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OPEN LETTER TO:
President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, DC 20500
Date:
April 23rd, 2011
Dear Mr. President,
As it has happened every year in the recent past, the Armenian Diaspora in this country will probably warm up and serve to the Congress again for approval as “Genocide” the events that took place in 1915 in the Eastern Provinces of the Ottoman Empire during the relocation of some of the Armenian people. The popular term that will be repeatedly used are “Genocide…” and “ to face their past…”.
Let’s do it.
1. Facing the past is a historical phenomenon. It requires all the documents shedding light on the events that took place in the past in such a manner that is encompassing, complete, accurate, balanced and unbiased. This is a work for historians and scholars and not for politicians of any country. The mission of a scholarly search should be to disclose whatever happened in the past without bias, honestly and relying on documents that are historically accurate – not fabricated.
2. The events that took place almost hundred years ago in a remote part of the world may not be interpreted at a gun point or with a campaign fund promises by local lobbying groups.
3. In order to properly benefit from these documents, one should make a determination to study without prejudice and enter the room called Crown Documents Room in Turkish Archives housing the 200,000 relevant files, 224 editions of the Enactments of the Cabinets of Ministers, 117 copies of Minister’s Orders and 46 copies of Parliamentary Orders, followed by instructions of the Ministers of Foreign Office, Interior and Finance, and review the documents called “ Books for the Non-Muslim Nations”, “ Municipal Correspondences”, “ Important Writings” and then and only after then, sit down to pass judgment on subject events. The fact is that there is absolutely not a single document in the Ottoman archives indicating the design and implementation of genocide.
4. The sufferings inflicted on the Turkish people should also be investigated and evaluated. The Eastern Anatolia is full of mess burial sites containing dead people not only gunned down or killed by a bayonet but murdered by most vicious methods.
5. It is often observed in the history that “false documentation” have been serviced to make a point and gain favorable support. In this area, the Armenians have left all the others in their dust. For example, an oil painting made by a Russian painter Vasili Vereschagin in 1871, (well before 1915) illustrating a small pyramid of large amount of skulls stored on each other forming a small mound, has been serviced as “ hills covering the Anatolia of the skulls of the Armenians killed by the barbaric Turks in 1915”. This false documentation has been printed in the covers of many books, magazines and newspapers. Another example is the seldom seen photograph of Ataturk sitting at a chair, with a fake corps of an Armenian child at his feet. Actually, the original photograph displayed four puppies playing around the feet of Ataturk. A picture of a dead child was implanted photographically in place of the puppies. Additionally, such movies as “Ararat” and “40 days on Musa Mountain” containing similar fabrications appeal to a memory much easier than having to study the history books. The list of forgeries may be extended.
6. There are proofs of the Armenian atrocities inflicted on the Turkish and other ethnic residents not only in the Ottoman documents but also in written documents of the third party scholars, and even in the autobiographies of the Armenian Military Commanders. There are such facts in these documents as Armenian military uprisings causing massive murdering of Muslims, collaborating with advancing Czarist Russia as enemy of the Ottomans. There have been Armenian Fighters involved in battles against the Turks within the 1914-1918 period where hundreds of thousands civilian Turks have been killed, deaths caused by epidemic diseases, arrival of most of the deportees to their destinations in reasonably good health and returning of most of the deportees back to their lands of origin after the Deportation Order has been removed. Have any of the Armenian militants involved in these murders been accused and tried in any court? Have the Armenian news media given enough space and coverage to those Armenians guilty of war crimes? Has our own free Armenian newspaper “Agos” in Istanbul given enough emphasis to the militant Armenians? No, no and no!..
7. An important British book called “ War Dictionary of the First World War” printed in 2003, says in pages 34 and 35, based on the British documents, that the Armenians have killed 120,000 non-Armenians in the Eastern Turkey, captured the City of Van and declared it as “freed land” from the Empire under the auspices of the Russian Army and killed further 50,000 more people in the interim while the Ottoman Army was in the preparation of getting deployed for the WW1. Has there been any Armenian commander guilty of civilian death ever been accused and taken to court by any nation? This is nothing but the justice of the victors only. This is what happened to the Turks after 1918.
8. Consequently, a crime and punishment may not be carried back 100 years into the history. The history is studied, events are established and evaluations are made. The accusation with one single event in the history, let alone only one side of multiple participants, is an indication of prejudice. Selecting a single event in the history among the other events surrounding this event, and putting forward this event without the influence of others affecting it, is a mistake the history will not tolerate. The growth periods of Spain, Holland, Britain, France, Russia, Germany, America and Japan are full of imaginary epic stories which should not be shown as historical evidence.
9. But, we know for sure that, the history of those nations who are judging Turkey today, are full of rejection of human rights, exploitation of other nations and brutal suppression of people in other countries. The representatives of those nations who in the past have committed unspeakable crimes toward humanity in the lands of Africa, Asia and America for hundreds of years may not now stand up and play the role of a judge or prosecutor for Turkey after having killed millions of people themselves for expansionist and economical reasons. The histories of the continents like Asia, Africa, America and Australia are full of atrocities committed towards people like Chinese, African natives, Australian natives, gypsies, Central and South American natives and to the Muslims of Middle East, Caucasia and Anatolia and repercussions of these events are still lingering today.. |
Mr. President,
The Armenian claims for genocide has been brought up to the endorsement by the Presidents of the U.S. every year in the recent memory and every time, one wonders whether the President will or will not use the g-word. The President, considering the possible inputs made to him by the bureaucrats knowing Turkey well or appreciating strategical value of Turkey as an ally, dances around the words and does not use the word “genocide”. The Armenian Representatives promise to try it again the following year.
The people of Turkey and the Turkish Americans in this country are tired of this political game.
The fact is that this endorsement should not be made, not just because Turkey is an ally who is important to the U.S., it should not be endorsed just because the allegation of genocide is not true.
I, as a Turkish American, would like our President to hear the historical facts from the scholars and historians –not from the politicians. I certainly hope you will design your address this around these facts, Mr. President.
Respectfully,
Sadi Dinlenç
- New York
Related:
- Open Letter To: President Barack OBAMA - On the "Armenian Resolutions",
"Discriminations" and the ongoing "Threats" to the Turkish-Americans...
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