President's Letter to Congress
regarding Armenian Genocide Allegations

February 5, 2007

Dear Congressman-woman/Senator:

I am the President of the Assembly of Turkish American Associations (ATAA).  The ATAA is the voice of over 60 local Turkish American organizations nationwide, whose combined membership is quickly reaching half a million.  We are proud to contribute to America’s democracy with our votes, to its economy with our hard work, and to its diversity with our rich Turkish and Muslim heritage.

Presently circulating for co-sponsor signatures is a resolution concerning the Armenian allegation of genocide (hereinafter, “H Res 106”).  The Resolution wrongly defines as genocide, the Armenian deaths suffered during the Armenian Independence Movement and Revolt (1885-1919) and the Ottoman Empire’s responsive measures, which included the relocation of Armenian civilians from the eastern Anatolian war zones. Extensive demographic studies in the Ottoman Archives, which, unlike the Armenian Archives, are completely open to all scholars, conclusively demonstrate that over one million Muslims and 600,000 Armenians perished in eastern Anatolia during the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and WWI.  They perished from disease, starvation, exposure, and open warfare between both before and after Armenian rebels spearheaded the Russian invasion of Anatolia in 1915.  The 1915 security-based relocation followed the massacre of over 60,000 Muslims, mostly Kurds, by Armenian rebels in Van. The Armenian representative to the Paris Peace Conference, Boghos Nubar, reported that of the 400,000 Armenians who were relocated, 299,000 survived.  Indeed, in S. Con. Res. 12 of June 1916, S. 180 of August 1919, and S. Res. 359 of May 1920, the United States acknowledged the conditions of war as the main cause of Armenian deaths and established relief efforts to supplement Ottoman efforts to help the Armenians.  Sadly, the legislation completely ignored the Muslim victims, excluding them from any humanitarian assistance.

The 1919 British-led Malta Tribunals against high-level Ottoman officials for “outrages against Armenians” were aborted due to lack of any incriminating evidence of systematic killings.  Of particular note, the British government requested the U.S. State Department to provide incriminating evidence against the accused, but the reply was that such evidence was scarce.  In the 1919 Istanbul Tribunals, over 1600 lower ranking Ottoman soldiers were convicted and over 60 hanged for violations against Armenians.  In 1986, a UN Commission decided to “receive” a report (The Whitaker Report) that attempted in a footnote to define such violations as genocide.  In 2001, the Armenian American lobby lied to Congress that the UN had accepted the Whitaker Report and defined the case as genocide.  In response, UN Spokesperson Farhan Haq, publicly declared that Armenian American lobby’s assertion was false.

Under the 1948 UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, whether the Armenian case constitutes genocide is a legal question in which scholars who are experts in the Ottoman Empire ought to serve as expert witnesses.  Most experts on the Ottoman Empire reject the Armenian allegation of genocide.  A few examples are Bernard Lewis, Guenther Lewy, Stanford Shaw, Norman Stone, Andrew Mango, Justin McCarthy, Heath Lowry, and Edward Erickson.  The newly released documentaries of Marty Callaghan, “The Armenian Revolt” and “Blood and Oil” underscore the geostrategic energy politics behind the Allies policy to fuel Armenian nationalism, incite Armenians to revolt against the Ottoman Empire, and kill Muslims in eastern Turkey.

The currently circulating Resolution is the fifth attempt by the multi-million dollar Armenian American lobby to dupe Congress into passing judgment on the Ottoman Empire and the Turkish people.  Prior attempts failed: H. J. Res. 148 of April 1975; H. J. Res. 247 of September 1984; H. R. 3450 of June 1996; and, H. R. 3988 of October 2000.

Such Armenian resolutions constitute bad policy for several reasons:

These resolutions prejudice and damage the objective and truthful study and understanding of the Ottoman Armenian tragedy by accepting only the Armenian side of the story.  Historians, not politicians, are the experts.

Legislating a legal opinion in the form of apolitical resolution is a usurpation of judicial and executive powers.  Under the 1948 UN Convention, this judicial power is reserved for the International Court of Justice and the competent domestic courts of party States.  Under the foreign policy-making power of the United States, whether to proceed with a charge of genocide is an Executive decision.

These resolutions contravene U.S. foreign policy that explicitly supports bilateral efforts between Turkey and Armenia to research their mutual history and reach reconciliation.  This includes support for Turkey’s recent proposal to Armenia to form a joint commission to study the facts based on the archives of many nations.

These resolutions reward Armenian nationalist terrorism.  January 27, 2007 marks the 34th anniversary of the start of one of modern history’s most violent terrorism.  Armenian terrorists have killed more than 70 and seriously injured more than 550 innocent civilians.  The ATAA notes further that the first House joint resolution of 1975 occurred at about the same time that Armenian nationalist terrorism started, while the second such resolution of 1984 occurred at about the same time Kurdish nationalist PKK terrorism commenced.  PKK terrorism has claimed more than 30,000 lives since 1984.

Because of the aforementioned four points, these resolutions alienate Turkey and people of Turkish heritage in that they are blatantly anti-Muslim as much as they are anti-Turkish. They constitute yet another case of prejudice, hatred and discrimination against Muslims, at a time when America struggles to demonstrate its fairness to Muslims and gain friends in Eurasia, Central Asia and the Middle East, to each of which Turkey is a critical bridge.

U.S. relations with Turkey and the larger Muslim community are at stake in the Resolution.  This resolution belies bad policy and works against American principles of fairness and justice.  Worse, if passed, it will inhibit U.S. relations with Turkey and the larger Muslim community. 

If you have further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.  The ATAA has established an Armenian Research Committee (ARC), that is prepared to respond and which will carryout educational programs in coming weeks on the Turkish – Armenian conflict throughout the nation.

Sincerely,

Nurten Ural
President