"Voices from the Lake is a hard act to follow," said Ara Sarafian, the featured speaker for the program, which was organized by the Armenian National Committee. "The Hagopian film is the first documentary film using such a focused array of primary sources to weave together a narrative of the Armenian Genocide," Sarafian continued.

As general editor of Gomidas Institute Books and a historian in his own right, Sarafian knows the significance of such primary sources on the Armenian Genocide. In fact, the latest volume edited by Sarafian, Diaries of a Danish Missionary: Harpoot, 1907–1919 by Maria Jacobsen, features prominently in "Voices from the Lake."

Witnesses 1915–1919

In his presentation, "Witnesses 1915–1919: The United States, Great Britain, and the Armenian Genocide Thesis," Sarafian highlighted the critical significance of American consuls and missionaries as witnesses to the Armenian Genocide, and their efforts to save Armenians in 1915. "The United States was a neutral power and could have stayed out of the Armenian issue like so many other states," Sarafian said. "But the American government chose to take action. The United States played an honorable role in 1915."

When United States nationals began recording the Armenian Genocide, the American government had two clear choices: The United States could either sever diplomatic relations with Ottoman Turkey and declare war on Turkey on account of Armenians, or it could remain in the Ottoman Empire and organize a clandestine relief effort wherever possible. The latter option was the only practicable one, and thousands of Armenians were saved as a result.

U.S. Aid 1915–1917

Many Armenians took shelter in United States consulates and foreign missionary stations and hospitals, or remained in hiding with American aid. A number of Armenians even escaped through underground escape networks with American help, such as through the Dersim to Russian lines.

In order to finance these efforts, the United States government leaked reports on the Armenian Genocide to the American press to publicize the plight of Armenians and raise relief funds. These were eyewitness accounts from United States consuls and missionaries sent to the State Department from Turkey. Since the United States was a neutral power, these reports were leaked through a front organization, the Committee on Armenian Atrocities, which was given access to State Department records on the Armenian Genocide. Most reports had to have their sources obscured when printed, since the individuals involved were still in the Ottoman Empire. Because of U.S. official policy, the Armenian Genocide became a major news item in the United States after October 1915.

A British Indictment

The American accounts on the Armenian Genocide were picked up by the British in 1916, authenticated, and used to articulate the Armenian Genocide thesis in the 700-page British Parliamentary report on the Armenian Genocide, The Treatment of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire, 1915–1916. This work became the most powerful indictment of the Ottoman Turks for carrying out the Armenian Genocide—while the Genocide was still in progress.

Both the original report and the archival records associated with this work are still available in British and American archives today. Sarafian has utilized these records and produced a critical edition of the 1916 volume, which was recently published by the Gomidas Institute.

Sarafian concluded his talk by pointing out how the United States and British governments have moved from being the primary protagonists for the recognition of the Armenian Genocide in 1915–1916 to supporters of the Turkish government in the denial of the Armenian Genocide today.

Sarafian is currently on a ten-day speaking tour of the United States, visiting Richmond, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Boston, and Providence. He is promoting the latest Gomidas Institute publication, Maria Jacobsen, Diaries of a Danish Missionary; Harpoot 1907–1919, translated from the original Danish by Kristen Vind.

Books  |  Armenian Forum   |  Events  |  About  |   Updates

© 2001 The Gomidas Institute. All rights reserved.
Last modified on 13 November 2007.