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“THE 83RD ANNIVERSARY OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE” mentioning the U.S. Dept of State was published in the Senate section on pages S3596-S3597 on April 24, 1998.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
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 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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