In her article " The Death of Citizenship ", in the spring issue of American Experiment Quarterly , Georgie Ann Geyer asks the question " What is the importance of citizenship? " and goes on stating that she has been around the country talking to people, and finding that a lot of Americans don't know what citizenship is anymore. She gives her favourite definition: citizenship is an allegiance that a self-motivated people undertakes voluntarily . I am afraid some Armenian- Americans , and Greek – Americans for that matter, who constantly bring to our attention year after year the commemoration of an alleged Genocide by the Ottoman Government in 1915 through various means don't know the meaning of citizenship and as such do disservice to their fellow Americans. What is worse , many US Congressmen and prominent writers and authors around the world, without realising the consequences, become tools for their propaganda

The US Congress is no place to settle historical differences, at least that's what we, Americans of Turkish origin , believe. We have seen often that history will be distorted or endorsed in favour of the groups who deliver the most votes, or campaign dollars or organised pressure. This also holds true for any parliament or congress in countries such as Belgium, France , etc. around the world.

I am a US citizen of Turkish heritage and have lived and worked in the United States, with extended job assignments in Japan, Mexico, Korea and Turkey, for the last 41 years. I have met many Armenians in these and other countries that I have lived in or visited and, in Turkey I had many classmates while attending the American High Schools started by the American missionaries. I have the highest regard for them. I am proud to be an American and , in my adopted country , I would like to see that what was done in the past be left to the historians. Many years ago, I had attended the 50th Anniversary gathering for the alleged Genocide commemoration staged in New York in 1965 and met several of my Armenian - American friends there , who were wondering why I was at the service. I had read many books on the terrible events of the First World War and also the distorted stories told by some Armenians and wanted to find out for myself. Following this commemoration , the news of the assassination of Turkish Diplomats around the world ( first one in 1973 during my Presidency of the Federation of Turkish American Associations ), always brought us shock and disbelief . One of the victims of the Armenian terrorism was the mother of one of my friends, killed during an attack at the Ankara airport.

What will happen if the Resolution 55 in the US Congress this year or next or any other laws in other countries are passed to commemorate April 24 as the Armenian Genocide Day, wrongly to be sure. Probably nothing much, except people running for public office where the Armenian American vote counts will say terrible things justifying the killing of Turks by Armenians, like the former Judge in California did recently. The Armenian terrorists will use this resolution in their legal defence next time they gun down another innocent Turk and say that even the US Congress agrees with them. And, so called artists, such as Barsamian of Texas will continue showing their exhibits at galleries , showing movies and slides of sawn hands , spreading hate among young school children that are taken to the galleries by their teachers.

The messages that Time magazine keeps publishing , including the incredible insert in its April 13, 1998 issue and all the other articles in various publications and newspapers, such as the Toronto Star, are full of misrepresentations, mistakes and outright lies. The magazines and newspapers read all over the world that publish these one sided , distorted stories on the Armenian Tragedy should be laying the groundwork for love, peace and prosperity for all and not hate and vengeance for some. The attached article is a brief summary of the events and some of the causes of the death of Armenian and Turks during 1915, prepared by a concerned human

being. I hope people will take time to read it and think about what can be done to eliminate this hate campaign started by some Armenians and perpetuated by innocent people that don't know the truth..

Respectfully,

Yuksel Oktay

Past President, FTAS

Tel 90 212 620 1205

Merkez Mah Birlik Cad. No 36

Esenyurt, 34850, Istanbul, Turkey

Attachment:

The accusations against the Ottomans and the Turks are one sided and ignores the Armenian Atrocities

Armenians, writers and those who sympathise with the Armenians, including vote seekers, overlook the fact that the Armenian Tragedy in 1915 was largely brought on by the ruthless fanaticism of Armenian agitators , who were responsible for the Sept. 30, 1895 Babi-Ali demonstartions by the Hunchaks and the Kusatsakan, riots in Istanbul and raid on the Ottoman Bank in 1896, Armenian uprising behind the Ottoman fronts , February- March 1915, collaboration with the enemies of Turkey, including the Russians and the French occupiers of Turkey and many other atrocities against the Ottomans, among whom there were many prominent Armenians serving in the government.

On April 24, 1915, the Ottoman Minister of Interior ordered the arrest of the Hunchak party functionaries, known revolutionaries and agitators in Istanbul . There was no relocation order yet. On May 17, 1915, the Armenians with the support of the Russian troops , took Van and set fire to the Moslem section of town, proclaiming " Armenian Republic of Van ". Only after this, and the atrocities committed by the Armenians in Kars, Erzurum, Erzincan , the Ottoman Government had no alternatives but to order the relocation of Armenians. Anyone familiar with the " Trail of Tears " on the relocation of the Cherokee Indians from North Carolina to Oklahoma will know the tragic results of such actions.

William Saroyan, the famous Armenian - American author of many books, including the Human Comedy, wrote the following in one of his stories, Antranjik of Armenia , published in 1935.

The war was with the Turks of course. The other enemies were less active than the Turks, but watchful. When the time came one of these, in the name of love, not hate, accomplished in no time at all what the Turks, who were more honest, whose hatred was unconcealed, could not accomplish in hundreds of years. These were the Russians.

The killings, started long before 1915 and lasted for many years until 1920, when the Republic of Armenia was proclaimed, were initiated by the revolutionary Armenians with the backing of the Russians, the French and, of course the British, during World War I when Turkey was attacked from all sides. The back stabbing by the Armenians took place while the Ottomans were fighting at Gallipoli against the combined Allied forces, including the Australian , New Zealand, French and Indian armies, where the losses were over 250,000 on both sides. The historians write that the Ottomans lost close to two million lives.

Dr. Stephan Eshnanie, a foreign journalist, wrote the following on May 1918, after the Russian armies evacuated Turkey's eastern provinces and Armenian bands occupying the zones vacated in haste by the Russians started a massacre never witnessed in history.

I have been closely following for two weeks the withdrawal of Russians and Armenians from Turkish territories through Armenia. Although tow months have elapsed since the clearing of the territories of Armenian gangs, I have observed evidence of the cruelty of the Armenians at almost every step. All the villages from Trabzon to Erzincan and from Erzincan to Erzurum have been destroyed. Corpses of Turks brutally and cruelly slain (by Armenian gangs ) are everywhere.

The basis for the accusations against the Ottomans and later against the

Turks are false.

A book written by Aram Andonian , " The Memories of Naim Bey: Turkish Official Documents Relating to the Deportation and Massacres of Armenians", published in 1920 simultaneously in Paris, London and Boston, in English, French and Armenian, is used by many as the basis for the accusations. Aram Andonian claims to have met an Ottoman official by the name of Naim Bey in Aleppo, after the entry of the British and this official has supposedly passed government papers to Andonian. The originals of the papers have never been seen and many claim that these were forgeries. Therefore, the book is nothing but a collection of false papers, used for propaganda.

Accusations spread by the publication of Franz Werfel's book " The Forty Days of Musa Dag are also false

Franz Werfel, an Austrian of Check heritage , wrote the book using the information from Aram Andonian's book and stories circulated in Vienna on the crimes of the Turks. Franz Werfel later was convinced that the Andonian book was nothing but forgeries, also providing evidence of the rebellion of the Armenians against the Ottomans, but it was too late. The book now has even been translated into Turkish.

April 24

The Armenians, worldover, should re-think the way that they commemorate April 24 as they do now, and celebrate April 23rd with the Turks everywhere, which is the National Children's day in Turkey and, commemorate April 25th with the Anzacs who show the world that the old enemies can be friends for the sake of the humanity. There is nothing wrong with gathering to remember the Armenian deaths and grieve for lost homes of their grandfathers, which is proper. But we should also remember that Turks too, grieve for their dead , killed by the Armenians, many days of the year. All those Armenians that write about the 1915 Genocide and those that perpetuate the hatred by exhibitions such as Barsamanian's " Pages of My Diary " should heed the words of one of their fellow Armenian, Snork Kalutsyan, who wrote.

May all those unhappy events which take place in every country have an end. May the Peace of God be with all people of good will.