Tweet
ASBAREZ ONLINE
TOP STORIES
03/23/2006
TO ACCESS PREVIOUS ASBAREZ ONLINE EDITIONS PLEASE VISIT OUR
WEBSITE AT <http://www.asbarez.com/>HTTP://WWW.ASBAREZ. COM
1) 'Armenian Genocide' Will Show at Hollywood Theater
2) Newly Declassified State Department Files Reveal US Opposition to Armenian
Genocide Recognition by UN
3) Status of US Ambassador to Armenia Questioned
1) 'Armenian Genocide' Will Show at Hollywood Theater
LOS ANGELES (LA Times)With local PBS affiliate KCET-TV refusing to air his
documentary [The Armenian Genocide], filmmaker Andrew Goldberg has decided to
rent out Hollywood's Egyptian Theatre to show the film in continuous free
screenings on April 17--the same day it will air on most of the major PBS
affiliates throughout the country.
"We will continue to screen the film that day and night as long as we have
the
theater," Goldberg said Wednesday.
The filmmaker, who is paying for much of the $10,000 tab out of his own
pocket, noted that "the largest market of Armenians outside Armenia is in Los
Angeles."
Goldberg's one-hour documentary focuses on the Ottoman Empire's role in the
Armenian genocide during and right after World War I.
The film also focuses on ongoing denial in the modern republic of Turkey,
successor of the Ottoman Empire.
The documentary has already created some controversy, in part because PBS
commissioned a 25-minute panel discussion to run afterward, which featured two
genocide deniers.
A group called the Armenian Tidorts launched an online petition against the
panel program and several members of Congress complained to PBS. They argued
that the network would never follow a documentary about the genocide of Jews
during World War II with a panel discussion featuring holocaust deniers.
KCET said it would not run either the documentary or the panel follow-up.
Bohdan Zachary, the station's executive director of programming, said it
would
instead air a French documentary about the Armenian genocide, which the
station
felt offered a more comprehensive examination of the issue.
2) Newly Declassified State Department Files Reveal US Opposition to Armenian
Genocide Recognition by UN
WASHINGTON, DC--A series of formerly classified State Department cables,
recently made available through the National Archives and Records
Administration, provide first-hand insights into the cooperation during the
early 1970s between the US and Turkish governments seeking to block the
recognition of the Armenian genocide by the United Nations.
"These files provide new insights into the depths to which our own government
has sunk in its complicity with Turkey's denial of the Armenian genocide,"
said
ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. "Knowing that sunshine truly is the
best disinfectant, we welcome the release of these documents and value the
growing public awareness of the internal mechanics of our government's immoral
and short-sighted policy of denial--an increasingly untenable policy that is
destined to collapse under the growing weight of its own lies."
Commenting on Turkey's efforts to delete a reference to the Genocide in a
Human Rights Subcommission report, the Secretary of State wrote in a March
1974
cable to the US Mission to the UN that:
"Dept [State Department] appreciates Turkish concerns on Armenian Question
and
agrees that subject should be handled even-handedly. Para [paragraph] objected
to by Turkish del [delegation] reads as follows: Quote: Passing to the modern
era, one may note the existence of relatively full documentation dealing with
the massacres of the Armenians, which has been described as "the first case of
genocide in the twentieth century" unquote.
Apparently seeking to avoid the international criticism it would face for
openly supporting Turkey's outright efforts to delete this passage, the State
Department advised the UN Mission to present its opposition on procedural
grounds:
"We would like to support the Turks and Dept [State Department] therefore
concurs in USDEL [US Delegation to the UN] suggestion that we inform Turks we
willing to speak in support of procedural proposal to urge rapporteur to
assure
evenhandedness in study. We do not think it would be appropriate to request
the
rapporteur simply to delete the offending para [paragraph], although we would
not oppose deletion if other dels [country delegations] indicate support for
Turkish position."
In March of 1974, the US Embassy in Ankara wrote to the State Department
outlining its rationale for opposing the UN's recognition of the Armenian
genocide. Among the reasons cited were:
"[...] Another reason is that the Turks are apprehensive that this year's
commemoration of the Armenian massacres by Armenian communities throughout the
world will be on a more impressive scale than in the last few years."
"[...] In addition, at a time when we are trying to persuade the Turks to
exhibit some appreciation of our position on the opium issue, we would like to
be able to show some understanding for a position on which Turkish emotions
have characteristically run high."
In a March 1974 note following the support expressed by the US for the
Turkish
position, the US Mission informed the Secretary of State that:
"Turk del [delegation] warmly thanked US del [delegation] for support
following our intervention."
These files also provide insight into the early efforts by the Turkish
Government to obstruct US legislation and prevent other
constitutionally-protected efforts by American citizens to work toward the
recognition of the Armenian genocide. In an April 1973 cable, the State
Department wrote to the US Embassy in Ankara that:
"It clear GOT [Government of Turkey] would like USG [US Government] to halt
all Armenian demonstrations, and indeed other Armenian activities which are
hostile or offensive to a close ally."
In a second cable, also from April of 1973, the State Department reports that
it has responded to Turkish concerns in the following manner:
"We pointed out that peaceful demonstrations could probably not be prevented,
but expressed belief that with adequate policing, they could be stopped from
getting out of hand."
A June 1974 cable reports on protests raised with the State Department by
Turkey's Ambassador, Selcuk Esenbel, over a recently introduced Armenian
genocide Resolution. Under-Secretary of State Joseph Sisco dismissed the
legislation, according to the cable, explaining to Ambassador Esenbel that the
"resolution must be seen as part of normal domestic electoral politics."
Despite Turkey's efforts, the United Nation has established a record of
recognizing the Armenian genocide:
* In 1948, the United Nations War Crimes Commission invoked the Armenian
genocide "precisely... one of the types of acts which the modern term 'crimes
against humanity' is intended to cover" as a precedent for the Nuremberg
tribunals. The Commission stated that "[t]he provisions of Article 230 of the
Peace Treaty of Sevres were obviously intended to cover, in conformity with
the
Allied note of 1915... offenses which had been committed on Turkish territory
against persons of Turkish citizenship, though of Armenian or Greek race. This
article constitutes therefore a precedent for Article 6c and 5c of the
Nuremberg and Tokyo Charters, and offers an example of one of the
categories of
'crimes against humanity' as understood by these enactments."
* In August 1985, after extensive study and deliberation, the United Nations
SubCommission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities
voted 14 to 1 to accept a report entitled "Study of the Question of the
Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide," which stated "[t]he Nazi
aberration has unfortunately not been the only case of genocide in the 20th
century. Among other examples which can be cited as qualifying are... the
Ottoman
massacre of Armenians in 1915-1916." This report also explained that "[a]t
least 1,000,000, and possibly well over half of the Armenian population, are
reliably estimated to have been killed or death marched by independent
authorities and eye-witnesses. This is corroborated by reports in United
States, German and British archives and of contemporary diplomats in the
Ottoman Empire, including those of its ally Germany."
3) Status of US Ambassador to Armenia Questioned
WASHINGTON, DC (LA Daily News)--Members of California's congressional
delegation are asking for an explanation of reports that the US ambassador to
Armenia is being recalled for openly acknowledging the Armenian genocide.
In separate letters to Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, Representatives
Adam Schiff (D-Pasadena) and Grace Napolitano (D-Santa Fe Springs) demanded
answers about Ambassador John Marshall Evans' status. Both strongly opposed
recalling him.
Schiff said he reiterated that message last week in a meeting with State
Department officials.
"I expressed my opposition to any disciplinary action being taken against the
ambassador for speaking the truth," Schiff said. "I made it very clear I
thought any action taken against him would merely compound the erroneous
policy
of the administration."
A State Department spokesman insisted that Evans has not submitted his
resignation nor been told to return to the US. However, there have been
continuing reports about his recall.
"It's very concerning and very upsetting," said Zanku Armenian, a member of
the Armenian National Committee's board in Glendale.
"The word that we have is pretty clear that this is in the works," Armenian
said about Evans' recall. "It's clear that the State Department is bowing to
pressure from Turkey."
Evans was praised in Armenian-American communities last year when he
unequivocally referred to the massacre of 1.5 million Armenians in post-World
War I Ottoman Turkey as a genocide.
"I think it is unbecoming of us as Americans to play word games here," Evans
said in February 2005 during a stop at the University of California at
Berkeley. "I will today call it the Armenian genocide."
In doing so, Evans became the first US administration official to use the
word
genocide. The Bush administration, like its predecessors, refers to the
killings as a massacre and a tragedy, but never genocide.
"It felt like a breakthrough moment," Armenian said. "It felt like we were
getting somewhere."
Turkey, a key US and NATO ally, strongly opposes the genocide label.
Tuluy Tanc, minister counsel at the Turkish embassy in Washington, DC, called
Evans' comments "personal views" and not a reflection of US policy. He said he
did not have any knowledge about Evans being recalled.
But Aram Hamparian, executive director of the Armenian National Committee of
America, said the State Department is already quietly vetting a new ambassador
to replace Evans in late spring or early summer.
"I think it's pretty clear he's being ushered out the door," Schiff said.
Evans, for his part, has sidestepped questions about his tenure in
Armenia. In
response to a query during a press conference last week, he replied, "I serve
at the pleasure of the president. Period."
All subscription inquiries and changes must be made through the proper carrier
and not Asbarez Online. ASBAREZ ONLINE does not transmit address changes and
subscription requests.
(c) 2006 ASBAREZ ONLINE. All Rights Reserved.
ASBAREZ provides this news service to ARMENIAN NEWS NETWORK members for
academic research or personal use only and may not be reproduced in or through
mass media outlets.
TOP STORIES
03/23/2006
TO ACCESS PREVIOUS ASBAREZ ONLINE EDITIONS PLEASE VISIT OUR
WEBSITE AT <http://www.asbarez.com/>HTTP://WWW.ASBAREZ. COM
1) 'Armenian Genocide' Will Show at Hollywood Theater
2) Newly Declassified State Department Files Reveal US Opposition to Armenian
Genocide Recognition by UN
3) Status of US Ambassador to Armenia Questioned
1) 'Armenian Genocide' Will Show at Hollywood Theater
LOS ANGELES (LA Times)With local PBS affiliate KCET-TV refusing to air his
documentary [The Armenian Genocide], filmmaker Andrew Goldberg has decided to
rent out Hollywood's Egyptian Theatre to show the film in continuous free
screenings on April 17--the same day it will air on most of the major PBS
affiliates throughout the country.
"We will continue to screen the film that day and night as long as we have
the
theater," Goldberg said Wednesday.
The filmmaker, who is paying for much of the $10,000 tab out of his own
pocket, noted that "the largest market of Armenians outside Armenia is in Los
Angeles."
Goldberg's one-hour documentary focuses on the Ottoman Empire's role in the
Armenian genocide during and right after World War I.
The film also focuses on ongoing denial in the modern republic of Turkey,
successor of the Ottoman Empire.
The documentary has already created some controversy, in part because PBS
commissioned a 25-minute panel discussion to run afterward, which featured two
genocide deniers.
A group called the Armenian Tidorts launched an online petition against the
panel program and several members of Congress complained to PBS. They argued
that the network would never follow a documentary about the genocide of Jews
during World War II with a panel discussion featuring holocaust deniers.
KCET said it would not run either the documentary or the panel follow-up.
Bohdan Zachary, the station's executive director of programming, said it
would
instead air a French documentary about the Armenian genocide, which the
station
felt offered a more comprehensive examination of the issue.
2) Newly Declassified State Department Files Reveal US Opposition to Armenian
Genocide Recognition by UN
WASHINGTON, DC--A series of formerly classified State Department cables,
recently made available through the National Archives and Records
Administration, provide first-hand insights into the cooperation during the
early 1970s between the US and Turkish governments seeking to block the
recognition of the Armenian genocide by the United Nations.
"These files provide new insights into the depths to which our own government
has sunk in its complicity with Turkey's denial of the Armenian genocide,"
said
ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. "Knowing that sunshine truly is the
best disinfectant, we welcome the release of these documents and value the
growing public awareness of the internal mechanics of our government's immoral
and short-sighted policy of denial--an increasingly untenable policy that is
destined to collapse under the growing weight of its own lies."
Commenting on Turkey's efforts to delete a reference to the Genocide in a
Human Rights Subcommission report, the Secretary of State wrote in a March
1974
cable to the US Mission to the UN that:
"Dept [State Department] appreciates Turkish concerns on Armenian Question
and
agrees that subject should be handled even-handedly. Para [paragraph] objected
to by Turkish del [delegation] reads as follows: Quote: Passing to the modern
era, one may note the existence of relatively full documentation dealing with
the massacres of the Armenians, which has been described as "the first case of
genocide in the twentieth century" unquote.
Apparently seeking to avoid the international criticism it would face for
openly supporting Turkey's outright efforts to delete this passage, the State
Department advised the UN Mission to present its opposition on procedural
grounds:
"We would like to support the Turks and Dept [State Department] therefore
concurs in USDEL [US Delegation to the UN] suggestion that we inform Turks we
willing to speak in support of procedural proposal to urge rapporteur to
assure
evenhandedness in study. We do not think it would be appropriate to request
the
rapporteur simply to delete the offending para [paragraph], although we would
not oppose deletion if other dels [country delegations] indicate support for
Turkish position."
In March of 1974, the US Embassy in Ankara wrote to the State Department
outlining its rationale for opposing the UN's recognition of the Armenian
genocide. Among the reasons cited were:
"[...] Another reason is that the Turks are apprehensive that this year's
commemoration of the Armenian massacres by Armenian communities throughout the
world will be on a more impressive scale than in the last few years."
"[...] In addition, at a time when we are trying to persuade the Turks to
exhibit some appreciation of our position on the opium issue, we would like to
be able to show some understanding for a position on which Turkish emotions
have characteristically run high."
In a March 1974 note following the support expressed by the US for the
Turkish
position, the US Mission informed the Secretary of State that:
"Turk del [delegation] warmly thanked US del [delegation] for support
following our intervention."
These files also provide insight into the early efforts by the Turkish
Government to obstruct US legislation and prevent other
constitutionally-protected efforts by American citizens to work toward the
recognition of the Armenian genocide. In an April 1973 cable, the State
Department wrote to the US Embassy in Ankara that:
"It clear GOT [Government of Turkey] would like USG [US Government] to halt
all Armenian demonstrations, and indeed other Armenian activities which are
hostile or offensive to a close ally."
In a second cable, also from April of 1973, the State Department reports that
it has responded to Turkish concerns in the following manner:
"We pointed out that peaceful demonstrations could probably not be prevented,
but expressed belief that with adequate policing, they could be stopped from
getting out of hand."
A June 1974 cable reports on protests raised with the State Department by
Turkey's Ambassador, Selcuk Esenbel, over a recently introduced Armenian
genocide Resolution. Under-Secretary of State Joseph Sisco dismissed the
legislation, according to the cable, explaining to Ambassador Esenbel that the
"resolution must be seen as part of normal domestic electoral politics."
Despite Turkey's efforts, the United Nation has established a record of
recognizing the Armenian genocide:
* In 1948, the United Nations War Crimes Commission invoked the Armenian
genocide "precisely... one of the types of acts which the modern term 'crimes
against humanity' is intended to cover" as a precedent for the Nuremberg
tribunals. The Commission stated that "[t]he provisions of Article 230 of the
Peace Treaty of Sevres were obviously intended to cover, in conformity with
the
Allied note of 1915... offenses which had been committed on Turkish territory
against persons of Turkish citizenship, though of Armenian or Greek race. This
article constitutes therefore a precedent for Article 6c and 5c of the
Nuremberg and Tokyo Charters, and offers an example of one of the
categories of
'crimes against humanity' as understood by these enactments."
* In August 1985, after extensive study and deliberation, the United Nations
SubCommission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities
voted 14 to 1 to accept a report entitled "Study of the Question of the
Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide," which stated "[t]he Nazi
aberration has unfortunately not been the only case of genocide in the 20th
century. Among other examples which can be cited as qualifying are... the
Ottoman
massacre of Armenians in 1915-1916." This report also explained that "[a]t
least 1,000,000, and possibly well over half of the Armenian population, are
reliably estimated to have been killed or death marched by independent
authorities and eye-witnesses. This is corroborated by reports in United
States, German and British archives and of contemporary diplomats in the
Ottoman Empire, including those of its ally Germany."
3) Status of US Ambassador to Armenia Questioned
WASHINGTON, DC (LA Daily News)--Members of California's congressional
delegation are asking for an explanation of reports that the US ambassador to
Armenia is being recalled for openly acknowledging the Armenian genocide.
In separate letters to Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, Representatives
Adam Schiff (D-Pasadena) and Grace Napolitano (D-Santa Fe Springs) demanded
answers about Ambassador John Marshall Evans' status. Both strongly opposed
recalling him.
Schiff said he reiterated that message last week in a meeting with State
Department officials.
"I expressed my opposition to any disciplinary action being taken against the
ambassador for speaking the truth," Schiff said. "I made it very clear I
thought any action taken against him would merely compound the erroneous
policy
of the administration."
A State Department spokesman insisted that Evans has not submitted his
resignation nor been told to return to the US. However, there have been
continuing reports about his recall.
"It's very concerning and very upsetting," said Zanku Armenian, a member of
the Armenian National Committee's board in Glendale.
"The word that we have is pretty clear that this is in the works," Armenian
said about Evans' recall. "It's clear that the State Department is bowing to
pressure from Turkey."
Evans was praised in Armenian-American communities last year when he
unequivocally referred to the massacre of 1.5 million Armenians in post-World
War I Ottoman Turkey as a genocide.
"I think it is unbecoming of us as Americans to play word games here," Evans
said in February 2005 during a stop at the University of California at
Berkeley. "I will today call it the Armenian genocide."
In doing so, Evans became the first US administration official to use the
word
genocide. The Bush administration, like its predecessors, refers to the
killings as a massacre and a tragedy, but never genocide.
"It felt like a breakthrough moment," Armenian said. "It felt like we were
getting somewhere."
Turkey, a key US and NATO ally, strongly opposes the genocide label.
Tuluy Tanc, minister counsel at the Turkish embassy in Washington, DC, called
Evans' comments "personal views" and not a reflection of US policy. He said he
did not have any knowledge about Evans being recalled.
But Aram Hamparian, executive director of the Armenian National Committee of
America, said the State Department is already quietly vetting a new ambassador
to replace Evans in late spring or early summer.
"I think it's pretty clear he's being ushered out the door," Schiff said.
Evans, for his part, has sidestepped questions about his tenure in
Armenia. In
response to a query during a press conference last week, he replied, "I serve
at the pleasure of the president. Period."
All subscription inquiries and changes must be made through the proper carrier
and not Asbarez Online. ASBAREZ ONLINE does not transmit address changes and
subscription requests.
(c) 2006 ASBAREZ ONLINE. All Rights Reserved.
ASBAREZ provides this news service to ARMENIAN NEWS NETWORK members for
academic research or personal use only and may not be reproduced in or through
mass media outlets.