[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 44 (Wednesday, April 20, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: April 20, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
               THE 79TH ANNIVERSARY OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

  Mr. DeCONCINI. Mr. President, April 24 will mark the 79th anniversary 
of the beginning of the tragic Armenian genocide. Beginning in 1915 and 
continuing until 1923, the Ottoman Empire carried out a planned 
extermination of the Armenian people. During this period 1.5 million 
Armenians were killed and 500,000 exiled from the Ottoman Empire.
  In 1915, newspaper headlines told of mass starvation and drownings of 
Armenians. Henry Morganthau, our Ambassador to Armenia at the time, 
telegraphed the Secretary of State on July 15, 1915, and had this to 
report:

       Deportation of and excesses against peaceful Armenians is 
     increasing and from harrowing reports of eyewitnesses it 
     appears that a campaign of race extermination is in progress 
     under pretext of reprisal against rebellion.

  Tragically, no one came to the rescue of the Armenians. Equally 
tragic is the fact that the Republic of Turkey denies the genocide. I 
am a strong supporter of Turkey, an important ally and friend of the 
United States. Just as the United States faces up to our mistreatment 
of black Americans, native Americans and others, the Turks must face up 
to the genocide of the Armenians. This genocide was not carried out by 
the existing government which is a democracy, but by the Ottoman 
Empire.
  We must be able to discuss history openly with our allies. We 
strengthen our democracy by acknowledging these tragedies. The danger 
of not facing up to history is demonstrated by the statement Adolf 
Hitler made during his planning of the Holocaust against the Jews. 
Hitler said, ``Who today speaks of the extermination of the 
Armenians?''
  The Armenian genocide was a terrible tragedy. To look away would be a 
greater tragedy. That is why on this 79th anniversary of the Armenian 
genocide we remember not only the Armenians who died in this senseless 
killing but also the efforts of Armenians and Armenian-Americans who 
have struggled to pressure the Turks to acknowledge the Armenian 
genocide.

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