Armenian National Committee of America
888 17th St., NW Suite 904
Washington, DC 20006
Tel: (202) 775-1918
Fax: (202) 775-5648
E-mail: anca@anca.org
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PRESS RELEASE
March 11, 2006
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918

REP. PALLONE EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED
OVER REPORTS OF AMB. EVANS’ WITHDRAWAL

— Co-Chairman of Congressional Armenian Caucus
Demands Explanation from the Secretary of State

WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Frank Pallone (D-NJ), Co-Chairman of
the Armenian Issues Caucus, today expressed his extreme
disappointment to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice over reports
that the U.S. Ambassador to Armenia, John Marshall Evans, is being
forced from office based upon truthful and forthright statements
last year about the Armenian Genocide.

In a March 10th letter, Rep. Pallone shared with the Secretary that
he is “outraged that the State Department is recalling Ambassador
Evans as retaliation for statements he made in recognition of the
Armenian Genocide.” He added that, “it is simply wrong for the
State Department to punish Ambassador Evans for statements he made
that are factually correct. Accordingly, I am asking you for an
explanation as to why Ambassador Evans was removed from his post. .
. This is the wrong message to send to the world. I look forward
to a timely response from your office.”

Speaking last year to an Armenian American gathering at the
University of California at Berkeley, Amb. Evans said, “I will
today call it the Armenian Genocide… I informed myself in depth
about it. I think we, the U.S. government, owe you, our fellow
citizens, a more frank and honest way of discussing this problem.
Today, as someone who has studied it… there’s no doubt in my mind
[as to] what happened . . . I think it is unbecoming of us, as
Americans, to play word games here. I believe in calling things by
their name.” Referring to the Armenian Genocide as “the first
genocide of the 20th century,” he said: “I pledge to you, we are
going to do a better job at addressing this issue.” Amb. Evans also
disclosed that he had consulted with a legal advisor at the State
Department who had confirmed that the events of 1915 were “genocide
by definition.”

Within days after his remarks and the conclusion of a speaking tour
of Armenian American communities, Ambassador Evans was apparently
forced to issue a statement clarifying that his references to the
Armenian Genocide were his personal views and did not represent a
change in U.S. policy. He subsequently issued a correction to this
statement, replacing a reference to the Genocide with the word
“tragedy.”

Later last year, the American Foreign Service Association (AFSA),
in recognition of his honesty and commitment to principle, decided
to honor Ambassador Evans with the “Christian A. Herter Award,”
recognizing creative thinking and intellectual courage within the
Foreign Service. Sadly, as Washington Post staff writer Glenn
Kessler revealed on June 9th, AFSA withdrew its award following
pressure from “very serious people from the State Department.”

ANCA Chairman Ken Hachikian, in a letter sent to Secretary Rice
earlier this week, wrote that, “the prospect that a U.S. envoy’s
posting – and possibly his career – has been cut short due to his
honest and accurate description of a genocide is profoundly
offensive to American values and U.S. standing abroad –
particularly in light of President Bush’s call for moral clarity in
the conduct of our international affairs.”

The ANCA letter also urged Secretary Rice to respond in a timely
manner to the series of written questions on this matter submitted
on February 16th by Congressman Adam Schiff during her testimony
before the House International Relations Committee. Among these
questions was a specific request that the Secretary assure the
Committee that the Department of State has not taken – and will not
take – any punitive action against Ambassador Evans for speaking
out about the Armenian Genocide.

The full text of Rep. Pallone’s letter is provided below.

#####

March 10, 2006

The Honorable Condoleezza Rice
Secretary of State
Department of State
2201 C Street, NW
Washington, DC 20520

Dear Secretary Rice:

I am writing to express my extreme disappointment with the reports
of the State Department’s decision to withdraw Ambassador John
Evans from Armenia. Based on news reports, I am outraged that the
State Department is recalling Ambassador Evans as retaliation for
statements he made in recognition of the Armenian Genocide.

I am sure you are aware of courageous public statements Ambassador
Evans made last year in response to a question about the tragic
events that began in 1915, “I will today call it the Armenian
Genocide.”

Ambassador Evans is an expert on the subject. He has studied the
history of Armenia, and based on his substantial studies of the
issue, he was willing to go on the record and define the systematic
extermination of 1.5 million Armenian men, women and children as
genocide.

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 denials despite all evidence to the
contrary.

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 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 that, “No American official has ever denied it,” and
went on to say that, “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.

I do not believe it is possible for any Ambassador to Armenia to
function with any credibility if he does not recognize the
genocide. Any representative of the United of States on the ground
in Armenia is faced with countless occasions where the genocide is
discussed or commemorated.

It is simply wrong for the State Department to punish Ambassador
Evans for statements he made that are factually correct.
Accordingly, I am asking you for an explanation as to why
Ambassador Evans was removed from his post.

I am outraged that the U.S. State Department is now penalizing
ambassadors for telling the truth. This is the wrong message to
send to the world. I look forward to a timely response from your
office.

Sincerely,

[signed]
FRANK PALLONE, JR.
Member of Congress