2590) One Tragedy Of Many, Nouritza Matossian My Grandmother: A Memoir, Fethiye Cetin

Fethiye Çetin's granny: a modern Mother Courage

My Grandmother: a Memoir
Fethiye Çetin, translated and introduced by Maureen Freely, Verso, 144pp, £12.99

My Grandmother is an innocent little book, easy to overlook, except for the tiny headscarved woman whose eyes burn with accusation . on the cover: an oriental Mother Courage. Its hundred-odd pages are to be read at one sitting - and, once read, never to be forgotten. Brevity and shape add to its authority. But who is this author, whom most people have never heard of in Europe?

Fethiye Çetin has herself become a Mother Courage in the Turkish legal system. She is the lawyer prosecuting the murderers of Hrant Dink, the Armenian Turkish editor gunned down in broad daylight outside his office last year. She also defended Dink when he was alive against the preposterous Article 301, for "insulting Turkish identity". Dink published an ad for her lost relatives in his paper Agos that brought back an answer from the US, and so her perilous journey began.

In her memoir, Fethiye grows up a fully integrated Turkish Muslim schoolgirl, reciting nationalistic poems at the top of her voice and never doubting her origins. On Fethiye's father's early death, Grandmother Seher takes her widowed daughter and three grandchildren under her wing. The illiterate grandmother expertly manages the extended family and a feckless husband, and sensitises Fethiye deeply with her kindness, industry and sense of rightness.

As she nears death, it is to Fethiye that she confesses her lifelong secret. She belongs to a people who are supposed not to exist in Turkey. They have no voice, no name, no history. Close to two million have been uprooted, driven from their homes and lands, forced to march across wasteland, tortured, raped and killed. The sheer numbers of their corpses thrown in rivers changed the course of the waters, which ran red with blood. In one, Grandmother saw children's heads bobbing out of the water only to be pushed under to drown by their own mother, to prevent them from suffering an agonising death. She herself is plucked from her mother's arms by a Turkish soldier, adopted and later married off to a Turk, Fethiye's grandfather.

In 1915, the Ottoman government and the Young Turks enforced the state policy of total extermination. Yet, 90 years later, this mass murder could not be mentioned without attracting the risk of punishment by law, hence the delay in producing studies, memoirs and novels on the subject of the Armenian genocide. The Jewish Holocaust, two decades later, far outstripped it in commanding world attention with lawsuits, a huge literature bearing out Hitler's gibe: "Who today remembers the Armenians?"

As Maureen Freely, the gifted translator of this narrative, writes in her introduction, Atatürk applied his cauterised official history to hide historical crimes. A triumphalist nationalist myth poisoned generations of schoolchildren with a distorted history and ignorance of their own neighbours - the Armenians, whose lands and property had been stolen. They were callously taught that it was Armenians who had massacred Turks, therefore "Armenian" must be the arch-enemy, a dirty word. So, these people remained nameless, that is to say, the survivors were given Turkish names and the Muslim religion, and brutally assimilated as "leftovers from the sword".

This book answers a question I have often pondered: "What happened to the young women, children and babies who were left behind in a Muslim society that could not tolerate their religion?" I, too, had a great-aunt who was abducted on the death march and years later was seen with blue tattoos on her face in an Aleppo market. Çetin intercuts her own childhood and adult quest with her grandmother's words spoken on her deathbed. She has a keen eye for tragedy and humour. Her family's provincial life has robust simplicity, charm and a blood-curdling coolness. Courageously she tackles the greatest taboo in Turkey. There are no accusations, no generalisations, yet she registers her inner turmoil. Finally, at the Muslim funeral rites, she yells out her grandmother's real Armenian name, Gadaryan, to the astonished mourners.

Most harrowing is how the old woman's pent-up craving for her lost Armenian family, which she knows to be alive, a craving cruelly sabotaged by the Turkish family she selflessly nurtured, bursts out of her at the last. How amazed she would be to see her own picture on the cover of a bestselling book.

Jews, Kurds, Laz, Alevis - today's Turkey is filled with people of mixed race who rediscover themselves in Çetin's Mother Courage and hurry to her to confess behind closed doors. Dink once said to me, "Who do you think is buying all these hundreds of books? We have over two million hidden Armenians here." As the funeral placards paraded by more than 100,000 Turks read, "We are all Hrant Dink. We are all Armenian." Turkey's disenfranchised people are awakening the conscience of the country to face the truth.

Nouritza Matossian is the author of "Black Angel: a Life of Arshile Gorky" (Chatto & Windus) and director of the documentary "Heart of Two Nations: Hrant Dink"

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Comments From Readers

dario_007, 04 September 2008
Turkey is a terrorist country that massacring Kurdish people in the name of protecting terratorial integrity and fight against terrorism. US and EU (Nato) members turning blind eyes on this and give turkey more weapon to Kill more Kurds. they tried to do the same in Gergia,,but thanks god Russia stand up for Otessian and Abkhazian people and Crushed US backed Geogian aggressor army. US should stop only talking about human right and should stard acting by punishing Turkey, recognise the two new states.

P. Connnolly, 04 September 2008
Matossian's appeal to humanitarian sensibilities would have been much more effective if it had not shown such a disregard for the value of a Moslem Life.

1.“....hide historical crimes... They were callously taught that it was Armenians who had massacred Turks”. Matossian's implicit denial here of the crimes of the Armenian Revolutionaries in the years leading up to the 1915 Relocation Order is inexcuasable. It is clearly documented -in primary historical sources- that the Armenian Revolutionaries killed many innocent Turkish Civilians in the years leading up to 1915. Armenian Leaders themselves boasted of their activities after the war (yes, in writing) in an attempt to get the Western powers to support their territorial ambitions on Anatolian territory.

2.“...a Muslim society that could not tolerate their religion”. It is a clear misrepresentation of historical fact to argue that the Turkish system was intolerant of Christian Minorities. The fact of the matter is that Christians were a protected minority in the Ottoman Empire. The problems started when Armenian Revolutionaries -encouraged by Western Powers- armed themselves in an effort to secede from the Ottoman Empire. Many innocent Turkish Civilians lost their lives at the hands of these merciless Armenian Revolutionaries. Matossian's article does not mention this and indeed it implicitly denies this clear historical fact.

3.“...Ottoman government and the Young Turks enforced the state policy of total extermination. Yet, 90 years later, this mass murder could not be mentioned”. The charges of “mass murder” “total extermination” are entirely unsubstantiated by the historical evidence. On the contrary, the historical evidence shows that the Relocation Order -although poorly planned and executed- was accompanied by firm orders to protect the relocatees and punish anyone who harmed them or who was derelict in the duty to protect them. There was a general breakdown of law and order in the region at the time and the result was starvation and death on both sides.

...there are other serious problems with this article but the ones mentioned above are the worst. New Statesman Editors should be more careful in the future before publishing such material.

dRad, 04 September 2008
Lets see how many Armenian Genocide deniers and Turkish apologists this article will generate...Ataturks's legacy. What else can you expect?

P. Connnolly, 05 September 2008
The Armenian Propagandists have become masters of the subtle arts of slander. Their accusations are completely indefensible historically so they take to the tactic of slandering their opponents as "Genocide Deniers". As stated originally above, the Armenian Propagandists are in denial of the real historical evidence showing the DEATHS OF INNNOCENT MOSLEM TURKISH CIVILIANS AT THE HANDS OF MERCILESS ARMENIAN REVOLUTIONARIES.

I am recommending that the slanderous post be removed by New Statesman. Such individuals should be made to feel welcome to express their views on topic but if they are only here to slander the character of their ideological opponents, the post should be removed.

R. Miller, 05 September 2008
Stalin had Georgian genes, Hitler had Jewish genes. Does P. Connolly have an Armenian side we don't know about?

This was a very nice report of a story that needed to be told. A story of the abused finally overcoming the shame and fear.

P. Connnolly, 05 September 2008
Again I repeat that the position of these Armenian Propagandists is clearly untenable historically so they can only respond with slanderous ad-hominem attacks like the above comparison to Hitler and Stalin.

This is an abuse of the forum and it should be stopped. I cannot believe that New Statesman has set up this forum for name-calling.

Regarding the content of the story, no one is attempting to stop the author from overcoming shame and fear after abuse. But if she can't do it without spreading ethnic hatred, slander, and gross misrepresentation of historical fact she should be exposed in my opinion.

MontrealTurk, 05 September 2008
I see the Armenians are trying to replace history with stories. I am sorry but only novice people can be fooled. No wonder why respectable historians and sociologists argued against the Armenian allegations for 90 years.

The author is reciting one sided stories without mentioning the atrocities performed by the Armenians on Turks. This must be the way they thank the Turkish soldier who adopted Fethiye Cetin's grandmother and raised her as if she was his own child.

The Armenian sided comments do not introduce any facts to defend their alleagtions. When a reader presented facts, they became indignant and hurled more lies blaming Turks of all evil. Instead of facing their history, they start attacking the persona of those who show them the truth.

Why the NewStatesMan prefers to bow to one sided Armenian propaganda is their problem.

MontrealTurk, 05 September 2008
Please notice the number of deportees is raised up to 2 million in this story. To appear victimized they over inflate the population of Armenians deported.

No innocent person would lie like the Armenian propagandists are doing here. This proves they know they do not have a justifiable case.

There are world wide statistics, official government documents - not just Ottoman archive figures, but encyclopedias and even Armenian Church figures claiming all Armenians in the Ottoman Empire were below 1.3 million. Only those living in the war zone were deported from June 16-November 1915. According to Talat Pasha's memoirs, around 600,000 were deported. Mr. Jackson, American Counselor in Aleppo reported to Ambassador Morgenthau that 550,000 arrived (alive) to Aleppo.

Encyclopedia Britannica - 1911 edition gave the number of Armenians as 1.7 million. What can one think of Ms. Matossian when she claims more Armenians were deported than there existed.

This would not be the first Armenians foregery. They have inserted words he did not utter into Hitler's mouth in an effort to make their war sound similar to Jewish Holocaust. They pretended an oil painting done by Vassili Vereschagin in 1871 as a photo proof of the Armenian deaths of 1915. They replaced the puppies at Ataturk's feet with human skulls in an effort to stain the great Turkish leader's image.

The surprise here is why such lies are rewarded by the NewStatesMan.

Kiraz, 07 September 2008
I want to ask the author who told that ‘…Atatürk applied his cauterised OFFICIAL history to hide historical crimes. A triumphalist nationalist myth poisoned generations of schoolchildren with a distorted history and ignorance of their own neighbours-the Armenians, whose lands and property had been stolen…..’, the following question:

Then, why do the Armenians insistently refuse Turkey’s suggestions to discuss these events together with historians from both sides and historians from other countries and with historians whoever the Armenians want? If the Turks and Turkey relied on OFFICIAL history, could it insist on such a suggestion which it has been repeating several times?

And if Armenia and the Armenians were sincere on their accusations and do sincerely want to discuss what Turks have escaped from discussing and had hidden behind this allegedly OFFICIAL history, then why did the Armenian historians who participated in the Viennese Armenian-Turkish Platform (VAT) refuse to send the Armenian documents which they promised, STRIKINGLY, AFTER receiving 100 Turkish documents, in 2004?

And why did the Armenian foreign minister announce that they did not want to discuss the 1915 events with historians, in the following days? Still, all the Armenian officials, all diaspora Armenians vehemently object establishment of joint commissions to discuss these events.

Could there be a better opportunity for the Armenians, to present their thesis and hatred and show the Turks that they are all lying; and the Turkish history which they call OFFICIAL are full of lies?

Accusing a whole nation of not accepting their view on the one hand, and vehemently refusing to talk about their view depending on their evidences in joint commissions, on the other.

And threatening and attacking the historians who do not agree with their thesis on the another. Note that the house of Prof Stanford Shaw, an academician of UCLA, was firebombed by the Armenians in retaliation for his disputing the Armenian genocide claim (http://209.232.239.37/gtd1/ViewIncident.aspx?id=56624). The French historian Bernard Lewis was sued in 1993 just because he wrote in Le Monde that 'the 1915 events were not ‘genocide’. American judge Samuel Weems’s life was threatened by the Armenians since he published his book ‘A terrorist State: Armenia’. The family of Justin McCarthy, who is another historian who does not support the Armenian thesis had to get police protection. Prof. McCarthy himself was threatened with losing his job if he continued his research. http://turkishweekly.net/comments.php/id2418/top/comments.ph... http://www.tallarmeniantale.com/69histors-charny.htm, http://www.tallarmeniantale.com/intimidate.htm

Does the author remember any Turkish historian from Turkish History Foundation who gave a conference on Turkish thesis in Yerevan? Can you imagine an Armenian academician who advocates the Turkish thesis and passionately gives conferences in Europe and USA? And more strikingly can you imagine an Armenian academician who advocates the Turkish thesis in an institute financed by Armenians?

However, it is cynical that in Turkey, which is the target of attacks of the Armenians and also the author, the Armenian historian Ara Sarafyan who is the head of Gomidas Institute in London, gave a conference on the thesis of Armenian genocide in Istanbul and discussed them with the Turkish citizens? http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=10283.... Especially two Turkish origined academicians work hard to advocate the Armenian claims in the USA, one being Taner Akçam and the other Fatma Muge Gocek. Note that Fatma Müge Gocek advocates the Armenian thesis while being a board member of the Institute of Turkish Studies financed by Turkish government in Georgetown University, Columbia (http://www.turkishstudies.org/about.html)

http://www.armeniangenocide.com/showthread.php?t=2471. And there are many journalists who advocate the Armenians in Turkey who are well known by the diaspora Armenians. As an example see: http://www.taraf.com.tr/yazar.asp?id=12# For the English version: http://blogian.hayastan.com/2008/09/05/turkish-columnist-on-...

So, the author’s claim about that discussions except the official historical view of the government are definitely forbidden in Turkey is baseless and tragicomic.

Or, while criticizing OFFICIAL HISTORY and inscholar and antidemocratic approach of governments, did the author confuse those of the Armenians and Armenia with those of the Turks and Turkey, after becoming blind under the influence of her anti Turkish hatred?

zicli, 07 September 2008
I present the following excepts just to tell you about the other side of the picture which are presented by our grandmothers and grandfathers which are denied by the Armenians:

Massacres inflicted upon Turks/Muslims by the Armenians during the WWI.

-In Van, Çarikser Village, a child was bayoneted and was cooked on fire as if he were a lamb by the Armenians.

-In Van, Ahtucu Village, the six-month old baby of a woman Zeliha, was thrown into the oven (tand?r) by the Armenians while she was baking bread. Then the woman was ordered to eat her baby! When she rejected, her right leg was forced into the oven and burned [Telegram of Van Gendarme Troop Commander Ali Vas?f (11 May 1916)].

- In Trabzon, the massacred Muslim folk were filled into wells by the Armenians and the bodies of people whose arms and legs had been plucked were thrown into the gardens. The mosques were defacated and even the fruit trees were violated (Telegram of Captain Ahmet Refik, 1 May, 1918).

- In Mus,, the women were forced to stand naked and in position of performing the ‘namaz’ (ritual worship of Muslims) by the Armenians. The Armenians mocked and told that they would conduct the Muslims to perform the namaz in this position while violating the women (Ermeni Komitelerinin Amal ve Harekat-? I.htilaliyesi 319-21).

-In the Eastern Anatolia, it had become usual to see dead Muslims of all ages whose bodies had been destroyed by the Armenians, with heaps of cut up legs, arms, heads, noses around. The bodies of women displayed overt signs of violation by force. Russian Lieutenant Colonel Griyaznof reported that gun rockets were installed into the vaginas of women bodies.

-The Turks who had been slaughtered like animals by the Armenians were buried in large holes in the Eastern Anatolia (Lieutenant Colonel Twerdo-Khlebof. I wittnessed and I Lived Through Erzurum, 1917-1918. www.tsk.mil.tr/ermeni_sorunu/arsiv_belgeleriyle_ermeni_faaliyetleri/pdf/yarbay_tverdohlebov.pdf). (Ahmet Refik Alt?nay. I.ki Komite ve I.ki K?tal. I.stanbul, 1919;p.71-72).

Alive children were also filled in these holes (Ermeni Komitelerinin Amal ve harekat-? I.htilaliyesi, p 321-23).

-The Turkish History Association is continuing to open up these amss graves to bring out the bodies, as verified in eye witness accounts.

-They blinded 15 000 Turkish soldiers and burned their skin by forcing them into so-called ‘disinfection pools’ with excessive crizole, in 1918, in the prisoner camp of Alexandropol, Egypt, in cooperation with the English soldiers (Alt?nay Ahmet, Bir Türk Subay?n?n I.ngiliz Esir Kamp?nda Üç Y?l?, 2004)’

-They murdered 40% of the Muslim population in Van, Bitlis, Erzurum (Özdemir Hikmet. Salg?n Hastal?klardan Ölümler 1914-18. 2005)…..

Were the tragedies the Turks/Ottoman Muslims suffered, less than those of the Armenians?

And the Armenians were the very responsibles of all the above events, which are only a few of all.

And, each one of the above events is a subject of a novel, a cinema or a documentary film. But, why are they not the Turks but the Armenians who prefer to mourn for the events of 90 years ago continually, through novels, films, memories etc and spend extreme effort to keep these memories alive, as if they are rehappenning every new day’s morning?

So, it is not surprising that they fiercefully reject suggestions of Turkey to discuss these events in Joint Commissions made up of Armenian, Turkish historians and historians from other countries. Because they fear even of having a look at these events from other perspectives and therefore losing the freedom of their imagination to consider them. They seem to have liked the label of ‘a victim’ and do not want to lose it; or do not want to realize that the Turks were also victims; victim of the Armenians..

And, is it just a coincidence that while Armenian population is continually decreasing due to external migration of the workless countrymen, the diaspora Armenians are living in high standarts in Europe and USA and wealthy? And is it not interesting that instead of providing financial help for their countrymen, they spend huge amounts of money to keep Turkish hatred alive and aggravate enmity against Turkey and every kind of thing that has even any little relationship with a Turk.

Is it not amusing that it is this enemy Turkey and the Turks who provided work for more than 60 000 illegal workers of Armenia who entered Turkey up till now, unlike the wealthy diaspora Armenians who are in deep love with their country and countrymen?

Therefore, it is inevitable for me, to remember Churchill’s saying: ‘If a dispute arises between ‘today’ and ‘yesterday’, we lose ‘tomorrow’. The Armenians and the Armenian diaspora, including the author of the book unfortunately are not aware that they are losing their ‘tomorrow’.

In a novel of a Turkish novelist Selim I.leri, a character says: ‘I killed you, while I was trying to present you my endless love’. The Armenians and Armenia are slowly killing themselves, while they are trying to express their endless love towards themselves and their grandparents….

Z.Akarsu, 08 September 2008
It is tragic that the author degrades the Turkish citizens, we, who held a big funeral for Hrant Dink and held the placards on which it was ‘We are all Armenians’ were written, claiming that we were all Armenians previously but then became Muslim!

As a person who held these placards with my close friends. Neither I nor my close friends nor friends of my friends were Armenians previously. Among us, many were immigrants from Maccadonia, Croata, Bulgaria, Caucasia and even there were Curds, many being a member of civil associations. I was one whose family had been living in the Central Anatolia since 1400’s, as Turkmens; and whose grandparents perished in World War I.

But we did not hesitate to hold these placards and condemn terrorism. Because the common point which made us angry and shed tears was not our ethnic identities. It was only OUR HEARTS which beat without being dependent on nationality, race, sect, hatred and religion.

It was just our HUMAN feelings. I can not imagine any human being who can remain indifferent to relentless assaults to human life.

If you could not take this message, you should question your heart dear author. Ask your heart when she lost to receive such human messages. While rewriting Armenian history, depending on hatred to Turks?

I have to remark: Although I knew that the Armenians killed 70 people, 39 being innocent Turkish diplomats, and held hundreds of terrorist activities by their terrorist organizations ASALA, JCAG (Justice Commandos for Armenian Genocide) and ARA (Armenian Revolutionary Army) between 1975-1986,

and later started to support PKK,

and these murders were supported by the Armenian folk (When Armenian Yan?kyan, who murdered the Turkish diplomats Mehmet Baydar ile Bahad?r Demir in Santa Barbara, California and surrendered the police, the Armenians gathered around the district and SALUTED the murderer),

and these murders were supported by Armenian government individually (The Armenian criminal of Orly Airport massacre, Karapetyan, a member of ASALA, returned to Armenia from a French prison in 2001, he was welcomed by the ex Armenian prime minister A.Margaryan, the Armenian folk and journalists who applaused him and demonstrated great affection as if he was a hero. A. Margaryan told that he appreciated this hero’s service for his country. Armenian Erivan municipality provided work and house for him (for a MURDERER),

I did not hesitate to take part in the parade for Hrant.

Because, I knew that I am, as one of inheritants of the soil I am living on, I owe much to Armenians too, whose hearts did not lose her sensors for human feelings like Dr Maltizyan and did not participate Dashnaks who are surviving in character of your Armenian diaspora at present.

Z.Akarsu, 08 September 2008
Here is the dramatic end of Armenian doctor Dr Malt?zyan:

In Van, all Muslim men and youngsters were on their military service and the Muslims who stayed in the city were only women, children and very old people.

In February and March 1915, Armenians rebelled in several parts of Van. The hospitals were full of wounded soldiers. In January 1915, 120 chidren aged 11-13 had had to take weapons and munitions to Iran, in order to support the Turkish army fighting in Iran and became deficient in weapons and munitions, since there were not any available people left. Under hard winter conditions, 41 children were lost, 39 were frozen and only 40 were rescued the majority requiring urgent intervention and treatment.

Dr Maltizyan, an Orthodox Armenian doctor who was known to serve everybody without any discrimination and a Turkish doctor Dr Refik Bey treated and looked after these children day and night, in a big house which was transformed to an hospital and saved 22 children out of 40 (February-March 1915).

On April 10, 1915, at midnight Dr Malt?zyan was called to hospital by an unknown person, for an urgent case. However, his body was found hung with a rope on a tree in the morning. On his body there was a note ‘ This is the end of people who serve our enemies’.

Dashnaks assasinated wealthy Armenians who rejected to give money to them, like I. Jamharian (who rejected to give them 30 000 ruble) and Baliozian from I.zmir, Gerektzian from Erzurum, A. Vartabed , priest of Van’s Ahdamar Church and his co-priest Mihran. And prominent Armenians like D. Davit, G.Manoug, B.Capamajian, B.Atamian, S.Keyfjian, M.Aghazarian and H.Arakelian who objected the terrorist activities of Dashnaks were eradicated by the Dashnaks…..

Armenian Papazian, the writer of the book ‘Patrionism Perverted’ which is banned in Armenia now, says that conscience of all upright Armenians was deeply disturbed by Dashnak’s relentless murders.

Mustafa Ka, 09 September 2008
Your article introduces a book which was written completely in parallel with the Armenian ‘genocide’ thesis which depends on forgeries, falsified documents and lies. Here are a few of these forgeries and lies:

1)The number of Armenians who were relocated:

The number of the Armenians who were relocated was reported as 600-700 thousand by Bog(os Nubar Pasha who attended to the talks of Sevres Treaty as a chief of Armenians; however the number of relocated Armenians is given as 1.5 million by some Armenian sources and 2 and even 2.5 million by some others. However, the total number of Ottoman Armenians including those who live in the West Anatolia (therefore who were not relocated) was reported as 1.5 million in Encyclopedia Britannica’s 1910 edition which was edited by an English editor. It is another striking point that the total number of Ottoman Armenians was increased to 2.5 million in 1953 edition of the same encyclopedia which was edited by an Armenian editor.

2) Forged documents they present to prove that the Ottoman government and the Young Turks enforced the state policy of total extermination:

a) Aram Andonian’s book (The telegrams which were claimed to have been sent by Talat Pasha to order the massacre of the Armenians which were pressed in the book of Aram Andonian in 1920, in three languages): It was proven by both the Turkish and foreign historians that these telegrams were fake too.

After these telegrams were published in Daily Telegraph in England, in 1922, the English Foreign Ministry made a scrutiny and denounced that they were prepared by an Armenian association.

b) Diary of American Ambassador Morgenthau published in 1918. Professor Heath Lowry, an American historian from Princeton University displayed that the events depicted in the book depended on lies or half true events, by comparing the information Ambassador Morgenthau sent to American Foreign Ministry, with those written in the diary, in his book entitled ‘The Story Behind Ambassador Morgenthau’s Story’, in 1990.

What’s more, after the Ottoman State was defeated in the 1st World War in 1918, the French and English invaders arrested 144 high level Ottoman veteran or civil officials including the ex-prime ministers, ex-deputies, governors and many newspapermen, and banished them to Malta Island, claiming that they were responsibles for the death of Armenians. The English seized all the Ottoman Archives and also all other archives in other cities, like those in Urfa Governer House. No evidence could be found neither in the Ottoman and English Archives. The Americans, whom the English applied, failed to find any proof in American Archives and reports of American Orthodox church or missioners either. Nor could Damat Ferit Pasha, then the Ottoman Prime Minister who was in absolute collaboration with the English could find any evidence. And, they had to make all these 144 Ottomans free in 1921, since they could not find any proof to be able to verdict them. Can you imagine a genocide planned by a government but no kind of proof can be found, even when the members of this government have been taken prisoners and when all her archieves are under control of the invaders and under the directory of an Armenian official? If The Blue Book, the telegrams of Aram Andonian and the diary of Ambassador Morgenthau (which had already been published at that time) were reliable proofs, why did the English and French invaders and the Americans not accept them to give verdicts of those 144 Ottoman officials?

Additionally, during the trial in Berlin of the Armenian assassin Soghomon Tehlirian, who had murdered Talat Pasha in Berlin on March 15th, 1921, none of the Andonian documents was allowed to be entered into the court proceedings as evidence (Dashnakists’ book Justicier du Genocide, 1981, p.213)........

Mustafa Ka, 09 September 2008
....

3) A QUOTE ATTRIBUTED TO ADOLF HITLER in which he purportedly responded to a query about his planned annihilation of European Jewry, by quipping: ‘Who, after all, speaks today of the extermination of the Armenians?’, on August 22, 1939, a few days prior to his invasion of Poland (Obersalzberg speeches).

Contrary to Richard Hovannisian and other Armenians, the Nuremberg transcripts through their preservation of U.S.-29 (798-PS), U.S.-30 (1014-PS), and the notes of Admiral Boehm (which are corroborated by the relevant passages from the diary of General Halder), in no way authenticate the infamous Hitler quote.

On the contrary, by establishing the actual texts of Hitler’s Obersalzberg speeches they demonstrate that the statement is conspicuously absent from Hitler’s remarks.

The assertion that Hitler made a reference to the Armenians in any context whatsoever is without foundation. (Heath W Lowry, The U.S. Congress and Adolf Hitler on the Armenians, Political Communication and Persuasion. Vol 3, No 2, 1985 Crane, Russak & Company Inc. http://www.tetedeturc.com/home/spip.php?article565

According to the Armenians the speech had been introduced as evidence to the Nuremberg Tribunal (L3 document, USA-28 document (www/cwporter/com/gl3.htm.) which was defined as ‘forgery’ (David Irving, ‘Nuremberg: The Last Battle’, 1996, p.100).

A certificate dated, 25 June 1948 signed by Paul A Joosten, General Secretary of the International Military Tribunal states that L3, USA-28 Photostat document submitted as evidence has been withdrawn, in accordance with Rule 10 of the Tribunal but held in the National Archives.

Mr Carlos Porter, who found these documents made the following important warning:

‘’Note: This translation attempts to retain the style and punctuation of the original, which is not correct in German: full space before colons and commas, no full space before following word. The document contains not one single sharp S (§ ) a standard letter in the German alphabet. C.Porter.

Mustafa Ka, 09 September 2008
....................

4) The most dramatic lie is about the outcome of the Armenians who were relocated. Because the majority of these Armenians returned to their homes!

Because, on December 18, 1918, a law which let the Armenians return to their homes and claim their properties was issued by the Ottoman State. Here are non-Ottoman evidences:

*In a report prepared by the Armenian Patriarchate in 1921, the Armenians who lived on the Ottoman territory in Anatolia, Middle East and those who returned to their previous locations were shown as 644 900. It was added that the Armenians who became Muslim, who were hidden and who did not encourage to return their homes were not included but they were assumed to be 20 000 (US ARCHIVES NARA, Mikrofilm No.T1192, Roll8; Department of State Papers, 860J.5811).

*In an article published in Der Neue Orient Magazine, it was reported that the number of Armenians in Ottoman Armenia was thought to be 470 000 (including those who lived in I.zmir and I.stanbul but excluding the Armenians who escaped to Caucasia). Additionally more than 30 000 Armenians lived in Adana and 40 000 in Aleppo (Der Neue Orient May 1919, p.178)

*The Armenian population in Cilicia (Çukurova) was reported as 218 000 in a document dated July 1920 (US ARCHIVES NARA, Mikrofilm No: T 1192R 2;860J.01/395. Appendix. From Acting High Commissioner Dulles to the Foreign Minister).

* In a memorandum presented by Bogos Nubar Pasha, chief of the Armenian delegation in Paris Conference which started in December 1918, it was announced that 150 000 Armenians were given financial support and taken to Cilicia from Syria, by the French government (US ARCHIVES NARA T1192. Roll 4.860J.01/431).

*In a report presented to American Congress by Near East Relief (NER) dated December 31, 1921, it was reported that nearly 300 000 Armenians returned to Cilicia and they were protected by France and England. …However the poor Armenians had to escape after the French abandoned the region (US ARCHIVES NARA T1192. Roll 4.860J.01/431 and US ARCHIVES NARA M353 Roll 55. Report of the NER to the Congress for the year ending).

* In a report presented by Aneurin Williams, chief of English-Armenian Committee, to Lord Curzon it was reported that many immigrants who were forced to migrate in 1915 returned to Cilicia from Syria, Palastine and Egypt after the Mondros Armistice (UK ARCHIVES, FO 608/278).

* In a report presented by the English Black Sea Forces Intelligence Department to the War Cabinet, it was reported that the Armenian population in Anatolia including I.stanbul and Edirne was 773 430 in 1914 and it was 658 900 in 1919, excluding that of Erzurum (UK ARCHIVES, WO 158/933, No:5796,1,s.3). ........

Mustafa Ka, 09 September 2008
And here are evidences about the Armenians who returned to their houses:

These Armenians cooperated with the French and English armies and fought in these armies individually wearing their uniforms. Here are archive evidences:

*Boghos Nubar Pasha: ‘In 1919 and 1920, when the Kemalists attacked to the French soldiers, the Armenians made war for France in Maras,, Haçin, Pozant? and Sis. The French succeeded to take back Antep, by the help of the Armenians. Therefore, the Armenians are an ally of France’ (USARCHIVES NARA T1192. Roll 4.860J.01/431).

*A decision made by The American Committee for the Independence of Armenia which was presented to the Lausanne Conference on January 16, 1923: ‘As the minister Bellet declared, the Armenian legionelles (lejyonerler) joined to France after being promised that autonomy would be introduced to Cilicia and therefore they occupied Cilicia in 1918 (carrying the flag of France) . (US ARCHIVES NARA T1192. Roll 4. 860J.01/562).

*Boghos Nubar Pasha: ‘Since 1918, 40 000 Armenians lost their lives’ while fighting together with the French (US ARCHIVES NARA, 8605.01/438).

*A list of the Armenians who fought in the French Army and died had been displayed under the title of ‘The Armenians who died for France’. In the list, the cities where these soldiers were born were also stated and nearly all of them were Ottoman Armenians (http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Palais/2230/ww2.html)

*’The Armenians informed the Allies that they would establish an army of 150 000 soldiers and attempt to establish an independent Armenia in the east (From Berlin November 6, 1917; vorzulegen z.G.K.:W.L.R.Nadolny. German Archives of the Foreign Ministry, Bd.48,R.14097, No.7169).

*’ Armenians massacred many Turks, in the district of Erzincan and surroundings where the Russian retreated’ (The telegram sent by Kühlmann, German ambassador of I.stanbul to German Foreign Ministry. German Archives of the Foreign Ministry, Bd. 47, R.14096, No.7165, No.591).

*The report of Pallavici, I.stanbul ambassador of Austria-Hungary, sent to Ottokor Grafen Czernin on February 9, 1918: ‘’The Armenian guerrillas (bands) who fought nearby the Russian armies in Caucausia, misbehaved the Turkish people and Turks in Platana (district between Erzincan and Trabzon) were mass killed’ (German Archives of the Foreign Ministry, No: 13/P.B, Konstantinopel. Wien).

*A news from Norddeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung, dated February 14, 1918: ‘The Armenian bands (guerrillas) have been misbehaving Ottoman people barbarously and brutally in districts where the Russian retreated in Caucasia (German Archives of the Foreign Ministry, Der Weltkrieg R. 20145, Bd.279; Norddeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung, 14-02-1918).

*A news from Germania Gazette, dated February 23, 1920: ‘English Commission Responsible For Armenia requested help of other states (allies) to arm the Armenians, especially the Cilicians and to protect them.

*English Marshal Allenby stated that when they beat the Turks in S,am, there were 8000 Armenian soldiers who were fighting together with them (The New Near East Vol 6, No:7: Genel No: 31, January 1920, p.28)

Now I want to ask the Armenian diaspora and the writer of this book:

‘If all the scholars of the world, including the international scholars of genocide, support your thesis of genocide, then WHY HAVE YOU SPENT THIS EFFORT TO FALSIFY ALL THESE DOCUMENTS? WHY HAVE YOU NEEDED LIES? WHY ARE YOU AFRAID OF DOCUMENTS SO MUCH?

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The NewStatesman, September 2008

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