[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 47 (Friday, April 24, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3596-S3597]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             THE 83RD ANNIVERSARY OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

 Mr. SARBANES. Mr. President, I rise to join my colleagues in 
commemorating the 83rd anniversary of the Armenian genocide, which 
consumed the lives of one and a half million men, women and children. 
Today, as we remember the sacrifice of the Armenian people, we honor 
them by renewing our commitment to protecting the fundamental rights 
and freedoms of all humanity.
  It is imperative, Mr. President, that no nation or individual ever 
forget the injustices suffered by the Armenians in 1915. Perhaps the 
most prominent witness to the Armenian genocide was Henry Morgenthau, 
the U.S. Ambassador to Turkey at the time, who described the wide-scale 
and deliberate orchestration of atrocities against the Armenian people 
as ``the Greatest Horror in History.'' He later wrote,
  ``Whatever crimes the most perverted instincts of the human mind can 
devise, and whatever refinements of persecutions and injustice the most 
debased imagination can conceive, became the daily misfortunes of this 
devoted people. I am confident that the whole history of the human race 
contains no such horrible episode as this. The great massacres and 
persecutions of the past seem almost insignificant when compared to the 
sufferings of the Armenian race in 1915. The killing of the Armenian 
people was accompanied by the systematic destruction of churches, 
schools, libraries, treasures of art and of history in an attempt to 
eliminate all traces of a noble civilization some three thousand years 
old.''
  Ambassador Morgenthau's assessment of the great tragedy was consonant 
with public reporting at the

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time the events took place. Newspaper headlines in mid-1915 heralded, 
``More Armenian Massacres,'' ``Armenian Horrors Grow,'' ``Tales of 
Armenian Horrors Confirmed,'' ``800,000 Armenians Counted Destroyed,'' 
``Spare Armenians, Pope Asks Sultan.'' On July 16, 1915, Morgenthau 
sent the following message by telegraph to the Secretary of State:
  ``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.''
  Other diplomats and consular officers substantiated the Ambassador's 
report of what was taking place. Abram Elkus, Morgenthau's successor, 
through his cables to the State Department confirmed his predecessor's 
assessment.
  We must not allow a handful of revisionists to shake our resolve to 
prompt recognition and acceptance of responsibility for this well-
documented historical event. Indeed, Morgenthau and other diplomats who 
witnessed and reported in great detail the enormous devastation of the 
Armenian community would be astonished to learn today that the abundant 
evidence they collected, much of which is held in our own National 
Archives, and the testimony of survivors who are still with us, have 
come under challenge. Despite the irrefutability of the documentation 
and testimony, including extensive accounts from survivors, witnesses, 
and historians, there are those who deny the past, blame the victims, 
and oppose reconciliation.
  It is a tribute to the indomitable spirit of the Armenian people 
that, after enduring centuries of oppression, they have reestablished a 
free and independent state that is making new strides toward democracy 
and economic revitalization. In its short existence, the Republic of 
Armenia has survived the earthquake of 1988, the dissolution of the 
Soviet Union and a blockade by its neighbors. The spirit of the 
Armenian people is reflected not only in their dedication to rebuilding 
a nation from the ashes of totalitarianism, but also in the strength 
and vibrancy of the Armenian-American community. Americans of Armenian 
origin have successfully contributed to the cultural, social, economic, 
and political life of this country while preserving the rich faith and 
cultural traditions of their forebears. Clearly, the spirit of the 
Armenian people continues to thrive.
  Mr. President, to ensure that such a tragedy never be repeated it is 
incumbent upon us to remember the victims of the Armenian genocide and 
pay tribute to the survivors. Just as we have vowed never to forget the 
Nazi Holocaust, we must continually remind ourselves of the events of 
1915. They became, after all, a precedent for Hitler, who rationalized 
his barbarism by asking, ``Who remembers the Armenians?''
  As citizens of a nation founded on the ideals of freedom and human 
dignity, we must educate ourselves about the events that constituted 
the Armenian genocide and renew our commitment never to remain 
indifferent in the face of such assaults on humanity. In the words of 
the great philosopher, George Santayana, ``those who cannot remember 
the past are condemned to repeat it.''

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