[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 52 (Tuesday, April 24, 2001)]
[House]
[Pages H1517-H1524]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    COMMEMORATING ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Radanovich) is recognized for 5 minutes.


                             General Leave

  Mr. RADANOVICH. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their 
remarks on the subject of my Special Order.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. RADANOVICH. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to be here this evening to 
honor my Armenian friends, particularly on the eve of the 86th 
anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.
  The 20th century was one of historic progress, but also horrible 
brutality. Throughout the century, America has also been the source of 
this progress, as well as the nation of first resort to combat 
brutality around the world. The first great American diplomatic and 
humanitarian initiative of the 20th century was in response to the 
attempted extermination of the Armenian people.
  As I did last year on this date, I want to associate my comments with 
the comments of the Jerusalem Post which said, ``The 1915 wholesale 
massacre of the Armenians by the Ottoman Turks remains a core 
experience of the Armenian nation. While there is virtually zero 
tolerance for Holocaust denial, there is tacit acceptance of the denial 
of the Armenian Genocide, in part because the Turks have managed to 
structure this debate so that people question whether this really did 
happen.''
  It is fact that the death of 1.5 million Armenians by execution or 
starvation really did happen, and we must not tolerate this denial.
  Mr. Speaker, I say we must affirm history, not bury it. We must learn 
from history, not reshape it according to the geostrategic needs of the 
moment, and we must refuse to be intimidated or other states with 
troubled pasts will ask that the American record on their dark chapter 
in history be expunged.
  As Members of this body, we have an obligation to educate and 
familiarize Americans on the Armenian Genocide.

[[Page H1518]]

 In fact, we must assure that the genocide is remembered so that this 
human tragedy will not be repeated.
  As we have seen in recent years, genocide and ethnic cleansing 
continue to plague nations around the world and, as a great nation, we 
must always be attentive and willing to stand against such atrocities. 
We must do the right thing and call upon our human decency to 
commemorate the Armenian Genocide. We must take our role as the leader 
of the Free World seriously and educate people on the systematic and 
deliberate annihilation of 1.5 million Armenians. We must characterize 
this as genocide.
  A key element of the record of the American response to this crime 
against humanity consists of the reports of our ambassador and his 
consular officials throughout what are now central and eastern Turkey. 
This record is a priceless tool in the hands of any American concerned 
with or responsible for our Nation's ongoing global role to prevent 
genocide and ethnic cleansing. Therefore, I will tomorrow will be 
introducing a strong bipartisan resolution to bring together all of the 
U.S. records on the Armenian Genocide and to provide this collection to 
the House Committee on International Relations, the U.S. Holocaust 
Memorial Museum, and the Armenian Genocide Museum in Yerevan, Armenia.
  U.S. Archives contain extensive documentation of the widespread 
opposition to Ottoman Turkey's brutal massacres and deportations. They 
also contain records of the unprecedented efforts of the American 
people to bring relief to the survivors of the 20th century's first 
genocide. In introducing this legislation, we challenge those who will 
deny the genocide, past or present. I urge my colleagues to please add 
their names as an original cosponsor.
  Finally, I would like to close by expressing my sincere hope that we 
will have President Bush's support on this initiative. During his 
campaign he pledged to properly commemorate the Armenian Genocide. I 
have every reason to believe that he will honor that pledge and do what 
is right for both the Armenian people and for our historical record.
  Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to join my colleagues in 
commemorating one of the most appalling violations of human rights in 
all of modern history--the eighty-sixth anniversary of the Armenian 
genocide.
  I want to commend my colleagues Representative Joe Knollenberg of 
Michigan and Representative Frank Pallone of New Jersey, the co-chairs 
of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues, for sponsoring this 
special order.
  Today, I want to acknowledge this dark moment in history and remember 
the Armenian people who tragically lost their lives. We must always 
remember tumultuous moments in history when people suffered because 
they were different.
  The Armenian genocide lasted over an eight-year period from 1915 to 
1923. During this time, the Ottoman empire carried out a systematic 
policy of eliminating its Christian Armenian population. The Armenian 
genocide was the first of the 20th century, but unfortunately, not the 
last.
  The atrocious acts of annihilation against the Armenian people were 
denounced by Paris, London and Washington as war crimes. Even the 
Germans, the Ottoman Empire's ally in the First World War, condemned 
these heinous acts. Henry Morgenthau, the U.S. Ambassador to 
Constantinople at the time, vividly documented the massacre of 1.5 
million Armenians.
  Winston Churchill used the word ``holocaust'' to describe the 
Armenian massacres when he said: ``in 1915 the Turkish government began 
and ruthlessly carried out the infamous general massacre and 
deportation of Armenians in Asia minor . . . [the Turks were] 
massacring uncounted thousands of helpless Armenians--men, women, and 
children together; whole districts blotted out in one administrative 
holocaust--these were beyond human redress.''
  This orchestrated extermination of a people is contrary to the values 
the United States espouses. We are a nation which strictly adheres to 
the affirmation of human rights everywhere and cannot dispute a 
horrendous historical fact by ignoring what so many witnessed and 
survived.
  Recognition and acceptance of any misdeed are necessary steps towards 
its extinction. Without acceptance there is no remorse, and without 
remorse, there is no catharsis and pardon.
  Even as recently as the last year of this millennium, the United 
States, together with many European nations, took active part in 
putting a stop to the genocidal events in Kosovo. It demonstrates that 
we are willing to risk our lives in order to remain true to our long 
tradition of intolerance to tyranny and injustice. We cannot remain 
silent and turn our face away from similar events that took place 
against the Armenian people.
  Of course, we all want to forget these horrific tragedies in our 
history and bury them in the past. However, it is only through painful 
process of acknowledging and remembering that we can keep similar dark 
moments from happening in the future.
  At the end of my statement, I have included several quotes from 
prominent world leaders and political figures, including several U.S. 
presidents, who describe and sadly affirm what happened to the 1.5 
million Armenians in the Ottoman Empire eighty-six years ago.
  In closing, Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask that as we take a moment 
to reflect upon the hardships endured by the Armenians, we also 
acknowledge that in the face of adversity the Armenian people have 
persevered. The survivors of the genocide and their descendants have 
made great contributions to every country in which they have settled--
including the United States, where Armenians have made their mark in 
business, the professions and our cultural life.

 Quotes Regarding the Armenian Genocide from Various World Leaders and 
                      Prominent Political Figures

       ``The twentieth century was marred by wars of unimaginable 
     brutality, mass murder and genocide. History records that the 
     Armenians were the first people of the last century to have 
     endured these cruelties. The Armenians were subjected to a 
     genocidal campaign that defies comprehension and commands all 
     decent people to remember and acknowledge the facts and 
     lessons of an awful crime in a century of bloody crimes 
     against humanity. If elected President, I would ensure that 
     our nation properly recognizes the tragic suffering of the 
     Armenian people.''--George W. Bush Jr., June 2, 2000, letter 
     to the members of the Armenian Assembly.
       ``[We join] Armenians around the world [as we remember] the 
     terrible massacres suffered in 1915-1923 at the hands of the 
     rulers of the Ottoman Empire. The United States responded to 
     this crime against humanity by leading diplomatic and private 
     relief efforts.''--George W. Bush Sr., April 20, 1990, speech 
     in Orlando, Florida.
       ``Like the genocide of the Armenians before it, and the 
     genocide of the Cambodians which followed it, . . . the 
     lessons of the Holocaust must never be forgotten.''--Ronald 
     Reagan, April 22, 1981, proclamation.
       ``It is generally not known in the world that, in the years 
     preceding 1916, there was a concerted effort made to 
     eliminate all the Armenian people, probably one of the 
     greatest tragedies that ever befell any group. And there 
     weren't any Nuremberg trials.''--Jimmy Carter, May 16, 1978, 
     White House ceremony.
       ``The association of Mount Ararat and Noah, the staunch 
     Christians who were massacred periodically by the Mohammedan 
     Turks, and the Sunday School collections over fifty years for 
     alleviating their miseries--all cumulate to impress the name 
     Armenian on the front of the American mind.''--Herbert 
     Hoover, The Memoirs of Herbert Hoover, 1952.
       ``. . . the Armenian massacre was the greatest crime of the 
     war, and the failure to act against Turkey is to condone it . 
     . . the failure to deal radically with the Turkish horror 
     means that all talk of guaranteeing the future peace of the 
     world is mischievous nonsense.''--Theodore Roosevelt, May 11, 
     1918, letter to Cleveland Hoadley Dodge.
       ``When the Turkish authorities gave the orders for these 
     deportations, they were merely giving the death warrant to a 
     whole race; they understood this well, and, in their 
     conversations with me, they made no particular attempt to 
     conceal the fact. . . . 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.''--Henry Morgenthau, Sr., U.S. Ambassador to 
     the Ottoman Empire Ambassador Morgenthau's Story, 1919.
       ``These left-overs from the former Young Turk Party, who 
     should have been made to account for the millions of our 
     Christian subjects who were ruthlessly driven en masse, from 
     their homes and massacred, have been restive under the 
     Republican rule.''--Mustafa ``Ataturk'' Kemal, founder of the 
     modern Turkish Republic in 1923 and revered throughout 
     Turkey, in an interview published on August 1, 1926 in The 
     Los Angeles Examiner, talking about former Young Turks in his 
     country.
       ``Who, after all, speaks today of the annihilation of the 
     Armenians?''--Adolf Hitler, while persuading his associates 
     that a Jewish holocaust would be tolerated by the west.
       ``It was not war. It was most certainly massacre and 
     genocide, something the world must remember . . . We will 
     always reject any attempt to erase its record, even for some 
     political advantage.''--Yossi Beilin, Israeli Deputy Foreign 
     Minister, April 27, 1994 on the floor of the Knesset in 
     response to a TV interview of the Turkish Ambassador.
       ``Mr. Speaker, with mixed emotions we mark the 50th 
     anniversary of the Turkish

[[Page H1519]]

     genocide of the Armenian people. In taking notice of the 
     shocking events in 1915, we observe this anniversary with 
     sorrow in recalling the massacres of Armenians and with pride 
     in saluting those brave patriots who survived to fight on the 
     side of freedom during World War I.''--Gerald Ford, 
     addressing the U.S. House of Representatives.
       ``Turkey is taking advantage of the war in order to 
     thoroughly liquidate (grundlich aufzaumen) its internal foes, 
     i.e., the indigenous Christians, without being thereby 
     disturbed by foreign intervention.''--Talat Pasha, one of the 
     three rulers of wartime in the Ottoman Empire in a 
     conservation with Dr. Mordtmann of the German Embassy in June 
     1915.
       ``What on earth do you want? The question is settled. There 
     are no more Armenians.''--Talat said this after the German 
     Ambassador persistently brought up the Armenian question in 
     1918.
       ``In an attempt to carry out its purpose to resolve the 
     Armenian question by the destruction of the Armenian race, 
     the Turkish government has refused to be deterred neither by 
     our representations, nor by those of the American Embassy, 
     nor by the delegate of the Pope, nor by the threats of the 
     Allied Powers, nor in deference to the public opinion of the 
     West representing one-half of the world.''--Count Wolff-
     Metternich, German Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, July 10, 
     1916, cable to the German Chancellor.
  Mr. DOOLEY of California. Mr. Speaker, as a proud member of the 
Congressional Armenian Caucus and the representative of a thriving 
community of Armenian-Americans, I join many of my colleagues today to 
recognize the 86th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.
  This terrible human tragedy must not be forgotten. Like the 
Holocaust, the Armenian Genocide stands as a tragic example of the 
human suffering that results from hatred and intolerance.
  One and a half million Armenian people were massacred by the Ottoman 
Turkish Empire between 1915 and 1923. More than 500,000 Armenians were 
exiled from their ancestral homeland. A race of people was nearly 
eliminated.
  It would be an even greater tragedy to forget the Armenian Genocide. 
To not recognize the horror of such events almost assures their 
repetition in the future.
  Our statements today are intended to preserve the memory of the 
Armenian loss, and to remind the world that the Turkish government 
still refuses to acknowledge the Armenian Genocide. The truth of this 
tragedy can never and should never be denied.
  I would like to commend the Armenian-American community as it 
continues to thrive and provide assistance and solidarity to its 
countrymen and women abroad. The Armenian-American community is bound 
together by strong generational and family ties, an enduring work ethic 
and a proud sense of ethnic heritage. Today we recall the tragedy of 
their past, not to place blame, but to answer a fundamental question, 
``Who remembers the Armenians?''
  Our commemoration of the Armenian Genocide speaks directly to that, 
and I answer, we do.
  Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the victims 
of one of history's unacknowledged tragedies--the Armenian Genocide. 
Today marks the 86th anniversary of this tragedy that lasted from 1915 
to 1923.
  April 24, 1915 is remembered and commemorated each year by the 
Armenian community and by people of conscience throughout the world. On 
this day, the rulers of the Ottoman empire began the systematic and 
ruthless extermination of the Armenian minority in Turkey. By the end 
of the Terror, more than a million Armenian men, women, and children 
had been massacred and more than half a million others had been 
expelled from the homeland that their forbears had inhabited for three 
millennia.
  The Armenian Genocide is a historical fact. The Republic of Turkey 
has adamantly refused to acknowledge that the Genocide happened on its 
soil but the evidence is irrefutable. In 1915, England, France and 
Russia jointly issued a statement charging the Ottoman Empire with ``a 
crime against humanity.'' Professor Raphael Lemkin, a holocaust 
survivor, is the key historical figure in making genocide a crime under 
international law. He coined the term ``genocide'' and was the first to 
characterize the atrocities of 1915-1923 as the ``Armenian Genocide.''
  We understand that there is a difference between the Turkish people 
and the government of the Ottoman Turks. In fact, we know that during 
the massacres there were Turks who tried to save Armenians at the cost 
of their own lives. But our alliance with Turkey should not deter us 
from learning the lessons of past mistakes.
  If we ignore the lessons of the Armenian Genocide, we are destined to 
repeat those same mistakes. The horrible conflicts in Sudan, Sierra 
Leone, and East Timor remind us that we must do more to prevent the 
systematic slaughter of innocent people. We must learn from the past 
and never forget the victims of the Armenian genocide.
  Mr. VISCLOSKY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in solemn memorial to the 
estimated 1.5 million men, women, and children who lost their lives 
during the Armenian Genocide. As in the past I am pleased to join so 
many distinguished House colleagues on both sides of the aisle in 
ensuring that the horrors wrought upon the Armenian people are never 
repeated.
  On April 24, 1915, over 200 religious, political, and intellectual 
leaders of the Armenian community were brutally executed by the Turkish 
government in Istanbul. Over the course of the next 8 years, this war 
of ethnic genocide against the Armenian community in the Ottoman Empire 
took the lives of over half the world's Armenian population.
  Sadly, there are some people who still deny the very existence of 
this period which saw the institutionalized slaughter of the Armenian 
people and dismantling of Armenian culture. To those who would question 
these events, I point to the numerous reports contained in the U.S. 
National Archives detailing the process that systematically decimated 
the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire. However, old records are 
too easily forgotten--and dismissed. That is why we come together every 
year at this time: to remember in words what some may wish to file away 
in archives. This genocide did take place, and these lives were taken. 
That memory must keep us forever vigilant in our efforts to prevent 
these atrocities from ever happening again.
  I am proud to note that Armenian immigrants found, in the United 
States, a country where their culture could take root and thrive. Most 
Armenians in America are children or grandchildren of the survivors, 
although there are still survivors amongst us. In my district in 
Northwest Indiana, a vibrant Armenian-American community has developed 
and strong ties to Armenia continue to flourish. My predecessor in the 
House, the late Adam Benjamin, was of Armenian heritage, and his 
distinguished service in the House serves as an example to the entire 
Northwest Indiana community. Over the years, members of the Armenian-
American community throughout the United States have contributed 
millions of dollars and countless hours of their time to various 
Armenian causes. Of particular note are Mrs. Vicki Hovanessian and her 
husband Dr. Raffi Hovanessian, residents of Indiana's First 
Congressional District, who have continually worked to improve the life 
in Armenia, as well as in Northwest Indiana. Three other Armenian-
American families in my congressional district, Dr. Aram and Seta 
Semerdjian and Sonya Doumanian, and Ara and Rosy Yeretsian, have also 
contributed greatly toward charitable works in the United States and 
Armenia. Their efforts, together with hundreds of other members of the 
Armenian-American community, have helped to finance several important 
projects in Armenia, including the construction of new schools, a 
mammography clinic, and a crucial roadway connecting Armenia to Nagorno 
Karabagh.
  In the House, I have tried to assist the efforts of my Armenian-
American constituency by continually supporting foreign aid to Armenia. 
This past year, with my support, Armenia received over $90 million of 
the $219 million in U.S. aid earmarked for the Southern Caucasus. In 
addition, on April 6, 2001, I joined several of my colleagues in 
signing the letter to President Bush urging him to honor his pledge to 
recognize the Armenian Genocide.
  The Armenian people have a long and proud history. In the fourth 
century, they became the first nation to embrace Christianity. During 
World War I, the Ottoman Empire was ruled by an organization known as 
the Young Turk Committee, which allied with Germany. Amid fighting in 
the Ottoman Empire's eastern Anatolian provinces, the historic 
heartland of the Christian Armenians, Ottoman authorities ordered the 
deportation and execution of all Armenians in the region. By the end of 
1923, virtually the entire Armenian population of Anatolia and western 
Armenia had either been killed or deported.
  While it is important to keep the lessons of history in mind, we must 
also remain committed to protecting Armenia from new and more hostile 
aggressors. In the last decade, thousands of lives have been lost and 
more than a million people displaced in the struggle between Armenia 
and Azerbaijan, over Nagorno-Karabagh. Even now, as we rise to 
commemorate the accomplishments of the Armenian people and mourn the 
tragedies they have suffered, Azerbaijan, Turkey, and other countries 
continue to engage in a debilitating blockade of this free nation.
  On March 28th of this year, I testified before Foreign Operations 
Appropriations Subcommittee on the important issue of bringing peace to 
a troubled area of the world. I continued my support for maintaining of 
level funding for the Southern Caucasus region of the Independent 
States (IS), and of Armenia in particular. I also stressed the critical 
importance of retaining Section 907 of the Freedom

[[Page H1520]]

Support Act that restricts U.S. aid for Azerbaijan as a result of their 
blockade. Unfortunately, Armenia is now entering its twelfth year of a 
blockade, and Section 907 is the one protection afforded it by the 
Congress. The flow of food, fuel, and medicine continues to be hindered 
by the blockade, creating a humanitarian crisis in Armenia. A repeal of 
Section 907 would only serve to legitimize Azerbaijan's illegitimate 
acts of aggression. I stand in strong support of Section 907, which 
sends a clear message that the United States Congress stands behind the 
current peace process and encourages Azerbaijan to work with the 
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe's Minsk Group 
toward a meaningful and lasting resolution. In the end, I believe 
Section 907 will help conclude a conflict that threatens to destabilize 
the entire region and places the Armenian nation in distinct peril.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleagues, Representatives Joe 
Knollenberg and Frank Pallone, for organizing this special order to 
commemorate the 86th Anniversary of the Armenian genocide. Their 
efforts will not only help bring needed attention to this tragic period 
in world history, but also serve to remind us of our duty to protect 
basic human rights and freedoms around the world.
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, as we do every year, I rise to 
mark April 24, the somber anniversary of one of the great crimes of 
modern history: the beginning of the genocide perpetrated against the 
Armenians of the Ottoman Empire. During and after World War I, a 
government-orchestrated campaign to eliminate the Armenians under 
Ottoman rule led to the slaughter of about one and a half million 
people. Entire communities were uprooted, as survivors fled their homes 
and were forced into exile.
  Fortunately for them, the United States offered a haven. In turn, 
Armenian refugees gave this country the best they had to offer. Their 
contributions in many fields of endeavor have energized and enriched 
American culture and politics. Surely Turkey's loss has been America's 
gain, as Armenian refugees in the early part of the 20th century and 
their progeny have become an inspiring success story.
  Turkey has lost in another way: its longstanding campaign of denial 
that the atrocities perpetrated during 1915-1923 were a genocide has 
not convinced anyone. More and more representative institutions across 
the world have openly declared their recognition of the genocide, and 
their number will grow. By refusing to acknowledge what the rest of the 
world sees, Turkey has stunted its own development and complicated its 
ability to come to terms with its own past, present, and future.
  As we soberly mark April 24 this year, there is at least reason to 
hope for progress on a front important to all Armenians. The OSCE-
brokered negotiations over Nagorno-Karabakh finally seems to be making 
headway. Though the details remain confidential, the recent meeting 
between Armenia's President Kocharian and Azerbaijan's President Aliev 
in Key West, Florida apparently went well enough for the OSCE Minsk 
Group to prepare a new peace proposal that will be presented to the 
parties in Geneva in June. Much hard bargaining surely lies ahead. 
Nevertheless, for the first time in years, we can allow ourselves of 
bit of optimism about the prospects for peace in a very troubled and 
important region.
  Mr. Speaker, nothing can compensate for the loss of so many Armenians 
last century. But a prospering Armenia, at peace with its neighbors, 
and giving free rein to the natural abilities of this talented people, 
would mitigate the pain and sorrow we feel today.
  Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today, on the 86th anniversary of 
the Armenian Genocide, to lend my voice to this important debate 
remembering the Armenian Genocide. While Turkey's brutal campaign 
against the Armenian people was initiated almost a century ago, its 
impact lives on in the hearts of all freedom-loving people. That is why 
we must continue to speak about it. We must remind the American people 
of the potential for such atrocities against ethnic groups, because 
history lessons that are not learned are too often repeated.
  The Armenian Genocide, conceived and carried out by the Ottoman 
Empire between 1915 and 1923, resulted in the deportation of 2 million 
Armenians from their homeland and the ultimate slaughter of 1.5 million 
of those people. The continued tensions in the Caucasus region are 
rooted in this history, and until they are forthrightly acknowledged 
among world leaders, the prospects for resolution remain dim.
  And so, Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize history, and to 
demonstrate that history is unkind to that abuse either rules of war or 
basic human dignity. I have fought in a war and understand each side 
feels compelled for its own reasons to fight. When that fight extends 
to civilian populations it is justifiable to both examine and condemn 
such occurrences.
  The U.S. has some of the most extensive documentation of this 
genocide against the Armenian people, and there has been no shortage of 
corroboration by other countries. The Armenian genocide has been 
recognized by the United Nations and nations around the globe, and the 
U.S. came to the aid of the survivors. But perhaps we were not 
vociferous enough in holding the perpetrators of this genocide 
accountable, and for shining the light of international shame upon 
them. For it was only a few decades later that we saw another genocide 
against humanity: the Holocaust. That is why we must continue to tell 
the story of Armenian genocide. It is a painful reminder that such 
vicious campaigns against a people have occurred, and that the 
potential for such human brutality exists in this world. We must remain 
mindful of the continued repression of Armenians today, and challenge 
those who would persecute these people. If we do not, future 
generations may be destined to relive such horrors against humanity.
  Mr. THOMAS. Mr. Speaker, today, I join my colleagues in commemoration 
of the 86th anniversary of beginning of the Armenian genocide. On April 
24, 1915, under the direction of the Turkish Ottoman Empire, a campaign 
of Armenian extermination began. Armenian religious, political, and 
intellectual leaders from Istanbul were arrested and exiled--silencing 
the leading representatives of the Armenian community in the Ottoman 
Empire. From 1915 until 1923, 1.5 million Armenians were murdered, with 
another 500,000 forced into exile in Russia, ending a period of 2,500 
years of an Armenian presence in their historic homeland. Today we 
remember this terrible period in human history, and commend the 
Armenian people for their ongoing struggle to live peacefully in their 
historic homeland.
  Like the Jewish and Cambodian holocausts, and more recently, the 
Serbian ethnic cleansing in Kosovo, the Armenian genocide stands out as 
one of the world's most morally reprehensible acts. Unfortunately, some 
American Presidents have chosen not to recognize this atrocity as what 
it truly was--the attempted extermination of an ethnic group. 
Continuing our good relationship with Turkey has repeatedly been cited 
as the reason not to use the word genocide. Mr. Speaker, there is no 
word other than genocide to describe the systematic murder of a million 
and a half people.
  Earlier this month, I joined 107 of my colleagues in asking President 
Bush to properly recognize the Armenian Genocide by using the word 
genocide, and I hope that Mr. Bush will become the first American 
president in 20 years to do that.
  On this day, we remember those Armenians who died 86 years ago and 
send a message to the world that we will never forget what happened 
during that terrible period in history and that we reaffirm our resolve 
to ensure that no nation will ever again have the opportunity to 
participate in mass genocide.
  Mr. GEKAS. Mr. Speaker, today, April 24, 2001, we solemnly mark the 
76th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. On this day in 1915, three 
hundred Armenian leaders, writers, thinkers and professionals in 
Constantinople (present day Istanbul) were rounded up, deported and 
killed on the orders of the Ottoman Imperial Government. By 1923, one 
and a half million Armenians had been killed and roughly two million 
deported.
  Our country was one of the first major powers of the day to condemn 
the acts of the Ottoman Empire. Other nations lent their voices to the 
outcry. Nations allied to the Ottoman Empire, such as Germany and 
Austria, and those who found themselves politically opposed to the 
Empire, like Great Britain, France, and Russia, expressed their 
consternation at the clear policy of genocide.
  Today, the United States should reassert its condemnation of the 
ignominious acts of over three quarters of a century ago. The Armenians 
Genocide has an infamous place in history as the first mass genocide of 
the 20th century. Tragically, it was not the last act of genocide the 
world witnessed that century. Had the Armenians Genocide been fully 
investigated and condemned in the years after its duration, perhaps. 
citizens of the world would have reacted sooner to the mass ethnic 
cleansings that followed.
  I am sure that the victims of the Armenian Genocide would want us to 
not simply remember the historic travesty that befell them, but would 
want us to learn from these lessons of xenophobia and inhumanity. We 
remember the Armenian genocide, today, and we affirm its historical 
existence, not to inflame the passions of our friends in the modern day 
Republic of Turkey, but to remind all Americans of the horrible 
consequences of ethnic violence. Turks of all backgrounds heroically 
fought against the policy of genocide adopted by extremist elements 
controlling the Ottoman government during World War I. We commemorate 
their heroism and humanity just as firmly in our act of remembrance 
today.
  Mr. Speaker, we must hope and pray that genocide never again is 
visited upon the human race. As we grow closer in commerce and 
communication, may we also grow wiser in our understanding of world 
history. May we heed the lessons that are there to be learned. And may 
we never forget the worst aspects of

[[Page H1521]]

that history, so that tomorrow's history may be all the better.
  Mr. CAPUANO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today, for the third consecutive 
year, to commemorate a people who despite murder, hardship, and 
betrayal have persevered. April 24, 2001, marks the 86th anniversary of 
the Armenian Genocide; unbelievably, an event that many still fail to 
recognize.
  Throughout three decades in the late nineteenth and early twentieth 
centuries, millions of Armenians were systematically uprooted from 
their homeland of three thousands years and deported or massacred. From 
1894 through 1896, three hundred thousand Armenians were ruthlessly 
murdered. Again in 1909, thirty thousand Armenians were massacred in 
Cilicia, and their villages were destroyed.
  On April 24, 1915, two hundred Armenian religious, political, and 
intellectual leaders were arbitrarily arrested, taken to Turkey and 
murdered. This incident marks a dark and solemn period in the history 
of the Armenian people. From 1915 to 1923, the Ottoman Empire launched 
a systematic campaign to exterminate Armenians. In eight short years, 
more than 1.5 million Armenians suffered through atrocities such as 
deportation, forced slavery, and torture. Most were ultimately 
murdered.
  I have had the privilege of joining my colleagues in a letter to the 
President asking that the U.S. officially commemorate the victims of 
the Armenian Genocide and honor its 1.5 million victims. As a cosponsor 
and proponent of H. Res. 596 during the 106th Congress, I was deeply 
disturbed by the decision that prevented the House of Representatives 
from considering this resolution last October. This resolution 
recognized the suffering of nearly two million Armenians from 1915 
through 1923, as the Ottoman Empire strove to wipe out an entire race 
of men, women, and children. Those who were not murdered were 
effectively removed from their homes of 2,500 years in what is now 
modern day Turkey.
  The resolution called upon the President of the United States to do 
three things: (1) Ensure that U.S. foreign policy reflects 
consideration and sensitivity for human rights, ethnic cleansing, and 
genocide documented in U.S. records relating to the Armenian Genocide 
and the consequences of the Turkish court's failure to enforce 
judgments against those responsible for committing genocide; (2) 
recognize, during his annual commemoration of the Armenian Genocide on 
April 24th, that this was a systematic and deliberate annihilation of 
1.5 million people, and reflect upon the United States' effort to 
intervene on behalf of Armenians during the genocide; and (3) in his 
annual commemoration of the Armenian Genocide, emphasize that the 
modern day Republic of Turkey did not conduct the Armenian Genocide, 
which was perpetrated by the Ottoman Empire. This was the second time 
H. Res. 596 had been pulled from consideration, despite pledges by the 
leadership that the U.S. would go on record to affirm their support for 
the Armenian genocide.
  We should exhibit the same support as many of our friends in the 
international community who have refused to be bullied into silence. 
The European Parliament and the United Nations have recognized and 
reaffirmed the Armenian genocide as historical fact, as have the 
Russian and Greek parliaments, the Canadian House of Commons, the 
Lebanese Chamber of Deputies, and the French National Assembly. It is 
time for America to venerate Armenians who suffered at the hands of the 
Ottoman Empire. And let me stress that I am not speaking of the 
government of modern day Turkey, but rather its predecessor, which many 
of Turkey's present day leaders helped to remove from power.
  As I have in the past, as a member of the Congressional Armenian 
Caucus, I will continue to work with my colleagues and with the 
Armenian-Americans in my district to promote investment and prosperity 
in Armenia. And, I sincerely, hope that this year, the U.S. will have 
the opportunity and courage to speak in support of the millions of 
Armenians who suffered because of their heritage.
  Mr. ACKERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I am honored to take part in an important 
annual event in the House of Representatives, the commemoration of the 
Armenian Genocide. I am proud that dozens of Members gather each year 
to mark this dark chapter in human history. Such devotion to memory is 
not a trivial matter. We know this to be true because, even today, 
there are those who would vainly try to deny the past, in order to 
influence the future.
  We, as a moral people, cannot allow such wicked efforts to prosper. 
Even passive acceptance of such lies would be tantamount to 
participating in a second genocide. As we all know, surely and 
irrefutably, the first Armenian Genocide, occurred between 1915 and 
1923, and resulted in the deliberate death of 1.5 million human souls, 
killed for the crime of their own existence. The second Armenian 
Genocide, which every year we must struggle against, is the ongoing 
effort by some to deny reality, to deny history, to deny one of 
humanity's darkest hours.
  Mr. Speaker, the Armenian Genocide marked a critical point in 
history. We can look back now, with the wisdom of hindsight, and see in 
the deaths of a million and a half Armenians the first signs of the 
breathtaking cruelty of the last century. We can see technology and 
hatred converging toward the creation of a new phenomenon in human 
history, the apotheosis of evil, the creation of genocide, the 
organized attempt to annihilate an entire people.
  The Ottoman Empire's campaign to eliminate the entire Armenian 
population existing within its borders was no accident, no mistake made 
by a bureaucrat. Genocide was official policy and 1.5 million Armenians 
died as a result. They were starved and shot, deported and humiliated. 
They were old and young, innocent and blameless. They were killed, not 
for what they had one, but for who they were.
  Mr. Speaker, when we assemble here, in the House of Representatives, 
and remember the Armenian Genocide, we stand as witnesses to humanity's 
worst potential and promise to do better. To not stand by, impassive 
and confused in the face of horror. We commit ourselves to our common 
humanity and the precious rights enshrined in the U.S. Constitution. 
Genocide is incomprehensible, but not unstoppable.
  For genocide to be removed from our world and banished forever, we 
must begin with teaching our children what has happened, and recalling, 
publicly and clearly, the unprecedented slaughter of the innocent in 
the 20th century; first in Armenian and then throughout Europe. As a 
just and honorable nation, we must do more than shrug our shoulders at 
atrocities. We must bear witness, year after year, and in doing so, 
commit ourselves to preventing history's repetition.
  Mr. Speaker, my colleagues and I are here today for one simple 
reason: to remind our nation that eighty-five years ago one-third of 
the Armenian people, 1.5 million men, women and children, were put to 
death for the crime of their own birth. To deny this reality is to deny 
that genocide can happen again.
  I want to thank America's citizens of Armenian descent for their 
unfailing commitment to their people's history and their unwavering 
struggle to ensure that the memory and history of their peoples' 
darkest hour is never lost. Thanks to them, the Armenian Genocide and 
its lessons will not be forgotten in our time and in our nation.
  Finally, Mr. Speaker, I would be remiss if I didn't thank and commend 
my colleagues, Congressmen Joe Knollenberg and Frank Pallone, the co-
Chairmen of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues. Thanks to 
their leadership, this House will again honorably fulfill America's 
commitment to memory and justice.
  Mr. MEEHAN. Mr. Speaker, I join my colleagues in this commemoration 
of the anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Each year, I join Members 
of Congress from both sides of the political spectrum to take part in 
this commemoration. We join together to raise awareness of a chapter in 
history so brutal and violent that it sadly deserves the horrific title 
of ``Genocide.''
  Each year, as I rise to pay tribute to over 1.5 million Armenians who 
were killed in this tragedy, I am amazed at how the news of the 
Armenian Genocide was suppressed at the time and then shrouded from 
public view for generations. We all remember the question posed by 
Adolf Hitler at the beginning of World War II--he said ``who remembers 
the Armenians?'' Today, for the sake of justice and human rights, we 
answer: ``We do.''
  The events that took place between 1915 to 1923, when Armenian men, 
women and children were systematically mistreated and killed, represent 
one of the darkest chapters of human history. Armenians were tortured, 
had their property confiscated, and died from malnutrition and 
starvation during long, forced marches from their homeland in Eastern 
Turkey.
  When tragedies of this magnitude take place, we must ensure that they 
are not forgotten. Let us teach our children that attempted systematic 
annihilation of a people must be a fixture of the past. Let us teach 
our children to value diversity and promote peace and understanding. 
Theirs can be a better world than the world of the Armenians between 
1915 and 1923--but only if they truly understand the cruelty that 
humankind can wreak upon its own.
  There are survivors of the Armenian Genocide in my district, and the 
horror of this ordeal is forever etched in their collective memories. 
Every year, survivors participate in commemoration ceremonies in 
Boston, Lowell, and other parts of Massachusetts' Merrimack Valley. The 
commemoration offers participants an opportunity to remind the media 
and citizens around the world of the tragedy suffered by the Armenians 
at the hands of the Turkish empire.
  I represent a large and active Armenian community in my Congressional 
district. They

[[Page H1522]]

are hard-working and proud of their heritage. With great respect for 
them and for Armenians throughout the world, let us renew our 
commitment here today that the American people will oppose any and all 
instances of genocide.
  Mr. KENNEDY of Rhode Island. Mr. Speaker, we join here today to honor 
the memory of the Armenians who were massacred and the Armenian 
survivors who fled into exile during the Ottoman Empire's genocide from 
1915 to 1923. On April 24th 1915, the Ottoman Empire began what can be 
called nothing less than a policy of ethnic cleansing. The U.S. 
Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, Henry Morgenthau, stated that he was 
confident the treatment he observed of the Armenian people from 1915 to 
1923 was the greatest atrocity the human race had ever seen. ``I am 
confident that the whole history of the human race contains no such 
horrible episode as this,'' Morgenthau stated.
  We are very fortunate and blessed to have so many Armenian people 
connected to our Nation. In my home state, the Armenian community is 
great, and so too are the gifts and talents they bring to Rhode Island. 
Our Nation must continue to take the time to educate and remember the 
atrocities suffered by over one and a half million Armenians during the 
Armenian Genocide. Future generations must understand what the 
community has been through to truly appreciate and honor all the 
talents they share with our Nation.
  Over eighty-six years later after the tragedy began, Turkey still 
denies the Armenian Genocide despite overwhelming documentation of 
these atrocities. We cannot allow such ethnic violence and genocide to 
simply be covered up or ignored. Continued Congressional support to 
provide assistance to the people residing in Nagorno-Karabagh and 
upholding section 907 of the Freedom Support Act sends a strong, 
powerful message to Turkey that we will not allow Armenian communities 
to be threatened again.
  The Armenian Genocide serves as a reminder to us all that we must do 
more to protect peace and human rights for all those around the world.
  Mr. LEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I join voices with my colleagues today to 
recognize the 86th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.
  Between 1894 and 1923, approximately two million Armenians were 
massacred, persecuted,and exiled by the Turk government of the Ottoman 
Empire. Despite all the facts, eyewitness accounts, recognition by 
countries throughout the world, and the findings of their own post-war 
courts, the government of Turkey still refuses to acknowledge the 
genocide ever occurred. We cannot allow such blatant disregard and 
denial to go on. Earlier this year, France's National Assembly passed 
legislation labeling the Armenian Genocide as genocide. We in the 
United States should do no less.
  I well remember a speech made by Elie Wiesel at the White House in 
which he described the perils of indifference to suffering: ``In a way, 
to be indifferent to that suffering is what makes the human being 
inhuman. Indifference, after all, is more dangerous than anger or 
hatred. Anger can at times be creative. One writes a great poem, a 
great symphony . . . because one is angry at the injustice that one 
witnesses. But indifference is never creative. Even hatred at times may 
elicit a response. You fight it. You denounce it. You disarm it. 
Indifference elicits no response . . . Indifference is always the 
friend of the enemy, for it benefits the agressor--never his victim, 
whose pain is magnified when he or she feels forgotten. The political 
prisoner in his cell, the hungry children, the homeless refugees--not 
to respond to their plight, not to relieve their solitude by offering 
them a spark of hope is to exile them from human memory. And in denying 
their humanity we betray our own.
  Let us all take a moment to reflect on the anniversary of the 
genocide of the Armenian people. We have a duty to those who have died 
and to those who survived to help preserve this memory forever. We must 
raise our thoughts and our voices on behalf of those who have suffered 
and died, and pray that such suffering is never again visited on any 
people anywhere on the Earth.
  Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and remember the 
1.5 million victims of the Armenian genocide, who were systematically 
slaughtered solely because of their race. While there is never a 
justification for genocide, in this case there also regrettably has 
never been an apology, and the criminals were never brought to justice. 
Such an unconscionable act, however, can never be forgotten. It is our 
duty to remember.
  I also rise in tribute to the Armenian people who have fully 
recovered from this atrocity by maintaining their proud transitions and 
culture, becoming an integral part of America, and nine years ago, 
forming the Republic of Armenia.
  The Ottoman Empire's last, desperate act was one of profound cruelty, 
tragic and gruesome beyond description. During World War I--a 
tumultuous, revolutionary time of great societal transformations and 
uncertain futures on the battlefields and at home--desperate Ottoman 
leaders fell back on the one weapon that could offer hope of personal 
survival. It is a weapon that is still used today, fed by fear, 
desperation, and hatred. It transforms the average citizen into a 
zealot, no longer willing to listen to reason. This weapon is, of 
course, nationalism. Wrongly directed, nationalism can easily result in 
ethnic strife and senseless genocide, committed in the name of false 
beliefs preached by immoral, irresponsible, tyrannical leaders.
  Today I rise not to speak of the present, but in memory of the 
victims of the past, who suffered needlessly in the flames of vicious, 
destructive nationalism. On April 24, 1915, the leaders of the Ottoman 
government tragically chose to systematically exterminate an entire 
race of people. In this case, as in the case of Nazi Germany, 
nationalism became a weapon of cruelty and evil. Let us never forget 
the 1.5 million Armenians who died at the whim of wicked men and their 
misguided followers.
  The story of the Armenian genocide is in itself appalling. It is 
against everything our government--and indeed all governments who 
strive for justice--stands for; it represents the most wicked side of 
humanity. What makes the Armenian story even more unfortunate is 
history has repeated itself in all corners of the world, and lessons 
that should have been learned long ago have been ignored. We must not 
forget the Armenian genocide, the Holocaust, Cambodia, Rwanda, or 
Bosnia. It is our duty that by remembering the millions who have been 
victims of genocide, we pledge ourselves to preventing such acts from 
repeating themselves.
  It is an honor and privilege to represent a large and active Armenian 
population, many who have family members who were persecuted by their 
Ottoman Turkish rulers. Michigan's Armenian-American community has done 
much to further our state's commercial, political, and intellectual 
growth, just has it as done in communities across the country. And so I 
also rise today to honor to the triumph of the Armenian people, who 
have endured adversity and bettered our country.
  The Armenian people have faced great trials and tests throughout 
their history. They have proved their resilience in the face of tragedy 
before, and I have no doubt that they will endure today's tragic 
occurrence, recognize that a madman's bullet can never put an end to a 
people's dreams, and keep moving forward on the path of peace and 
freedom.
  Mr. Speaker, let no one, friend or foe, ever deny that the Armenian 
genocide occurred. Let us not forget the heinous nature of the crimes 
committed against the Armenian people. Let us promise to the world, as 
American citizens and citizens of the world, that we will never again 
allow such a crime to be perpetrated, and will not tolerate the forces 
of misguided nationalism and hate.
  Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the memories 
of those who perished in the Armenian Genocide.
  April 24, 1915 is remembered and solemnly commemorated each year by 
the Armenian community. On this date, eighty-six years ago, a group of 
Armenian political, religious, and intellectual leaders were arrested 
in Constantinople, sent further inland, and killed. In the following 
years, Armenians living under Ottoman rule were deprived of their 
freedom, property, and ultimately, their lives. By 1923, over a million 
Armenians had been massacred, and another half a million more people 
had been deported.
  This genocide, which was preceded by a series of massacres in 1894-
1896 and in 1909 and was followed by another series of massacres in 
1920, essentially dispersed Armenians and removed them from their 
historic homeland. The persecution of the Armenian people left 
psychological scars among the survivors and their families. No person 
should have to endure the trauma and horrors that they did.
  On May 2, 1995, I had the honor of meeting the former Armenian 
Ambassador to the United States, Rouben Robert Shugarian, at a 
Congressional reception commemorating the 80th anniversary of the 
Armenian genocide. Ambassador Shugarian introduced me to several 
survivors of the 1915 genocide. This experience was a deeply moving and 
personal reminder of the 1.5 million Armenians who perished during the 
systematic extermination by the Ottoman Empire.
  It is important that we not only commemorate the Armenian Genocide, 
but also honor the memory of others who lost their lives during this 
time. We must remember this horrific and shameful period in world 
history so that it will never be repeated again.
  Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, today marks the 86th anniversary of the 
beginning of the Armenian genocide. I rise today to commemorate this 
terrible chapter in human history, and to help ensure that it will 
never be forgotten.
  On April 24, 1915, the Turkish government began to arrest Armenian 
community and political leaders. Many were executed without

[[Page H1523]]

ever being charged with crimes. Soon after the government deported most 
Armenians from Turkish Armenia, ordering that they resettle in what is 
now Syria. Many deportees never reached that destination.
  From 1915 to 1918, more than a million Armenians died of starvation 
or disease on long marches, or were massacred outright by Turkish 
forces. From 1918 to 1923, Armenians continued to suffer at the hands 
of the Turkish military, which eventually removed all remaining 
Armenians from Turkey.
  The U.S. Ambassador in Constantinople at the time, Henry Morgenthau, 
stated ``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.''
  We mark this anniversary of the start of the Armenian genocide 
because this tragedy for the Armenian people was a tragedy for all 
humanity. It is our duty to remember, to speak out and to teach future 
generations about the horrors of genocide and the oppression and 
terrible suffering endured by the Armenian people.
  Sadly, we cannot say that such atrocities are history. We have only 
to recall the ``killing fields'' of Cambodia, mass killings in Bosnia 
and Rwanda, and ``ethnic cleansing'' in Kosovo to see that the threat 
of genocide persists. We must renew our commitment never to remain 
indifferent in the face of such assaults on humanity.
  We also remember this day because it is a time for us to celebrate 
the contribution of the Armenian community in America--including 
hundreds of thousands in California--to the richness of our character 
and culture. The strength they have displayed in overcoming tragedy to 
flourish in this country is an example for all of us. Their success is 
moving testimony to the truth that tyranny and evil cannot extinguish 
the vitality of the human spirit.
  The Armenian struggle continues to this day. But now with an 
independent Armenian state, the United States has the opportunity to 
contribute to a true memorial to the past by strengthening Armenia's 
democracy. We must do all we can through aid and trade to support 
Armenia's efforts to construct an open political and economic system.
  Adolf Hitler, the architect of the Nazi Holocaust, once remarked 
``Who remembers the Armenians?'' The answer is, we do. And we will 
continue to remember the victims of the 1915-23 genocide because, in 
the words of the philosopher George Santayana, ``Those who cannot 
remember the past are condemned to repeat it.''
  Mr. WAXMAN. Mr. Speaker, I join my colleagues in commemorating the 
Armenian Genocide.
  Today we solemnly remember the April 24, 1915 onslaught of the 
Ottoman Government's eight-year campaign of terror against its Armenian 
population. We mourn the systematic destruction of Armenian 
communities, the murder of one and a half million men, women, and 
children, and the forced deportation of over nearly one million others.
  This somber anniversary, however, also bears a stark warning. Eighty-
six years ago, the world's willingness to ignore the bloodshed against 
Armenians set the stage for its complacency during Hitler's attempt to 
annihilate the Jews. Today, the world's resolve against historical 
revisionism of the Armenian Genocide will be a key determinant of our 
ability to stand against similar attempts at Holocaust denial.
  I am proud to acknowledge the Armenian Americans in my district and 
across the country who have dedicated themselves to preserving the 
memory of those who were persecuted, and to publicizing the United 
States records documenting this period. I join them and my colleagues 
in renewing our commitment to stand against governments that persecute 
their own people, and to insuring that no act of genocide will ever 
again go unnoticed or unmourned.
  Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise this evening to join my colleagues in 
commemorating the Armenian Genocide, one of the great tragedies of the 
twentieth century. I also want to thank Representatives Pallone and 
Knollenberg for calling special orders tonight to remember this 
terrible event.
  Eighty-six years ago, in the Ottoman Empire, the Armenian Genocide 
began with the arrest and murder of many of the Armenian community's 
religious, political, and intellectual leaders. Their deaths would be 
followed by the massacre of one and a half million men, women, and 
children, and the displacement and deportation of hundreds of thousands 
more.
  Today, we pause to remember and mourn their loss. As we enter a new 
century, we carry with us, seared into our memories, the bloodshed of 
the last hundred years. That century added a new and terrible word to 
our vocabularies--genocide, the attempt to wipe out not merely a life, 
but a people and a culture. The Armenian Genocide stands as the first 
chilling example of that crime against humanity.
  History matters. It must be remembered, and it must be acknowledged. 
If our past is a blank slate, we have no identity, no sense of place or 
of self, and nothing from which to learn. Failure to remember, 
acknowledge, and learn from the Armenian Genocide would only increase 
the scope of this terrible tragedy. The murders of a million and half 
people must not be compounded by the erasure of their memory. That 
would be one more act of genocide, and that we can never allow.
  Mr. LANGEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to remember the Armenian 
victims of the genocide brought upon them by the Ottoman Turkish Empire 
and to commend my colleagues, the gentleman from New Jersey, 
Congressman Frank Pallone, and the gentleman from Michigan, Congressman 
Joe Knollenberg, for organizing this special order today so that 
Members of the House may take the time to remember this solemn 
occasion.
  April 24th marks the beginning of the systematic and deliberate 
campaign of genocide perpetrated by the Ottoman Turkish Empire in 1915. 
Over the following 8 years, 1.5 million Armenians were tortured and 
murdered, and more than half a million were forced from their homeland 
into exile. Regrettably, in the years since, the Turkish Government has 
refused to apologize for these atrocious acts, or even acknowledge the 
Armenian Genocide, despite overwhelming documentation.
  By recognizing the victims of the genocide, we commemorate both those 
who perished and those who were able to begin a new life in communities 
like my home State of Rhode Island, where many Armenian families 
continue to thrive today. I hope that recognition of this atrocity will 
help erase the remnants of an era in which propaganda and deceit held 
precedence over truth and human dignity. Our nation must never allow 
oppression and persecution to pass without condemnation.
  Armenians are a strong, resilient people, struggling to heal the 
wounds of the past. However, until the Armenian genocide is officially 
acknowledged, these wounds will remain. We should not deny the Armenian 
people their rightful place in history. To do so would dishonor them, 
and blight our understanding of the past. It is the best interests of 
our nation and the entire global community to remember the past and 
learn from history.
  Even as we remember the tragedy and honor the dead, we also honor the 
living. Out of the ashes of their history, Armenians all across the 
world have clung to their identity and have prospered in new 
communities. The State of Rhode Island is fortunate to be home to such 
an organized and active community, whose members contribute and 
participate in every aspect of civic life.
  As an ardent supporter of the Armenian-American community throughout 
my public service career, I am proud to honor the victims of the 
genocide by paying tribute to their memory, showing compassion for 
those who have suffered from such heinous prejudice, and never 
forgetting the pain that they have endured. Let us never forget their 
tragedy, and ensure that such crimes are never repeated.
  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank our two distinguished 
cochairmen of the Caucus on Armenian Issues, the gentleman from 
Michigan (Mr. Knollenberg) and the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. 
Pallone) for arranging this special order today. I also want to extend 
my concerns to the Armenian-American community on this somber occasion.
  Armenian-Americans have every reason to be proud of their heritage 
and their accomplishments in this country as well as their efforts in 
preserving their culture their attention to the memory of their 
matryrs. I join Armenians and their friends throughout the world who 
gather this week to honor the memories of the countless men, women, and 
children who perished 86 years ago in the Armenian Genocide.
  Future generations should not be around to forget such horrible 
crimes, much less to deny their existence. Moreover, we can not say 
with any certainty that the atrocities of the American Genocide are 
left to history. We only have to recall the Holocaust, the killing 
fields of Cambodia, the massacres in Rwanda, and the ethnic cleansing 
in Bosnian and East Timor. That is why, in addition to never forgetting 
the first genocide of the 20th century, we must make certain that the 
fate that befell the Armenian people will never again be repeated.
  Yet there are many governments which fail to acknowledge the 
existence of the Armenian Genocide which is a great disservice to all 
peoples who have suffered persecution and attempted annihilation. It is 
important therefore that our nation recognizes the Armenian Holocaust 
as an historical fact and history is preserved.
  Accordingly, it is fitting that we pause and join in this 
commemoration, and asking all Americans to join in it. We must 
understand the lessons of the tragedies of this century such as the 
Armenian Genocide, and most important to resolve to prevent their 
repetition.

[[Page H1524]]

  Mr. COSTELLO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the victims 
of one of history's most terrible tragedies, the Armenian Genocide.
  The Armenian community commemorates this atrocity each year on April 
24, the day in 1915 when 300 Armenian leaders, intellectuals, and 
professionals were rounded up in Constantinople, deported, and killed. 
From 1915 through 1923, one and a half million Armenians had been 
massacred, 500,000 more had been deported, and the survivors were 
systematically deprived of their property, freedom, and dignity.
  In my district, there is a significant population of Armenian 
survivors and their families that showed heroic courage and will to 
survive in the face of horrendous obstacles and adversities. These 
survivors are an important window into the past. It is through their 
unforgettable tragedy that we are able to share in their history and 
strong heritage.
  Mr. Speaker, in the Armenian consciousness, the events of 1915 
through 1923 are a vivid and constant presence. I am pleased my 
colleagues and I have the opportunity to pay tribute to the Armenian 
community in order to ensure the legacy of the genocide is remembered.
  Mr. KIRK. Mr. Speaker, today, we remember April 24, 1915 as one of 
the darkest days of the 20th century. It was on this day that 300 
Armenian leaders, writers, religious figures and professionals in 
Constantinople were gathered together, deported, and brutally murdered. 
In addition, thousands more Armenian citizens were dragged out of their 
homes and murdered in the streets. Remaining citizens were taken from 
their homes and marched off to concentration camps in the desert, where 
many died of starvation and thirst. Following the horrific events of 
April 24, 1915, the Ottoman Empire systematically deprived Armenians of 
their homes, property, freedom, and ultimately, their lives. By 1923, 
1.5 million Armenian citizens had been murdered, while half a million 
had been deported.
  Today, we must overcome the obstacle of denial. To this day, the 
Turkish Government continues to deny that the Armenian genocide ever 
took place. It is the responsibility of the United States and the 
international community to overcome this denial and recognize the 
horror that took place between 1915 and 1923. In addition, it is the 
duty of all nations of the world to ensure that such atrocities are 
never repeated.
  The Armenian people have spent the last 10 years courageously 
establishing an Independent Republic of Armenia. These efforts are a 
testament to the strength and character of the Armenian people. The 
United States will continue to work with Armenia to ensure the 
establishment of a safe and stable environment in the Caucasus region. 
Recently, President Robert Kocharian met with Azerbaijani President 
Heydar Aliyev and international mediators from France, Russia and the 
United States to discuss peace options on the Karabagh conflict. I am 
confident that Albania will work towards a positive outcome in the 
Nagorno Karabagh Peace Talks.
  Today, I join my colleagues in recognizing the Armenian Genocide of 
1915, and while this is indeed a day of mourning, we must also take 
this opportunity to celebrate Armenia's commitment towards democracy in 
the face of adversity.
  Mr. WEINER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to join my colleagues in 
commemorating the 86th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.
  On this day I call on my colleagues and on the President to remember 
the words of author, Holocaust survivor, and Nobel Peace Prize winner 
Elie Wiesel, ``. . . to remain silent and indifferent is the greatest 
sin of all . . .''
  While few would disagree with these words, we in the U.S. Government 
have failed to heed the warning contained within. It is time for the 
Government of the United States to do what it failed to do 86 years ago 
and to officially recognize the slaughter of more than 1.5 million 
Armenians by the Ottoman-Turkish Empire from 1915 to 1923 as a 
deliberate and systematic attempt to destroy the Armenian people, their 
culture and their heritage, as genocide.
  It began with the killing of the community leaders and intellectuals 
86 years ago today. That was followed by the disarming and murder of 
Armenians serving in the Ottoman-Turkish army. And this was followed by 
attacks on Armenian men, women and children, whom the Ottoman-Turks 
drove into the desert where they were left to either die of dehydration 
or starve.
  This deliberate and systematic assault on the Armenian population 
would continue for 8 years. Then-U.S. Ambassador to the Ottoman-Turkish 
Empire, Henry Morgenthau, Sr., witnessed these events first hand and 
reported them back to Washington. Later he would write that ``the great 
massacres and persecutions of the past are insignificant when compared 
to the sufferings of the Armenian race in 1915.''
  Despite reports such as this, the United States failed to intervene. 
As horrible as not coming to the aid of the Armenian people in 1915 
was, what strikes me today is that the United States, 86 years later, 
still fails to recognize these events for what they were, genocide.
  Last year I joined with 143 of my colleagues in sponsoring H. Res. 
398, which would have acknowledged the events in Turkey of 1915 to 1923 
as genocide and called on the President to do the same. Yet this 
resolution was not allowed to come to a vote on the floor. Even today, 
when President Bush issued a statement to commemorate what he called 
``one of the great tragedies of history,'' he did not use the word 
genocide.
  Mr. Speaker, if we fail to acknowledge these events for what they 
truly were, we are, as Elie Wiesel has said, ``committing the most 
dangerous sin of all.'' In Turkey, Germany, Yugoslavia and Rwanda, we 
have either acted too slowly or failed to act at all. How many more 
genocides are going to occur before we raise our own awareness of these 
events and condemn them for what they truly are.
  Mr. Speaker, finally I would like to thank Mr. Knollenberg and Mr. 
Pallone, the co-chairs of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues, 
for organizing this special order tonight. Recognition and 
acknowledgment of the Armenian Genocide is an important step toward 
defeating that indifferent spirit which has allowed events such as 
these to occur again and again. I am glad that I am joined by so many 
of my colleagues who share this view tonight.
  Mr. SHERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I join with my colleagues tonight in somber 
remembrance of the Armenian Genocide. Early in the 20th century, during 
World War I and its aftermath, the Ottoman Empire attempted the 
complete liquidation of the Armenian population of Eastern Anatolia.
  We must come down to the House floor tonight not only to remember 
this tragic event, but we must also proclaim that the Armenian Genocide 
is an historical fact. There are many who deny that this first genocide 
of the 20th century actually took place.
  The American Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire in 1919 was an 
eyewitness. In his memoirs, he said, ``When the Turkish authorities 
gave the order for these deportations they were merely giving the death 
warrant to an entire race. They understood this well and in their 
conversations with me made no particular attempt to conceal this 
fact.''
  He went on to describe what he saw at the Euphrates River. He said, 
as our eyes and ears in the Ottoman Empire, ``I have by no means told 
the most terrible details, for a complete narration of the sadistic 
orgies of which they, the Armenian men and women, are victims can never 
be printed in an American publication. Whatever crimes the most 
perverted instincts of the human mind can devise, whatever refinements 
of persecution and injustice the most debased imagination can conceive, 
became the daily misfortune of the Armenian people.''
  We can never forget that 8 days before he invaded Poland, Adolf 
Hitler turned to his inner circle and said, ``Who today remembers the 
extermination of the Armenians?'' The impunity with which the Turkish 
Government acted in annihilating the Armenian people emboldened Adolf 
Hitler and his inner circle to carry out the Holocaust of the Jewish 
people.
  It is time for Turkey to acknowledge this genocide, because only in 
that way can the Turkish Government and its people rise above it. The 
German Government has been quite forthcoming in acknowledging the 
Holocaust, and in doing so it has at least been respected by the 
peoples of the world for its honesty. Turkey should follow that example 
rather than trying to deny history.
  It is also time--indeed it is far overdue--for our Congress to 
recognize the Armenian Genocide.
  Mr. Speaker, I again call on my colleagues to recognize the Armenian 
Genocide and to urge my fellow Americans to remember this tragic event.

                          ____________________