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THE TELEGRAM
ATTRIBUTED TO TALAT PASHA
One of the most significant Armenian allegations regarding
the immigration implementations is the telegrams, which —also
allegedly- contained Talaat Pasha’s orders for killing the
Armenians. However, Talaat Pasha himself has expressed in
number of occasions that the measures taken with regard to
Armenians have no object of massacring them in any way. In
fact; in a cryptic telegraph —communiqué wired on August 29,
1915 to the Governors of Hüdaverdigar, Ankara, Konya, Izmit,
Adana, Maras, Urfa, Halep, Zor, Sivas, Kütahya, Karesi, Nigde,
Mamuretülaziz, Diyarbekir, Karahisar-i Sahib, Erzurum and
Kayseri Provinces and sub-Provinces; the purpose of the immigration
was explained as the follows (1).
“The purpose of the Government regarding the moving of Armenians
from their original settlements is to prevent their anti-governmental
actions; and to discourage their ambitions of establishing
an Armenian State. Their massacre is completely out of question;
on the contrary the safety of the groups during immigration
should be ensured; and while measures for their catering should
be taken, the “Immigrants Allocation” should be used to meet
the cost. Armenians who are allowed to stay in their original
settlements should not be re-located afterwards. As it was
stated before the immigration of the dependents of military
forces; protestant and catholic Armenians; and artisans (in
accordance with the need) are definitely prohibited by the
Government severe legal measures. Against the gendarmes and
government officials who attack the immigrating groups or
those who lead such attacks severe legal measures should be
taken and such individuals should immediately Court-Martialled.
Relevant provincial and sub-provincial authorities shall be
held responsible for such events.
In another cryptic note sent to Ankara on May 27 1915 it was
said that; “The measures taken by the Government regarding
the Armenians are based on the necessity to ensure and protect
the welfare and order of the Country. Exclusion of the Catholic
and Protestant Armenians —who are at present observed as impartial
at the present- from immigration, is the indication that the
Government has no intention to massacre them” (2).
However, the communiqué which was issued by the Government
for deporting the terrorist Armenians and their Gang leaders
has been understood incorrectly in some places. Hence, several
Armenian Bands, which were caught, were sent to places in
which they continued their actions more freely. Upon such
occurrence’s Talaat Pasha issued another communiqué on June
1, 1915, stressing that such Armenians should be transported
to the places where they would not be able to continue their
harmful actions, and also there deportations should be limited
to the terrorists and rebels only (3).
Furthermore, in still another cryptic note dated June 13,
1915 dispatched to Mamuretüllaziz province, it was stated
that the Armenians, besides those who were handed to the Court
Marshall should be kept at suitable locations within the province
under a previous order, hence not necessarily sent to Mousul
province (4).
In a cryptic note dated June 14, 1915 which was sent to Erzurum,
Diyarbekir, Mamuretülaziz and Bitlis provinces, after stressing
that the Armenians should be protected during the immigration
process; it was mentioned that it was natural to take measures
against those who would try to flee or rebel against the gendarmes;
however in no case Moslem peoples should be involved in such
corrective acts; and also no opportunities should be set to
start conflicts between the Moslems and Armenians.
Coming to the telegraph which is the core of the alleged claims
of Armenian massacre (5).
An Armenian named Aram Andonian referred to it in his book,
titled : “Memoirs of Naim Bey / Official Turkish Documents
Regarding the Deportation and Massacre of the Armenians” published
in London in 1920. This book was published under the titles:
“Official Documents Regarding the Massacre of the Armenians”;
and “The Gross Offence, the Last Armenian Massacre and Talat
Pasha; the Originals of the Signed Official Telegraphs” in
Paris and Boston respectively.
The telegraphs in the book, which were attributed to Talat
Pasha, are false documents, which were originated to create
a “massacre criminal”. As a result of the examination and
research which was carried out by Messrs. Sinasi Orel and
Süreyya Yuca on the subject documents a number of positive
evidences, which prove the falsity of them were found. Among
these evidences are: “that the person named Naim Bey — from
whom the documents have been said that obtained- had never
been employed in the “Celleppo Re-Settlement Department, that
neither the said documents were authentic, nor the type of
the papers were the same of those used in the official communication
of that time; that the original counterparts were not among
the Ministry of Interior documents in the Prime Ministry’s
Archives; that the deed numbers on the documents could not
fond in the registration logs of the relevant department;
that there were some mistakes on the dates according to Mohammedan
and Gregorian Calendars; that there were inconsistencies between
the signatures; and there were some big grammatical and spelling
mistakes in them.”
Furthermore, although it was mentioned that; “the original
copies of the documents which were used in the book were kept
at the Armenian Office in Manchester” since then they have
persistently been concealed from the examination of the World
opinion, and since their “authenticity was based on the report
of the Aleppo Armenian Unit during the Ottoman times; is an
important indication of the falsehood of the alleged claims
of Armenian massacre.
REFERENCES:
Hallacoglu, Prof. Dr. Yusuf, Ermeni Tehcirine Dair Gerekceler
(1915), TTK Yayini, Ankara, 2001.
Published by:
Turkish Hutorical Association, Ankara, 2001.
FOOTNOTES:
1) DH. EUM 2. Branch, 68/80
2) DH. EUM 2. Branch, 68/71; 2. Branch 68/84 (see doc: 192,
200)
3) DH. EUM 2. Branch, 68x101 (see doc 217).
4) An Armenian group which consisted of 26.064 people and
lived in Aleppo were not actually included in the immigration
process. Because; the population re-settled in the new settlement
location were brought from Anatolia. On the other hand while
the number of those who arrived at Aleppo were given as around
a hundred thousand, (see: DH EUM. 2nd Branch, 68/80)
the population arrived here was taken as 100.000.
5) OREL, Sinasi, YUCA Sureyya, Ermenilerce Talat
Pasa’ya Atfedilen Telgraflarin Gercek Yüzü, Turkish Historical
Association Publication, Ankara 1983.
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