Turks not Inclined to Remain Quiet 

 

Dunkirk Evening News, September 1, 1920, p. 7

TURKS NOT INCLINED TO REMAIN QUIET

Fighting Broke Out After Return of Commissioner From Moscow Where Treaty Was Concluded.

Constantinople, Aug. 31— Mustapha Kemal, leader of the Turkish nationalists was shot in the leg during an anti-national demonstration In [Tokal], according to advices received here today.

In the same rioting Bekir Samir who recently returned from Moscow where he concluded an alliance with the Bolshevik was shot dead. His assassin was arrested and executed.

French troops have recaptured Urfa from the Turkish Nationalists after hard fighting. The French were reinforced by Armenian volunteers.

Ex-Armenian General Is Rich U. S. Merchant

 

The Charleston Gazette, Oct. 11, 1924

Ex-Armenian General Is Rich U. S. Merchant

General Sebouh How did he get rich so fast?

General Sebouh, a former general the Armenian insurgent army, has been found in Boston. Mass. as a prosperous merchant. He came to the United States in 1921.

===============

"A Remembrance of General Sebouh," by Nerses Maranjian, from The Armenian Weekly Online, September/October 2003 tells us Sebouh (Arshag) Nersesian (1872-1940) joined the Hunchaks in Istanbul in 1889, only two years after their formation, only to ditch them for the Dashnaks in 1894, four years after their formation. In Sasun, he was a leader of the "1904 insurrection." (Does that mean "revolt"?)

As Hairenik put it in September 4, 1940, "In 1914-1915, Sebouh took part in the battles of Khoy and Dilman with General Andranik. He was also part of the Armeno-Russian forces which liberated Garin. At the head of the Dashnaktsakan formation, he took part in the decisive battle of Sardarabad and later went on to help the Armenians besieged in Baku." That means this Ottoman-Armenian betrayed his nation well before the "genocide," and no doubt went on to participate in the mass murders of non-Armenian Ottomans. He would write an autobiography, Echer Im Housheren (Pages From My Memories), and would remain an active Dashnak until his death.

 

Olean Evening Times, June 25, 1925

Leader Of Revolutionists New President Of Republic

Paris, Jum 25.- (I. N. S.)- The Michalacopulos government was deposed and General Pangalos, leader of the revolutionists, was proclaimed the new president of the Greek republic, the newspaper L'Independent of Salonika announced today, according to advices to La Liberte.

The army and navy co-operated in overthrowing the government, the dispatch added.

The Greek government has been facing a political crisis for several weeks, there having been three new cabinets within a period of two weeks.

The political situation came to a head June 10 when General Kondylis resigned as minister of the interior. General Kondylis has a strong following in Greece as had [M.] Michalacopulos, who was premier until today. Kondylis. In resigning, pledged the support of his party to the Michalacopulos regime, but dispatches today would indicate either that he began an offensive against Michalacopulos or that he was not able to control his followers.

The resignation of Michalacopulos followed an incipient revolution of Armenian and Greek refuges in Greece June 7. The refugee settlement committee had been building camps at Pedarades, Byron and Kokkinea to care for Greeks and Armenians expelled by Turkey. The Near East Relief, conducted under American auspices, has been feeding the refugees.

On June 7 these refugees, then billeted in public buildings, rushed the camp and took possession of all uncompleted buildings.

The refugee settlement committee reported the matter to General Kondylis but he declined to take action. Appeal was carried over his head to Premier Mlchalacopulos who promised the committee to restore the camp buildings to the commitee. General Kondylis then submitted his resignation.

The people of Greece voted April 14. 1924, for the establishment of a republic.

Death Claims Famous General, Once Of Fresno

 

The Fresno Bee, August 31, 1927


Death Claims Famous General, Once Of Fresno

General Antranik Ozanian, famous Armenian military general, former resident of Fresno, who died to-day at Richardson Hot Springs near Chico  following a long Illness. General Antranik, the idol and hero of the Armenian people, was engaged in many battles against the Turks, and rendered special services to British Army in Mesopotamia during the world war.

DEATH to-day claimed. General Antranik Ozanian, a former resident of Fresno, whose colorful military career made him the idol and hero of the Armenian people throughout the world.

Ozanian, better known as General Antranik, leader of the Armenian military forces during the world war, died early to-day at Richardson Springs near Chico. He left Fresno last February to reside in San Francisco in an attempt to regain his health.

General Antranik's picturesque career reads like a romance of the medieval knights. He was born about sixty years ago in the province of Sivas in Armenia.

Leaving his trade of carpenter in 1891 he joined the revolutionary forces in defense of his country against the persecution inaugurated by Abdul Hamid. He was arrested and made his escape and resumed the warfare against the Turks.

The indomitable will of Antranik was still unbroken after years of steady fighting, and his name became a terror to the Turks and the Kurds. Eventually, he was elevated to a first lieutenancy in the Bulgarian Army, and decorated with the Order of St. John.

Fought Turks Only

Foreseeing war between Bulgaria and Serbia, Antranik disbanded his men, for he would only fight against the Turks. He retired to a village In Armenia, living there as a farmer until 1914. Receiving word, that under the Russian command, [3]00,000 soldiers would concentrate on the Turkish front and that he should recruit Armenian volunteers, Antranik raised an army of 15,000 soldiers.

Given the rank of major general in the Russian Army, he rendered important services in the Caucasus. He was praised by General Allenby of the English forces for his work in the Palestine drive during the world war.

General Antranik came to Fresno after the war and directed a campaign in which he raised $500,000 for the relief of Armenian war refugees. Going back to Europe, he was married in Paris, and came to Fresno with his bride in 1922.

Lenders of the local Armenian colony are preparing to hold one of the largest funerals In the history of the city in honor of the famous general, they said to-day. Arrangements for the funeral and burial will be made following the arrival here of Mrs. Ozanian.

Holdwater: There was no "Armenia" where the general retired to, until 1914. He was in the Ottoman Empire as an Ottoman-Armenian. Come 1914, he betrayed his nation, as he had done many times in the past. And certainly his name was a "terror" to defenseless Turkish and Kurdish villagers, knowing that Antranik was so good with his ethnic cleansing campaigns.

Loving Look at a Dashnak Leader in 1951

 

The Vidette Messenger (Indiana), May 31, 1951

As Othman Sees It

By Frederlck Othman

WASHINGTON. — This day I have spent in a dimly lit Spanish restaurant operated by an Armenian named Mihran Mukkasnian, plotting with some patient revolutionists.

They've been revolting now for 1,500 years against one tyrant or another, without much luck, but they have not given up. I mean the Armenians.

May 28 was their big day. It marked the date of their first successful revolution, when they chased out the Turks in 1918, So they set up a republic, complete with a congress, which lasted for two years. Then came the Bolsheviks.

In 1921 the Armenians got rid of them too, and set up another democracy. which lasted for two whole months. The Russians returned with more troops and that was the end of Armenia as an independent nation. so the Armenians hadn't much to celebrate on this anniversary.

Moment Is Near

Mark Keshishian actually served in the Ottoman army, under Jemal Pasha! (Does that mean not all Armenians who served were disarmed? Hmmm!) A loving web site by one of his sons, fairly free if prejudice, may be accessed at http://www.hadjin.com

I was doing my plotting with Mark Keshishian, who is president of the Armenian revolutionary federation in this district. He is also a dealer in oriental rugs. The Armenian revolutionists have been in business for hundreds of years, but they never got around to starting an official lodge until 1890. The member in Armenia long since have gone underground. They're waiting for the proper moment to hold another revolution. Keshishian is sure that moment is on the way.

My own part in the revolution was simple. Keshishian said all he wanted from me was a little help in reminding the 250,000 other Armenians in the United States that some day they're going to have a homeland of their own again.

So we got to talking about other things, such as why his distant cousin, Mihran, should run a Spanish restaurant here, complete with tamales, flam, enchiladas and other Latin delicacies. Keshishian said that there were so many Latins in Washington that it looked like a good idea. It must have ben this Armenian contina has been popular for 31 years.

I wanted to know, of course, why the Armenians had a monopoly on the rug business. Keshishian said they used to, because the best rugs were made in Armenia, and his ancestors sold them all over Europe. Lately many others have gone into rugs and carpets, too, and the problem now is the price of wool.

Up 400 Percent

This has gone up 400 percent since 1948 and a lot of people who had saved up to buy rugs find they didn't save enough. Many synthetics are now going into carpeting. Fact is, Keshishian at the moment is carpeting the entire house of a prominent Washingtonian with cotton. This looks luxurious and it didn't cost nearly as much as wool, but Keshishian wishes he'd been able to talk the man's wife out of it. He's got nothing against cotton for carpets, you understand, but he figures the lady may fret when she discovers how hard it is to put a rug 30 feet long into a washing machine.

Wool is best, say's Washington's top revolutionist. Wool rugs made in Armenia are best of all. This is because they are tied with gordian knots. The harder they're pulled the tighter they become.

One other thing. The Armenians in America are celebrating their 60 days of independence with picnics, featuring lamb roasted in grape leaves.

"Very modestly," said Keshishian, "as befits a very modest kind of revolution.

Later on, maybe, he hopes, the revolt of history's most patient revolutionists will get rid of those communists, who have been oppressing his native land now for more than a quarter of a century.


Holdwater: Note how in the "Dro" article above, the Armenians in the USA numbered 400,000 in 1948. Here, in 1951, the number has dropped down to 250,000.

 

Sunday Gazette Mail, Apr. 18, 1965

ABOUT FACE

Sharp Slap Said Reason Mikoyan Now Communist

By David Lancashire

BEIRUT, Lebanon —UPI— Anastas I. Mokoyan, president of the Soviet Union, became a Communist because of a slap in the face 50 years ago, according to Simon Vratsian, last prime minister of independent Armenia.

Vratsian headed the committee which commanded Armenian volunteers, allied with the Czarist Russians in World War I, and Mikoyan for a time was his personal aide. Mikoyan in those days was a member of the Armenian Dashnag Revolutionary party, a nonleftist nationalist group.

"I remember Mikoyan very well because he worked directly under me for several weeks in 1914 or 1915," Vratsian recounted in an interview. Mikoyan would have been 19 or 20 then and "He did all sorts of odd jobs, even carrying messages for me."

"Mikoyan was a good boy — very bright and intelligent, and very calculating.

"Then I sent him off to the front to fight against the Turks with the Armenian volunteer group led by Ozanian Antranik.

THE ARMENIANS were forced to retreat and during the retreat — for reasons I don't know — Mikoyan and Antranik began to argue. Antranik beat him — slapped him in the face.

"Mikoyan quit the Dashnag movement on the spot, left the volunteers and enrolled in a seminary at Etchmiadzin, and then went to Baku where he eventually joined the Bolsheviks.

Russia's Mikoyan

"The Bolsheviks sent him to Stalin, who saw that he was good material and had him trained as a Communist. I never saw Mikoyan again.

"But I know Mikoyan isn't a good boy any more. Nobody who worked under Stalin for years could emerge as a good man."

Antranik, the partisan leader whose slap changed Mikoyan's political convictions, was a legendary Armenian leader who led the 1st Armenian Battalion in Russia and died in California in 1927.

Vratsian, who told the story, is now an 83-year-old school teacher and principal in Beirut. His memories and historical works are used internationally as text books on the Armenians.