U.S. AMBASSADORIAL NOMINEE FOR TURKEY DOESN’T DISPUTE MORGENTHAU’S RECORD ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

PanARMENIAN.Net
27.09.2008 15:09 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Ambassador to Turkey designate James Jeffrey,
in response to questions from Senate Foreign Relations Committee
Chairman and Vice-Presidential candidate Joe Biden (D-DE), affirmed
that official U.S. diplomatic reports by Ambassadors Morgenthau and
Elkus and other Armenian Genocide-era U.S. diplomats in the Ottoman
Empire did, in fact, describe the attempted extermination of the
Armenian population, the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA)
told PanARMENIAN.Net.

"Although falling far short of a clear and proper recognition of the
Armenian Genocide, Ambassador Jeffrey, in his response to Senator
Biden’s questioning, moved U.S. policy in the right direction by
publicly agreeing – after long years of official disregard, disrespect,
and dismissal of Ambassador Henry Morgenthau’s proud legacy – that our
nation’s diplomatic representatives to the Ottoman Empire did, in fact,
document the Ottoman government’s clear intent and systematic campaign
to destroy its Armenian population," said ANCA Executive Director
Aram Hamparian. "We want to thank Chairman Biden for his thoughtful
inquiries that led to this reaffirmation of the American record,
and to, once again, express our appreciation to Senators Menendez
and Kerry for their incisive lines of questioning during the Foreign
Relations Committee’s confirmation hearing earlier this week."

In questions submitted to the Amb. Jeffrey, Sen. Biden asked: "Do
you dispute that U.S. diplomats serving in the Ottoman Empire during
the Armenian Genocide documented a systematic, government-sponsored
campaign ‘with intent to destroy, in whole or in part’ the Armenian
population?"

Ambassador-Designate Jeffrey provided the following response: No. I
have read many of the historical records from 1915-1916 related
to U.S. diplomatic reporting on these events in Turkey, and I do
not dispute that Ambassador Morgenthau, Ambassador Elkus, and other
diplomats during that time period reported on what they described as
an attempt to exterminate the Armenian population.