Tall Armenian Tale

 

The Other Side of the Falsified Genocide

 

  Commentary by Edward Tashji   
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Mahmut Ozan
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It's tragic how many Armenians are so blinded by hatred that they prefer to live in the past, and deny themselves the joys of their roots. Not all Armenians are like that. Some Armenians prefer concentrating on their emotional attachments to the old country. These Armenians know Turkish music, food and language form as much a part of their identities as anything else, and don't appreciate being ostracized by the larger, more hateful Armenian group. They feel they are robbed of their precious past and cherished memories, and resent the domineering attitude of the other group.

I'm a big fan of Edward Tashji, who has the guts and the love to come right out and declare where he stands. In his own words, this "Armenian-American has become 'famous,' (he said with all humility), within the Turkish community, while becoming "infamous", (he said with deep regret), within the Armenian community." Also, in his words... he is : "An American born of an Armenian mother and a Syrian-Orthodox father (.) He is the younger son of parents who had been born in Ottoman Turkey, became eye-witness to the conflagration of the First World War in their beloved homeland, and as a result, their destiny brought them to the land where millions had emigrated."

 

 
An Armenian Sponsored Lecture, and Turkish-Americans Were There!

 

Hilmar Kaiser

Hilmar Kaiser... "Genocide Scholar"

On the evening of January 29, 1999 — a lecture sponsored by the New York Armenian Students Association and The Armenian Club of NYU- was presented in the Loeb Student Center, at New York University, in New York City. The invited speaker was Mr. Hilmar Kaiser, who is described as: “...a historian specializing in German-Ottoman relations and the Armenian, (so-called) Genocide. He is currently working at the Armenian Research Center, at the University of Michigan...“ The lecture was titled: “Ottoman Elites and the Armenian, (so-called), Genocide”. No other speaker was in attendance, and at the conclusion of the one hour lecture, questions were welcomed from the audience. First, let us begin with a few specifics:

Based upon a visual estimate, the audience numbered about 75 people, which included about 35-40 persons representing the Turkish-American community. With the exception of my wife and myself, our entire group was comprised of our young ladies and gentlemen, for whom the Federation and our entire community owes a debt of gratitude and congratulations for their magnificent behavior and intelligent questions submitted to the speaker. If I attempt to mention names, I will certainly overlook many for whom I have the deepest affection and profound respect. Among our organizations represented: students and young people from the Young Turks Cultural Aid Society, the Intercollegiate Turkish Students Society, (ITSS), other organizations as well as our Federation. (Our numbers were unexpected, and as a result, the expressions of amazement on Armenian faces equaled the astonishment of the speaker.

At the outset, the speaker urged the audience to keep an “open mind” and rather than resort to emotional outbursts, an “intellectual” discourse would be more desirable.

 


 

From Mr. Kaiser‘s opening comments it became evident that he was not about to adhere to his own suggestion for an impartial discourse. Had he intended to be impartial, he would not have been invited by his Armenian hosts. When an Armenian questioner had referred to him as “professor”, Mr. Kaiser responded that he was not a professor; not that that would have made a difference since many pseudo-intellectuals are motivated by their own personal agenda. His lengthy speech described his view that Germany had conspired with Ottoman authorities to annihilate the Armenian people. It appeared he had traveled extensively throughout Turkey, gathering information for his “research”. He made a poor attempt at naming in Turkish Ottoman cities and officials. With terms such as, “Turkish criminals”, “Turkish crimes against children”, and Turks described as, “pathological rapists”, any semblance of an “intellectual” discourse became non-existent! His tirade continued to the pleasure of the Armenians; and though he was an ethnic German, he was very critical of the Germans during the First World War. He had not anticipated our Turkish youth, and as a result many of his responses were ineffectual. His poor attire and shoulder length hair had to be a disappointment, to his Armenian hosts.

Mr. Kaiser

Mr. Kaiser

In response to many questions from both groups, Mr. Kaiser would reply: “That was not an area of my research!” His “research” revolved around 1915 but NOT 1890 or any other period pertinent to Turkish-Armenian history. I was amazed when he referred to the “Dashnaksagan” group, but he “forgot” to mention it was the murderous revolutionary entity established in 1890! Could it be he felt the Armenian revolution was not significant??! Toward the end of the lecture, a young man from our group stood up and said: “I am a member of the Young Turks," and while he proceeded to ask his question, the speaker became very alarmed, since he had spoken about “The Young Turks Movement” during the Ottoman period. Another of our youth shouted to Mr. Kaiser: “He is the reincarnation of the Young Turks!” On both sides of the room there followed uproarious laughter!

...What was most interesting was not what (the speaker) said, but what he DID NOT say!

 

Very early in the lecture I had asked a question, and after the moderator would not allow me to speak further, voices from our group demanded: “Let him speak! Let him speak!” The speaker and every Armenian in the room were on the verge of shocking disbelief when in a clear and audible voice, I had revealed my Armenian-Syrian Orthodox background. Just before the lecture was closed, one of our young men stood up and resolutely requested I be allowed to make a final comment. Mr. Kaiser must have been intrigued — to say the least — by this Armenian who with his Armenian wife was seated among these “reincarnated” Young Turks. Though one minute was requested, our generous speaker granted me two minutes. I referred to a so-called Talat Pasha telegram which had been fraudulently published by Aram Andonian. On the forged “document” Andonian had written at the top of the page the word: “Bismillah”. I revealed that no official Ottoman document had this word printed on it. The speaker looking at me intently, nodded his head affirmatively. When I added that the forger Andonian had dated the fake telegram according to the Gregorian calendar instead of the Moslem calendar, the “learned” speaker while nodding his head affirmatively, added: “He was off by thirteen days!” I made comments about the following names: Mark Bristol, Yarrow, and Barton. With each comment the speaker continued to nod his head. He knew well of what I was speaking, and what was most interesting was not what he said, but what he DID NOT say!

While looking at the Armenian audience, I concluded: “For how long will these young people suffer the consequences of ancient hatred?! It is enough already, it is enough!” An applause
was heard from our side.  Two items need to be
briefly referred to: An elderly Armenian lady and a young Armenian girl approached me with favorable comments. The second, my wife told Mr. Kaiser: You broke the rules that's why you were removed from the Ottoman archives! With my deep appreciation to our beloved young people, I say: Our work continues!!

 

The above is a report (dated February 3, 1999) from the Federation of Turkish American Associations

 

ADDENDUM:

A visitor who was at this very event sent the following pictures; thank you.


Edward Tashji addresses Mr. Kaiser, from
the audience; Mr. Kaiser is seen below,
sitting behind the table.

 

Holdwater Comments:


 

Hilmar Kaiser

Is Hilmar Kaiser the
reincarnation of Johannes
Lepsius
, in terms of German-
Turkish friendship?

I recently read Mr. Kaiser photocopied some 3,000 records from the Ottoman archives. I don't know what rules he might have broken, but it is possible people with an agenda can do unethical things to documents not in support of their cause. Those like Kaiser and Ara Sarafian complain they were kicked out of the archives... implying the authorities were worried that they would discover something and would prefer to "cover up"... however, it's important to keep in mind that these partial people... whose primary purpose is to sling mud... were allowed in the archives in the first place. You can read more about the ins and outs in Ottoman Archives are Fully open.

Here is what Arpik Paraghamian wrote of the subjective genocide scholar, in an article from an Armenian site entitled, "Hilmar Kaiser Raises New Legal Issues Through Study of Armenian Genocide":

Stolen property and reparations to the survivors and descendants of those martyred during the Armenian Genocide of 1915 was the focus of a lecture by Hilmar Kaiser during his fourth visit to Fresno State on November 6, 2000.

Kaiser, a doctoral candidate at the European University Institute in Florence, Italy, spent four years studying Turkish archives on this topic. Kaiser said he tried to collect all the information he possibly could before he was kicked out for his persistent visits in 1995.

Kaiser found not only proof that the Ottoman government had planned, organized and monitored the deaths of 1.5 to 2 million Armenians in 1915 and specified instructions on their deportation, but also that the Turks had settled Muslims onto Armenian property, without allowing Armenians to sell their land.

Wow. So he actually found PROOF. Sounds pretty ground-breaking. This is the golden fleece pro-Armenian genocide enthusiasts have been enthusiastically seeking. I wonder... what this proof can be?

If this fellow spent all that time in the Ottoman archives, why would he deliberately avoid all the counter-evidence he surely must have come across? What would motivate such dishonesty?

He gets a job at Dennis Papazian's Michigan-Dearborn university, the Armenian-loving institution that gave another pseudo-scholar, Taner Akcam, his first break. Meanwhile, Kaiser goes around giving these Armenian "Genocide" talks, making a name for himself. Interesting.

Estimates of the Ottoman-Armenian population: M. Zarchesi, French Consul at Van: 1,300,000; Francis de Pressence (1895): 1,200,000; Torumnekize (1900): 1,300,000; Lynch (1901): 1,158,484; Ottoman census (1905): 1,294,851; British Blue Book (1912): 1,056,000; L.D.Conterson (1913): 1,400,000; French Yellow Book: 1,475,000; Armenian Patriarch Ormanian: (*)1,579,000; Lepsius: 1,600,000

Estimates of the Ottoman-Armenian population

Meanwhile, he displays his scholarly worth by declaring 1.5 million to 2 million Armenians died, which would have meant a negative number of Armenians would have survived, based on "impartial" pre-war population estimates, rarely exceeding 1.6 million as the total number... especially since Armenians concede one million Ottoman-Armenians survived. In order for Hilmar Kaiser's curious conclusion to be true, 2.5 million to 3 million Armenians would have had to be living in the Ottoman Empire. 3 million was the worldwide estimate, and there were already over a million living in Russia... before the war broke out.

In another article (from Arakel Arisian) entitled, "Adana Massacre Topic of Kaiser Talk in Fresno," we learn more: 

One such tragedy which has gone unnoticed is the Adana Massacre of 1909, which was the murder of 25,000 to 30,000 Armenians and a precursor to the Armenian Genocide of 1915 where 1.5 million were killed. Hilmar Kaiser, a scholar-in-residence at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, is an authority on the Adana Massacre of 1909.

This is the area where I first learned of Mr. Kaiser... he is supposed to be an expert regarding the Adana period. From the rest of this particular article, it sounds like the Armenians were helpless victims... and there is no mention that the rebelling Armenians "fired the first shot," as they did in 1915. the dishonesty is appalling. A preliminary look at the Adana period may be found in my analysis of Peter Balakian's book, "The Burning Tigris": Adana.

According to "The Armenian File": The Patriarchate gives the number of dead as 21,300 based on the investigation it carried out. The Edirne representative, Babikian Efendi, had prepared a report to be submitted to the Assembly. He gave the number of dead as 21,001. Note these numbers are from Armenian sources of the period, both likely exaggerated. Who is coming up with the 25,000-30,000 figures? Since the article is based on Hilmar Kaiser, I suppose it would be safe to assume these are figures Mr. Kaiser supports. Why would Kaiser offer ridiculously high figures not even supported by Armenian sources of the period?

Dr. Dickran Kouymjian, Director of the Armenian Studies Program, commented in his introduction, " What makes Hilmar Kaiser's work so very important is that he is passionately involved in the material and he has a very strong moral sense."

Yep. One-sidedly offering false history is the very essence of morality, all right.


 

 

 

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THE PURPOSE OF TALL ARMENIAN TALE (TAT)
...Is to expose the mythological “Armenian genocide,” from the years 1915-16. A wartime tragedy involving the losses of so many has been turned into a politicized story of “exclusive victimhood,” and because of the prevailing prejudice against Turks, along with Turkish indifference, those in the world, particularly in the West, have been quick to accept these terribly defamatory claims involving the worst crime against humanity. Few stop to investigate below the surface that those regarded as the innocent victims, the Armenians, while seeking to establish an independent state, have been the ones to commit systematic ethnic cleansing against those who did not fit into their racial/religious ideal: Muslims, Jews, and even fellow Armenians who had converted to Islam. Criminals as Dro, Antranik, Keri, Armen Garo and Soghoman Tehlirian (the assassin of Talat Pasha, one of the three Young Turk leaders, along with Enver and Jemal) contributed toward the deaths (via massacres, atrocities, and forced deportation) of countless innocents, numbering over half a million. What determines genocide is not the number of casualties or the cruelty of the persecutions, but the intent to destroy a group, the members of which are guilty of nothing beyond being members of that group. The Armenians suffered their fate of resettlement not for their ethnicity, having co-existed and prospered in the Ottoman Empire for centuries, but because they rebelled against their dying Ottoman nation during WWI (World War I); a rebellion that even their leaders of the period, such as Boghos Nubar and Hovhannes Katchaznouni, have admitted. Yet the hypocritical world rarely bothers to look beneath the surface, not only because of anti-Turkish prejudice, but because of Armenian wealth and intimidation tactics. As a result, these libelous lies, sometimes belonging in the category of “genocide studies,” have become part of the school curricula of many regions. Armenian scholars such as Vahakn Dadrian, Peter Balakian, Richard Hovannisian, Dennis Papazian and Levon Marashlian have been known to dishonestly present only one side of their story, as long as their genocide becomes affirmed. They have enlisted the help of "genocide scholars," such as Roger Smith, Robert Melson, Samantha Power, and Israel Charny… and particularly  those of Turkish extraction, such as Taner Akcam and Fatma Muge Gocek, who justify their alliance with those who actively work to harm the interests of their native country, with the claim that such efforts will help make Turkey more" democratic." On the other side of this coin are genuine scholars who consider all the relevant data, as true scholars have a duty to do, such as Justin McCarthy, Bernard Lewis, Heath Lowry, Erich Feigl and Guenter Lewy. The unscrupulous genocide industry, not having the facts on its side, makes a practice of attacking the messenger instead of the message, vilifying these professors as “deniers” and "agents of the Turkish government." The truth means so little to the pro-genocide believers, some even resort to the forgeries of the Naim-Andonian telegrams or sources  based on false evidence, as Franz Werfel’s The Forty Days of Musa Dagh. Naturally, there is no end to the hearsay "evidence" of the prejudiced pro-Christian people from the period, including missionaries and Near East Relief representatives, Arnold Toynbee, Lord Bryce, Lloyd George, Woodrow Wilson, Theodore Roosevelt, and so many others. When the rare Westerner opted to look at the issues objectively, such as Admirals Mark Bristol and Colby Chester, they were quick to be branded as “Turcophiles” by the propagandists. The sad thing is, even those who don’t consider themselves as bigots are quick to accept the deceptive claims of Armenian propaganda, because deep down people feel the Turks are natural killers and during times when Turks were victims, they do not rate as equal and deserving human beings. This is the main reason why the myth of this genocide has become the common wisdom.