Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Ambassador Morgenthau Honored By Survivors

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Ambassador Morgenthau Honored By Survivors

    AMBASSADOR MORGENTHAU HONORED BY SURVIVORS
    Taleen Babayan

    Armenian Weekly
    Thu, Apr 29 2010

    The Museum of Jewish Heritage, located on the tip of Manhattan in
    Battery Park, on the shores of Ellis and Liberty Islands, served as
    the setting for the honoring of Ambassador Henry Morgenthau, Sr. and
    his family, including Robert M. Morgenthau, chairman of the Museum,
    by Armenian Genocide survivors and the Knights and Daughters of Vartan
    on Wednesday afternoon, April 21.

    Robert Morgenthau talking to survivors Four Armenian Genocide
    survivors, residents of the Armenian Home in Flushing, N.Y., met
    Robert Morgenthau in front of the museum's special exhibition, which
    chronicles U.S. Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire Henry Morgenthau's
    tireless efforts to stop what he termed "the murder of a nation"
    in his autobiography-an expression tantamount to "genocide," a word
    not invented until 1944 by Raphael Lemkin who was reflecting on the
    attempted extermination of the Armenians.

    Dr. Mary Papazian, the senior vice-president and provost of Lehman
    College, City University of New York, made opening remarks on behalf of
    Armenians worldwide. She said that the survivors and Robert Morgenthau
    had come together "in a special way, joining the present and the
    past, in an affirmation of the tragedy which befell the Armenians
    and Ambassador Morgenthau's efforts to ameliorate their suffering."

    Dr. Papazian introduced each of the survivors, including Charlotte
    Kechejian, Oronik Eminian, Arsalo Dadir, and Perouz Kalousdian,
    and briefly told their stories of escaping during the genocide and
    eventually making their way to the United States. She noted that
    Ambassador Morgenthau worked on behalf of Armenian survivors after
    the genocide by supporting the efforts of the Near East Relief,
    authorized by the U.S. government. Papazian noted that he became the
    "voice to these victims."

    Ambassador Morgenthau returned to the United States in 1916 and
    published his memoir Ambassador Morgenthau's Story, describing the
    atrocities committed by the Young Turk dictatorship in the Ottoman
    Empire.

    Among the official documents on display is the noted 1915 telegram
    where he warned the U.S. State Department that a "campaign of race
    extermination" is being carried out under the pretext of putting down
    a revolt.

    "The exhibition behind us celebrates the contributions of this
    remarkable man, a man of principal, who believed in humanity above
    politics," said Papazian. "We're here to honor the contributions
    your family's made and express our deepest gratitude and thanks from
    Armenians worldwide."

    Papazian and Haig Deranian, the grand commander of the Knights of
    Vartan, presented Robert Morgenthau with a plaque.

    "I'm very proud to receive this recognition for my grandfather's role
    in struggling against the murder of a nation," said Robert Morgenthau,
    90. "It was a case where criminals took over government and proceeded
    to exterminate all Armenians living in the Ottoman Empire. Obviously,
    they did not succeed."

    "Armenians have good memories," he continued. "They remember who their
    friends are. I thank you for this honor on behalf of my grandfather
    and my family."
Working...
X