Henry Morgenthau. the U.S. Ambassador to Turkey from 1913 to 1916 had no doubt that the Turkish treatment of the Armenians was part of a deliberate plan of extermination. He wrote in 1918. "When the Turkish authorities gave the orders for these deportations. they were merely giving the death warrant to a whole race." Successive Turkish governments. in an attempt to rewrite history. have tried to cover up this clear case of genocide by denying its very existence. Where this has failed. they have warned of damage to TurkishAmerican relations should the United States persist in reminding the world of this terrible tragedy. It shocked me to learn that President Reagan. bowing to this pressure. has rejected the idea of a day of remembrance because. in his words. it "might inadvertantly encourage or reward terrorist attacks on Turks and Turkish Americans." The principles of truth and justice cannot and will not be held hostage to terrorism and threats.
Keywords matched
deportations