3702) Book Review: The Anatomy of a Forgotten Assassination – The Hate Trap

Haluk Şahin,
29.04.2019

The first bullets of a bloody campaign of terror

Two Turkish diplomats were killed by an elderly Armenian-American on January 27th 1973 in Santa Barbara, California. What appeared to be a freak crime committed by a “maniac” later proved to be the opening shots of a campaign of terror against Turkish diplomats and officials that lasted two decades, taking the lives of dozens of Turkish diplomats along with more than 60 others in nearly 600 terrorist attacks around the world.

This book focuses on the first “forgotten assassination” and presents shocking new information derived from the recently declassified FBI documents, court transcripts and the findings of historians. How did the murderer, Gourgen Yanikian, set his trap? What did he really want to achieve? Why was the trial of Soghomon Tehlirian , the Armenian hit man who killed Talat Pasha in Berlin in 1921, so important for him? What were the human and historical ramifications of this double assassination? How is it linked to the murder of Hrant Dink, the Turkish-Armenian journalist, in 2007?

The author was a friend of one of the slain diplomats and journalist Dink. Yet, his book . . .

is an objective account of one of the most consequential political crimes of the 20th Century. It covers much new ground and reads like a detective story. Its powerful message against racial hatred and violence is perhaps more important today than ever.

A conference entitled “Unforgettable Lessons from A Forgotten Assassination” by Emeritus Professor Haluk Şahin was held last year within the framework of Ömer Engin Lütem Conferences at the Center for Eurasian Studies (AVİM).

Professor Şahin’s presentation was about his book “An Anatomy of a Forgotten Assassination” (Unutulmuş Bir Suikastın Anatomisi) which covers the investigation and documents on the assassination of Consul General Mehmet Baydar and Consul Bahadır Demir 45 years ago in Santa Barbara City in the United States. The English translation of the book is recently published by Kırmızı Kedi Publishing House with the title "The Anatomy of a Forgotten Assassination - The Hate Trap". The English translation of the book was made by Betsy Göksel.

As the author states, this book is on one of the most important political assassinations of the 20th century and now available both in Turkish and English.

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