Congressional Record: June 13, 2005

AMERICAN FOREIGN SERVICE ASSOCIATION AWARD WITHDRAWN

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

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I rise this evening to express my
disappointment with the American Foreign Service Association, and its
decision to withdraw awarding a “Constructive Dissent” award to U.S.
Armenian Ambassador John Evans.

Ambassador Evans was due to receive the Christian A. Heter Award for
intellectual courage, initiative, and integrity later this week. The
award was as a result of courageous statements he made regarding the
recognition of the Armenian genocide.

In a series of public statements, Ambassador Evans, who has studied
Russian history at Yale and Columbia and Ottoman history at the Kennan
Institute stated, “I will today call it the Armenian genocide.”
Mr. Speaker, Ambassador Evans has studied history of Armenia, and
based on his substantial studies of the issue, he is willing to go on
the record and define the actions taken Armenians as genocide. The
Armenian genocide was the systematic extermination, the murder,
of 1.5 million Armenian men, women and children. To this day, the
Republic of Turkey refuses to acknowledge the fact that this massive
crime against humanity took place on soil under its control, and in
the name of Turkish nationalism.

Unfortunately, some 90 years later, the U.S. State Department continues
to support Turkey’s demands and denials despite all evidence to the
contrary. It is not likely that the State Department was happy that
their Ambassador to Armenia acknowledged the Armenian genocide.

And, therefore, Ambassador Evans retracted his remarks after receiving
substantial pressure from the State Department.

Well, now the selection committee at the American Foreign Service
Association has decided to withdraw the award with no reason for
its actions. I find the timing of the decision peculiar. The sharp
turnaround came right before Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan arrived in
Washington for a meeting with President Bush. Based on past history,
it is clear that the State Department, the Bush administration, and the
pro-Turkish lobby pressured AFSA to withdraw Ambassador Evans’ award.

It is simply unacceptable for this administration to continue to
penalize the ambassador for his comments. Ambassador Evans did a
courageous thing. His statements did not contradict U.S. policy,
but rather articulated the same message that this administration
has sent to the public. The only difference in this case is that
Ambassador Evans assigned a word to define the actions taken against
the Armenians.

This was a refreshing break, I must add, from a pattern on the part of
the State Department of using evasive and euphemistic terminology to
obscure the full reality of the Armenian genocide. Ambassador Evans
pointed out, and I quote, that no American official has ever denied
it, and went on to say, and I quote, I think we, the U.S. Government,
owe you, our fellow citizens, a more frank and honest way of discussing
this problem.

Ambassador Evans was merely recounting the historical record, which
has been attested to by over 120 Holocaust and genocide scholars from
around the world. By doing this, he earned a prestigious award that
was taken from him because of politics and denial.

Mr. Speaker, I want to add my voice to all those who, in Ambassador
Evans’ own words, and again I am quoting, think it is unbecoming of
us as Americans to play word games here. I believe in calling things
by their name. Evans was right, and the American Foreign Service
Association was correct in awarding him the Christian A. Herter Award.

We should encourage our Ambassadors to speak the truth, and, more
broadly, end, once and for all, our complicity in Turkey’s campaign
of genocide denial.

Mr. Speaker, Ambassador Evans has been penalized for simply telling the
truth. The American Foreign Service Association has set a terrible
example by retracting Ambassador Evans’ award. I guess, even in
America, the Turkish Government is able to stifle debate.