Russian avant-gardes. Sympathies shown to the Allies by the rebelled Armenia will be recognized and appreciated after the victory of the Entente..."

 

Armenian newspaper Yeridasart Hayasdan (’Young Armenia’, published in the United States), June 25, 1915 issue

 

"In the campaign of the Caucasus, the Armenian committees splendidly raised the glory of the Russians. They are the soldiers of Antranik who took Saray and Bachkalé for the Russians. Assault against Beyazit was also given by the troops of Antranik and they are the Armenian volunteers under the command of Samson who, preventing an encircling movement of the Turks’ in Aserbaidschan, saved the Russians from a bloody defeat.

 

Novoïe Vremia, the most important Russian newspaper, mentions with eulogies the Armenians’ love for the Russians and Christendom. (...) The big fight that the Armenians support today, the sacrifices that they make for the Russian cause, their past civilization, will bring to them respect of everyone. (...)"

 

Letter of ’Yervantoni Committee’ from the Armenian newspaper Asparez (published in the United States), n° 350 of April 23rd, 1915 issue

 

"Having men at our disposal, we were able to form bands of Armenian volunteers and send them to the war scene. This way, we were able to express our deep gratitude to Russia which showed us so much benevolence. We find out that certain persons, not supporting the criticism and basing on childish considerations, recommend to terminate this organization instead of approving it and trying hard for its development. It’s nothing less than a crime! We shall not stop the organization of the Armenian volunteers. We shall not terminate it. No ! On the contrary, we shall extend it and shall strengthen it. We shall be everywhere in the first row as avant-gardes, and until the end, until the destruction of the enemy, our place will be next to the Russian Cossacks. (...) The Armenians will be of those that will give a deathblow to the dying Turkey in its last moments. Turkey, whilst dying, has to see this of its own eyes and read this cursed page of its history before closing them.

 

Today, our main enemy, is the Turk. Those that, openly or in secret, oppose to the organization of the volunteers or try to limit this force, must be considered as traitors and interior enemies."

 

Article signed Sabah-Gulian in the Armenian newspaper Inkenavar Haydasdan (’Independent Armenia’), n°25, published on June 19th, 1916

"The Turkish, disastrous and treacherous race, attacks once more, but with more violence, one of the purest and best peoples of the Aryan race. These fights, which continue for centuries in various forms, are no different from the assault of a nation remained in darkness against the other whom, having already gone through the cycle of social progress, moves towards the light. (...) Either us, or them! This fight dates neither from one year nor from one century. The Armenian nation always resisted bravely to this race which had treason and crime as its guiding principle.

 

The World must be relieved of this plague and, for the rest and the tranquillity of the universe, the Turkish nation must be annihilated.

 

We’re waiting heads up and armed with the faith in the victory."

 

Article appeared in the Armenian newspaper Hayasdan (’Armenia’, published in Sofia), n°56, edition of August 19, 1914

 

"The Russian government made a decision which will be welcomed with pleasure and enjoyment by all the Armenian circles : it chose Aram Manoukian, the leader of Armenian revolutionary movement for governor of the province of Van. Aram Manoukian was born in 1877, in the Caucasus, in the city of Chousta. (...) At the beginning of this war, Aram took up arms and became the head of the insurgents of Van. Russia which possesses at present this province named Aram governor for it, wishing to satisfy the Armenian element which so brilliantly participated in the war against Turkey."

 

French newspaper Le Temps (Paris), August 13th, 1915 issue

"In 1894, Mr. Cambon, Ambassador of France in Constantinople, said that it was impossible to find a solution for the Armenian Question. One can not indeed imagine a solution for this question, the most important of all those appeared in Turkey. The fight between Turks and Armenians has an idiosyncratic character. The Armenians know that they will not be able to realize their national aspiration by remaining subjected to the Turks. This situation results neither from Abdul Hamid’s tyrannical and bloodthirsty mentality, nor from the chauvinist theories of Young Turks; it is the logical consequence of the principle of the preservation of the Ottoman Empire. (...) The Armenians are spread in the Islamic Ocean and are lapping in the middle of its waves. (...) On the other hand, the Turks know although, as long as there will be Armenians inside Ottoman borders, the integrity of the Empire will always be threatened. Yesterday’s Russian peril is substituted by today’s British peril. The Armenians are the scouts of the enemy in ambush waiting for the occasion to attack. In view of this situation, the solution of the question can only be the following one: either the Turks out, or the Armenians."

 

Article appeared in the Armenian review Armenia (published in Turin), in its issue of June, 1914

 

 

"According to your orders, our companions would like to buy weapons through your intervention and according to your choice. We want to know the prices. It is necessary for us: 1° Martinis ; 2° Mauser revolvers ; 3° flint rifles ; 4° American Smith revolvers ; 5° Brownings. In whole quite two hundred items with ammunitions."

 

Letter of the responsibles (the priest Boghos Kalemian and the president H. Melidossian) of the Armache’s Hintchak committee (municipality of Ermiche dependent of Izmit), sent to the Hintchak "committee of Constantinople", and dated November 18th, 1914

"(...) The activity of the committee, Tachnaktzoutioun is quite related to the excitement of the Armenian public opinion. This committee is working obstinately to create animosity between Armenians and Moslems to turn to good account the misfortune which could result from it, to provoke a Russian intervention and the occupation of the country by our Army. (...) To arrive at this end, Tachnakistes use various means and try hard to bring the Armenians to collisions with the Moslems and especially with the Ottoman troops. So, Tachnakist committees of Bitlis and Mush, in order to arouse panic among the population, urged the Armenians of the bazaars to close their shops. Besides,they armed a revolutionary group which, having gone through, in October and in November, the caza of ’Hizane’, murdered some Kurds to avenge ’Raphaël’s’ death, an Armenian school inspector and supporter of Tachnaktzoutioun . All this had no other purpose than bringing up fighting between Moslems and Tachnakists. If it occurred, the Moslems, naturally, would attack the Armenian villages, which would have as a consequence a Russian armed intervention. The leading Tachnakists of Bitlis declare that they would commit a big mistake if they do not take advantage of the current situation to bring the Russians here. (...) The Armenians of cities, those of the countryside, as well as their religious leaders, always gave evidence of their tendency and their affection for Russia and declared repeatedly that the Turkish government here is incapable to reign order, law and prosperity. Many Armenians promise from now on to offer their churches to the Russian soldiers to be converted in armed orthodox temples. (...) The Tachnaktzoutioun committee, morally deprived to the eyes of the quiet and peaceful population, tries to get back the faith of the Armenians and, as I explained here above, try hard to bring shocks among Armenian and Kurdish, and, generally among Armenian and Moslem, to blurr the situation and to create an excuse for a Russian intervention. (...) The attitude of the members of Tachnaktzoutioun toward the Armenians and the authorities, and their sympathies for Russia, are adjusted and are steered by the instructions of their central office in Constantinople."

 

Report number 63 on December 24th, 1912, sent by the Russian Consul to Bitlis to the Ambassador of Russia in Constantinople

An Armenian Book

 

 

The Armenian book (printed in the war years), La Défense héroïque de Van ("The Heroic Defense of Van�), freely explains how Ottoman-Armenians seized Van, in plans of handing the city over to joint control with the invading Russian forces. An interesting notation in the book (p. 4) indicates the Armenians were aware of the great toll disease was taking on the troops.
(...[M]aladie contractée dans les tranchées... Soldiers “contracted diseases in the trenches� ). When the Governor of Van (Cevdet Bey) asked the Armenians for 3,000 soldiers, they refused, for (among other reasons) fear of dying from epidemics. (Turkkaya Ataov)
The Official Armenian Memorandum Before the Peace Conference 

 

"...Armenian volunteers fought on all fronts.� In the French Foreign Legion, “they fought in Syria and in Palestine...[and] constituted the largest element,...more than one-half of the entire French contingent.� They took “a leading part in the decisive victory of General Allenby...In the Caucasus, where in addition to over 150,000 Armenian men who served in the Russian army on all the fronts, an army of 50,000 men and thousands of volunteers fought throughout under the supreme command of General Nazarbekian.� After the Treaty of Brest Litovsk, “the Armenians...took over the defense of the Caucasus front and, for...seven months, delayed the advance of the Turks. They thus rendered important services to the British army in Mesopotamia...[B]y their resistance against the Turks until the conclusion of the armistice, they forced the Turks to send troops from Palestine to the Armenian front, and they contributed indirectly to the victory of the Allied Army in Syria. The Armenians have been actual belligerents in this war. Their losses...exceed 1,000,000."

 

 â€œThe Armenian Question Before the Peace Conference: A Memorandum Presented Officially by the Representatives of Armenia to the Peace Conference at Versailles on February 26, 1919,â€� The Armenian Review, Vol. XXVII, No. 3-107 (Autumn 1974), p. 231-232. The representatives were Avetis Aharonian, the President of the Delegation of the independent Republic of Armenia and Bogos Nubar Pasha, the President of the Armenian National Delegation. (Turkkaya Ataov)

 

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