0056) A Russian Officer's diary outlining the Armenians' "Barbarous Cruelties"

A Lieutenant Colonel, of the Second Russian Garrison Artillery Regiment stationed in Erzurum, kept a diary at least from late 1917 to a few months into 1918. The general army had withdrawn, and the province was under the control of this small Russian regiment, and a military unit comprised of Armenians. What follows are excerpts from this account of how the local unarmed Turkish population suffered at the hands of the Armenians, to the frequent shock of the Russian officer.

From a different source comes a sum-up of the incriminating statements made by the same officer, at the middle of this page, followed by Vahakn Dadrian's objections.

ADDENDUM, 9-07: This was an early page of TAT, and its worth now mainly stands with Dadrian's attempts to discredit the Russian officer. In order to get a better picture of Lt.-Col. Twerdokhleboff's statement, please tune in to its complete reproduction on the Jemal Pasha memoirs page, or in a differently translated version from the original Ottoman document.


...The Armenians slew more than 800 Turks in Erzindjan...

In these days the Armenians were perpetrating indescribably cruel murders among the poor Turkish inhabitants of the neighborhood of Erzindjan; the Turks were unarmed and without any means of self-defense. On hearing that the Turkish troops were approaching, the Armenians, committing fresh crimes, fled in the direction of Erzerum.

According to the reports of the Commander-in-Chief, confirmed by officers who were actually present at the scene of the crime, the Armenians slew more than 800 Turks in Erzindjan, and so avenged one of their miserable accomplices who had been killed by a Turk in justified self-defense. Furthermore, the Armenians massacred the unhappy Mohammedan population of Ilidja, in the neighborhood of Erzerum, without sparing the women and children.

On February 7th the following incident came to my notice: I ascertained that the Militia and the Armenian soldiers of the town were carrying off some hundreds of Mohammedans to an unknown destination. When I inquired into the reasons for this, I received the answer that these men were being recruited to clear the railway of snow. I expressed myself satisfied with this explanation.

I... finally discovered in the bathroom seventy Mohammedans, victims of the most ghastly horrors.

The following story will prove how unsatisfactory it was:

About three o'clock 2nd Lieutenant Lipsky, an officer of my regiment, reported to me over the telephone that some Armenian soldiers had attacked five Turks in the streets; they had driven them into a corner of the barrack yard, beaten them mercilessly, and would certainly kill them. The intervention of the Russian officer in favor of the unfortunate men was met with threats, where-upon an Armenian officer, who was also present at the scene, took the part of the bandits and joined in preventing Lipsky from intervening. On hearing this I hurried, accompanied by three officers, to the scene of the outrage. On the way I met the officer who had telephoned to me and the Mayor of Erzerum, Stawrosky, looking for one of their Turkish friends who had been captured by the Armenians. Lipsky told me that the soldiers were holding the entrance to the barracks by force of arms. I went on my way. As I came near the barracks I saw twelve Turks leaving; they were running away, obviously panic-stricken. I stopped one of them, but, as I did not understand his speech, it was impossible to know what he said. Finally, with great difficulty, I entered the barracks. I immediately inquired about the Turks who had been captured in the street. The soldiers affirmed that there was no civilian of the town in the barracks. I began a personal search of every nook and corner of the barracks, and finally discovered in the bathroom seventy Mohammedans, victims of the most ghastly horrors. I immediately instituted an inquiry and had six Armenians who were responsible for this crime arrested. I also learned in the course of the inquiry that an Armenian, whose identity I could not establish, had shot an unfortunate Mohammedan who had shown himself on the roof of a house near the barracks.

Naturally I at once set at liberty the unfortunate victim of this horrible outrage. The minutes of this inquiry, together with my own records, including the list of the Mohammedans whom I had succeeded in rescuing, were lost during the reoccupation of Erzerum by the Ottoman troops on February 27th. But the incident can be confirmed by questioning the Turks, who, whenever we meet, are profuse in their gratitude. In addition, Ali Bey Pepeoff, the Secretary of Mayor Stawrosky, who drew up the list and the protocol, would certainly recognize the parties concerned.

The inquiry revealed that Karaguedoff, an Armenian cadet of the artillery regiment, was the instigator of the outrage. In the course of ruthless house-searchings in Turkish homes, which he had conducted in the company of Armenian soldiers accustomed to such methods, he had appropriated furniture and other domestic property. Karaguedoff was arrested, together with other Armenian soldiers. The incidents were reported the same evening to the Commander-in-Chief in the presence of Government Commissioner Zetaloff and his assistant. On the same day the Armenians murdered other Turks and set fire to the Turkish bazaar. It was generally known that during these days several murders were committed in Erzerum and its neighborhood. I personally arrested an Armenian who had killed Turks in the neighborhood of Tafta and handed him over to the Commandant. It was said in the town that the Turk who had been told off to work in the fields never returned from their work, and that nothing could be learnt as to their whereabouts. The magistrates reported the disappearance of these men to the Commander-in-Chief.

In a report which we handed to the Commander-in-Chief on the occasion of an officers' conference we requested his permission to leave the fortress of Erzerum in view of our complete uselessness and the impossibility of preventing the Armenian crimes. We were afraid of besmirching our reputation. Odischelidze told us of the arrival of a wireless message which he had received from General Wehib Pasha, in command of the Ottoman troops. The General informed him that his troops had received orders to garrison Erzindjan and to advance until they had established touch with the Russian troops. Wehib Pasha further remarked that this was the only means of paving the way for the suppression of the barbarous cruelties practiced by the Armenians upon the Turkish population.

After this the Trans-Caucasian Commission made offers of peace to the Ottoman Government. In the telegram of reply the Commandant of the Ottoman troops expressed his readiness to accept the proposal, and added that he had communicated the proposal of the Trans-Caucasian Commission to his Government, recommending its acceptance. In accordance with a petition from us, General Odichelidze got into communication with Gueguetschkoni, the President of the Trans-Caucasian Commission, and General Lebedinsky, the Commander-in-Chief.

The reply contained the announcement that an ultimatum had been dispatched to the Armenian National Assembly, demanding the immediate cessation of all Armenian atrocities in order to put an end finally to these lamentable occurrences, and that Dr. Zavrieff and Andranik had been sent as delegates to Erzerum. As to the request of the officers, the advice of the Commissaries was that they should remain at their posts until the expected answer to the peace overtures had been received from the Ottoman Government. The Council expressed their thanks to the officers for the service they had rendered, and declared that if Russia were faced with any fresh danger they were sure that the officers would be found at their posts to the last minute.

The Commander-in-Chief of the Army also issued an order of the day in which he recommended officers not to leave their posts, adding that to shield their honor and protect their lives he would enforce the most stringent measures against the Armenian criminals. On these conditions we remained at Erzerum with the sole object of safeguarding the interests of Russia, and under the sole command of the Commander-in-Chief. We learned that the Ottoman Government had received the proposal of the Trans-Caucasian Commission with favor and replied to this effect, and that peace negotiations would be opened on February 17th in Trebizond..

...The Ottoman Government had declared that the Kurds were subject to no orders and would act on their own initiative...

Our Army Commander informed all officers that there was no intention of stirring up enmity against the Ottoman troops in Erzerum and the neighborhood and that accordingly they were to remain in Erzerum until the conclusion of peace, when arms and other war material, according to the peace conditions, would cither be transported to Russia or handed over finally to the Ottoman Government. In case of any attempt on the part of the Ottoman troops to occupy Erzerum before the signing of peace, all guns were to be put out of action and the troops and officers withdrawn to Russia, definite orders for which would be promulgated at least seven days in advance.

The necessity for defending ourselves against the attacks of the Kurds until the final decision as to our remaining grew more and more obvious, for during the Armistice the Ottoman Government had declared that the Kurds were subject to no orders and would act on their own initiative. The Army Commander had, therefore, decided as early as the end of January to strengthen the Erzerum-Erzindjan line-of-communication by an appropriate number of guns to keep off the attacks of the Kurds, who were trying to loot our line-of-communication depots. An officer and two guns were ordered to each strategic point. On the withdrawal of the Armenians from Erzindjan and Erzerum the guns were withdrawn with them. On February 10th two guns were placed in all the positions from Buyuk-Kiremidli along the road from Trebizond as far as Erep-Michan, as at all other important strategic points of the town, with the same object in view. In view of the probability of a Kurdish attack from the direction of Palan-Dongno, guns were to be placed also between the Kars and Charput gates. These guns, which were only to be used against a possible attack by the Kurds, and were scarcely adequate for this object, would have been useless against a regular army with artillery: a few shots would suffice to put them out of action. Towards the middle of February the sights of the guns in the outlying positions were collected and delivered to the central depot; the same measure was now to be carried out also in the case of the guns in the nearer positions. This order was also given for the guns in Palan-Dongno, but was never carried out. Only the guns, which remained in the positions to be used against the Kurds, retained their sights. However, no immediate offensive on the part of the Ottoman troops was expected, as the Turks were regarded as demoralized and not in a position to undertake any movements before the summer. On February 12th some Armenian bandits, armed to the teeth, had openly shot ten or twelve Turks in the neighborhood of the station. Two Russian officers, infuriated by these impudent outrages, had tried to interfere, but had been compelled to give way before armed threats and to leave the victims to their fate.

On February 13th the Commander-in-Chief proclaimed a state of siege and convened a court martial, which was to enforce the death penalty according to the old regulations. Colonel Morel was appointed Commandant of the fortress of Erzerum, and an Armenian as president of the court martial. On the same day the Commander-in-Chief and General Gerassimoff left the town; they wished to fix a rendezvous in case the artillery had to withdraw. I remained in Erzerum in command of the Garrison Artillery. Colonel Morel's staff consisted exclusively of Russian officers, and the Adjutant of the regiment was Staff-Captain Schnauer.

After the departure of the Commander-in-Chief, Colonel Morel at once changed his attitude. He declared that Erzerum was to be defended to the last moment, and forbade all officers and inhabitants capable of bearing arms to leave the town. When I submitted to the court martial the wishes of some of the officers to avail themselves of this permission, one member, an Armenian named Sokhonnyan, replied brutally that he would himself cut down all who showed any intention of quitting the town, and would have any man who should dare to attempt flight seized by the Armenian forces in Kopri-Koj and Hassan-Kale, and taken before the court martial unless they were provided with permits. These permits, however, were issued solely by him. I realized that we were in a trap, escape from which would be extremely difficult, and that the court martial and the state of siege were directed less against the bandits than against the Russian officers.

The outrages continued in the town, and the unhappy Turkish population, unarmed and defenceless, was continually attacked by the Armenians. Their only refuge was the Russian officers, who, however, could only offer them very limited protection. A few officers under my command had been obliged to use force to save the lives of a couple of Turks who were being robbed in the street. A military engineer, Karaieff, shot down with his rifle an Armenian who was taking to his heels after robbing a Turk in the street in the middle of the day. The promise to punish the bandits who murdered peaceful, unarmed Mohammedans remained, as usual, a dead letter.

From fear of Armenian revenge, the court martial did not dare to sentence one single Armenian, in spite of the fact that it had been set up chiefly at Armenian request. The Turks, moreover, had prophesied that a court martial of Armenians would not condemn a single one of their compatriots. We could now see the truth of the proverb that the wolves do not prey on one another. All fit Armenians immediately escaped with their wives on the pretext of being obliged to protect them.

(There is much more, wrapped up by this conclusion):


The Russian author Petronius says of the Armenians: "The Armenians are certainly human, but at home they go on all fours."

The Russian poet Lermontoff sings their praises in the following words: "You are a slave, you are a coward, for you are an Armenian."


ERZERUM, April 29th, 1918.

(Signed} LT.-COL. TVERDOKHLEBOFF,
Provisional Commandant of the Fortresses of Erzerum and Deveboynu, Commanding the 2nd Garrison Artillery Regiment, Erzerum.


The full account may be read at armenianreality.com.

Twerdokhlebof on Armenian Ideology:

"I do not like to give the impression that all Armenian intellectuals were accessories to these murders. No, for there were people who opposed the Armenians for such actions, since they understood that it would yield no result. However, such people were only a minority. Furthermore, such people were considered as traitors to the Armenian cause. Some have seemingly opposed the Armenian murders but have supported the massacres secretly. Some, on the other hand, preferred to remain silent. There were certain others, who, when accused by the Russians of infamy, would say the following: 'You are Russians. You can never understand the Armenian cause.' The Armenians had a conscience. They would commit massacres and then would flee in fear of the Turkish soldiers.

The incidents that occurred only recently clearly manifest the real nature of the Armenian ideology. Nothing which is already done can be undone. The Armenians have sowed the seeds of havoc, but they have forgotten that they will ultimately reap the whirlwind."


From an unverified source are these other excerpts:


RUSSIAN OFFICIAL MEMORANDUM.

The Retreat of the Russian Army.

Memorandum of Lt.-Col. Twerdokhleboff concerning the Armenian attacks on the Turkish population of Erzerum and its neighborhood from the beginning of the Russian Revolution to the reoccupation of the town by the Turkish troops on February 27th 1918.

...During the Russian occupation the Armenians did not dare to indulge openly in deeds of violence; the looting and murder was committed in secret.

... The Turks who were taken to work in the fields disappeared in like manner without a trace.

... Shortly after the receipt of these oft-repeated assurances we learned of the massacre of Turks at Erzindjan. The following details I heard from the mouth of the Commander-in-Chief, Odichelidze. The massacre was no instigated by bands, but by the doctor of the town and the army contractor. As I do not know the exact names of these Armenians I cannot give them.

The report runs:

" More than 800 unarmed, defenseless Turks were murdered. The Armenians had dug gigantic trenches into which the poor Turks were throw after being slaughtered like a herd of cattle. An Armenian who directed the execution counted the unhappy victims. ' That's seventy,' he roared, ' there still room for ten more; hack away! ' And another ten wretches were slaughtered to fill up the gap, which was then filled in with a little earth. The army contractor wanted to provide a little diversion for his own benefit. He locked into a house eighty wretched victims, and then had them let out one aft another while he smashed in their skulls with his own hand."

...After the massacre at Erzindjan the Armenians, well armed, made their way to Erzerum.

...The Armenian bands, swarming from Erzindjan to Erzerum, destroyed their way all Mohammedan villages and annihilated the inhabitants.

...Odichelidze has himself told me that in the village of Ilidja all Turks who were unable to escape were massacred; he saw numbers of corpses of children whose heads had been hacked off with blunt axes.

...Lieutenant-Colonel Griaznoff, who returned from Ilidja on the 28th February, three weeks after the slaughter, related to me what he had seen:

" In the courtyard of the mosque the corpses lay heaped to a depth of two lance-lengths. There were bodies of men, women, children, old people, people of every age.


..." On the 27th February the Armenians crucified a Turkish woman-still alive -on a wall after tearing out her heart; she was hung head downwards."

...On the 7th February the great massacre at Erzerum began.

...On the 12th February the Armenians shot ten peaceful, unarmed peasants at Erzerum station; the officers, who tried to interfere, were threatened with death.

...In Erzerum the Armenians had set fire to the Turkish bazaar. On the 17th February I heard that the inhabitants of the village of Tepe Koj, in the district of the artillery regiment, had been completely exterminated-men, women, and children.

...I informed him of the butchery, and urged him to find out who was responsible. I have never heard the result of my request.

...In the night of the 26th-27th the Armenians eluded the vigilance of the Russian officers and perpetrated another massacre, but at once took to their heels at the first approach of the Turks. This massacre was no impromptu affair-it had been planned beforehand; all captured Turks were collected and put to death one by one. The Armenians reported with pride that the night's toll reached a total of 3,000.


...As the educated classes of the Armenian population could very well have prevented the massacre, it is to be concluded that these classes played a greater part in the crime than the bands, and that, in any case, the chief responsibility rests with them.

Vahakn Dadrian Objects

According to the Armenian prosecutor (in “The Perversion by Turkish Sources of Russian General Mayewski’s Report on the Turko-Armenian Conflict,” [Journal of the Society for Armenian Studies vol. 5 (1990-1991): 139-152], Prof. Vahakn Dadrian, the Zoryan Institute’s Director of Genocide Research), Lt.-Col. Twerdokhleboff (referred to as "Twerdo-Khlebof") was of "Azerbaijani Tatar origin with strong affinities for the Turks, and wrote his diary while a captive of the Turks."

The report from the deep-pocketed Zoryan Institute states:

Armenian military commander Sebouh, in his memoirs (vol. 2, pp. 31, 68-69 ), states that this Twerdo-Khlebof had close contacts with his compatriot, the Azeri Tatar Seyidof, who “had come to Erzurum to spy on and foment anti-Armenian disturbances...” and that “despite the existence of 70 fortress cannons only a few times artillery fire was used. No wonder that the few shells thus spent fell on our soldiers for Colonel Khlebof was an Azerbaijani Tatar; being a friend of Seyidof, he directed the fire against the Armenian soldiers.” Another Armenian observer, the Aide de Camp of famous folk hero Antranig, declared that “The sympathy of this Colonel [Twerdo-Khlebof] was entirely directed towards the Turks. He and his officers were billeted in Turkish houses where they used to ravish Turkish girls...none of the cannons opened fire, despite repeated orders. With but few exceptions, the foreign officers and military were won over through bribery and Turkish ladies.”

So whatever Lt.-Col. Twerdokhleboff wrote should be discredited, because the Russian was nothing more than a Turk. (According to classically unreliable Armenian observers.)

It concerns Lt.-Col. Twerdo-Khlebof, Commander of the Russian 2nd Artillery Regiment of Fortress Erzurum, whose tract deals with Armenian atrocities, which the Russian officer claims to have occurred following the collapse of the Tsarist regime and the withdrawal of the Russian Caucasus army from eastern Turkey, December 1917-March 12, 1918. Twerdo-Khlebof reportedly wrote his account while in Turkish captivity at the Turkish army’s headquarters.

"Reportedly"?

I was under the impression the Russian officer's reports were written in a diary format, with dates for the described events. If he wrote in captivity, he would have had to make up those dates. (Unless his memory was photographic.)

Regardless of Lt.-Col. Twerdokhleboff's ethnicity and where he wrote what he wrote, the only issue is whether his words reflected the truth. Plenty of other Russian officers confirmed these terrible Armenian atrocities. Near the end of this page, for example — among other Russian accounts — is a devastating official report from the commander of Russian forces in Erzurum, First Lieutenant Abgral.

Whenever the Armenian militia is presented with evidence that damns their beloved genocide, they are duty-bound to discredit the evidence as much as they can... to the tune of the "Armenian AND? Anthem."

I would like to read those memoirs of the Armenian military commanders and observers. I wonder how close they would come to the other Armenian memoirs in "Men Are Like That."


ADDENDUM (06-06)

With the addition in TAT of pages from Jemal Pasha's memoirs, I had new occasion to read Lt.-Col. Twerdokhleboff's account (including an additional report from April 16th, shedding new information). In the interim since this page was prepared, I have also come to learn even more the extent of Dadrian's deceptive ways.

Lt.-Col. Twerdokhleboff was not a Turk. He was a Russian through and through. Pay close attention to the wording of his claims, and one can arrive at no other conclusion.

The only source presented claiming that the Russian officer, with the thoroughly Russian name, was an "Azerbaijani Tatar" was the Armenian Sebouh. How did he know? He certainly didn't ask Lt.-Col. Twerdokhleboff, and he was no friend of Lt.-Col. Twerdokhleboff; Sebouh was totally without insight into the Russian's personal background. Sebouh was only speculating, because he didn't like what he says was the friendliness that Lt.-Col. Twerdokhleboff displayed toward an Azeri (Seyidof), who “had come to Erzurum to spy on and foment anti-Armenian disturbances...” (And why would Sevidof have wanted to do that, at this stage in 1918, before the Armenians went to war against the Azeris?)

What happened is that this Armenian, along with the second one cited above, didn't like Lt.-Col. Twerdokhleboff. The reason is, Lt.-Col. Twerdokhleboff developed a bitter taste against Armenians, having witnessed the abominable ways in which they behaved.... not only with their murderous inhumanity, but in many other respects, including their cowardly penchant as soldiers, and their tendency to deceive and lie. So what did these Armenians do? In typical Armenian style, they made all kinds of attacks upon Lt.-Col. Twerdokhleboff, such as the opening of fire against Armenian soldiers (disgusted with their treachery, in his report, Lt.-Col. Twerdokhleboff actually did write that he considered the idea at one point: "I thought for a moment of running to Fort Medjedie to send a farewell of shrapnel into the brave Armenians who clad in bullet-proof tunics were fleeing unhindered along the Kars road. But it occurred to me that there might be one or two innocent men among them so I abandoned the idea"); such an idea went against what strongly appears to have been the humanist character of the Russian officer. Note as well the claim of the unnamed "Aide de Camp of famous folk hero Antranig," that Lt.-Col. Twerdokhleboff and other Russian officers were won over by bribes and the charms of Turkish women. Were the Turks so wealthy as to bribe them? (The ones with the means must have left long ago.) Were modest Turkish women so open to make themselves sexually available? What planet were these jokers living on?

Note how the "renowned scholar," Vahakn Dadrian, boldly makes the statement that the Russian was of "Azerbaijani Tatar origin with strong affinities for the Turks." Dadrian has absolutely no proof except for one single Armenian's "opinion," but that's not going to prevent the unscrupulous propagandist from making a claim as though it were a genuine fact. All in a day's work for Dadrian to exercise his weasel ways, to detract and confuse.

Dadrian was half correct, however: Lt.-Col. Twerdokhleboff's sympathies did run with the Turks. Such an attitude developed over time. That would be the normal course for any good human being, after witnessing time and again the deviltries displayed by the Turks' oppressors.

ADDENDUM (09-07)

Turkish historian Necdet Sevinç had a different take on Twerdokhleboff, which offers significant food for thought; the following is from Footnote 40 of Chapter 13, Armenian Allegations and the Truth – With Archival Documents:

It is impossible to believe the Lieutenant Colonel’s farcical claims that the Armenians committed a genocide behind the Russian soldiers’ back. It is unbelievable that 3,000 people can be killed in an instant accidentally. It is out of context that the Russian soldiers did not notice the torture which must have taken painfully long hours. The Russian soldiers who joined the killing with the Armenians posed an angelic front in order to cleanse their army off the criminal list. For this reason the Turks do not owe any thanks to some Russian soldiers for leaving these documents.

Turkish Commander Refers to the Russian Lieutenant


The following excerpt is from Enver Konukçu's "Massacres of the Turks and Mass Graves" chapter of the book, THE ARMENIANS in the Late Ottoman Period.

Kazim Karabekir documented these massacres in Erzincan, Erzurum and Kars. He had photographs taken and reports drawn up. He informed the Third Army, and this documentation was sent to Istanbul. About the findings in these three cities, Karabekir wrote:

"Erzincan: I had reports drawn up about the Armenian atrocities, and photographs taken. I also recorded the account by a Russian officer, whom we took prisoner, of what he had witnessed on this subject.... Erzurum: On 15 March 1918, I talked to Russian officers whom we had taken prisoner and to Lieutenant Colonel Tverdo-Khlebov. He told me that the Armenians numbered 6000, and that they had perpetrated many atrocities. He promised to sign his statement describing these. He wrote two reports in Russian, which were translated into Turkish and French. These include a history and memoirs, our operation and the actions of the Armenians.... Kars: On 4 May 1918. The commander of the Third Army asked that the photographs of the massacres and murders committed by the Armenians be sent. Today, I sent a total of 55 photographic plates, 44 of which had not been developed, together with a letter, reference number 1398 and dated 11 May 1334 (1918), with Assistant Chief Physician Fahri Bey of my army corps to Commander Vehib Pasha in Batum. I have no plates left."

Subsequently, a report was drawn up on the massacres and atrocities carried out by the Armenians in Erzurum and other eastern cities, printed at the army corps press, and given to General James G. Harbord on 24 September 1919.

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(General Harbord was the commander of a commission, sent to Anatolia by the U.S. President Woodrow Wilson to determine the local feelings about the post-war settlement. He is also the author of the Harbord Commission Report (16 October 1919). Stanford J. Shaw and Ezel Kural Shaw, History of the Ottoman Empire and Modern Turkey, Vol. II, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1978, pp. 331. 346-347.)

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This report is an official document recording the massacres carried out in Erzincan, Gumru and Igdir. Witnesses of the Armenian atrocities, among them Kazimir, Mrs. Passy, Tverdo-Khlebov and Ivan Pilyat, presented accounts of what they had seen to the Turkish authorities. The statements were given by the free will of those concerned, motivated by humane values. Captain Ahmed Refik and a number of foreigners and Turkish journalists travelled to Trabzon, Gumushane, Erzincan, Tercan, Askale, Ilica, Erzurum, Hasankale, Horasan, Sarikarmis, Yeni Selim, Kars, and Ardahan in May 1918 as observers. The atrocities carried out in Erzincan and Erzurum by the Armenians were made public. The observations of Abdullah Efendi and pictures taken by photographer Necati Bey, who were sent especially from Istanbul, form the most reliable documents of all. Unfortunately, only a typescript of this document exists, although I have a copy in my private library. Western sources refrain from mentioning the Armenian massacres in Erzincan, Erzurum and Kars. Those who reported the events of 1914-1916 on a daily basis to the press organs in London, Paris, Rome, Berlin, New York and Chicago were now silent. The American missionaries, charity organizations, consuls, military attaches, doctors, nurses, and others who were there, wrote not a line about the systematic destruction of the Turks in this region. Documents in the Armenian archives in Erivan and in Tbilisi await researchers, if permission is given. The imagined genocide which Armenian researchers allege so frequently has fallen into the confusion of technology. In books written on the subject, the terminology is seen to change over time from atrocity and massacre to genocide and, at the present time, even to Holocaust.

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© Holdwater
tallarmeniantale.com/russian-diary.htm

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