Book Review: ‘Operation Nemesis: The Assassination Plot That Avenged the Armenian Genocide’

May 25, 2015 By administrator

By Eric Bogosian
Little, Brown and Company, New York (April 21, 2015), 384 pages
ISBN 978-0316292085; Hardcover, $28.00

Special for the Armenian Weekly

Cover of Operation Nemesis

Over the years, the story of Operation Nemesis, the clandestine plot to assassinate the chief architects of the Armenian Genocide, had been told with a certain cloud of mystery and ambiguity hanging over it. While the topic had been discussed and written about in parts, authors were generally hesitant to present an all-encompassing understanding of the often-ignored, true story of Nemesis. Moreover, nearly a century after the project was carried out, the topic continues to remain somewhat taboo in the Armenian community.

Fast forward to 2015, the Centennial of the Armenian Genocide, which has already seen the publication of several books and volumes that deal with various aspects of the operation. From Marian Mesrobian MacCurdy’s Sacred Justice: The Voices and Legacy of the Armenian Operation Nemesis, which includes narratives, selections from memoirs, and previously unpublished letters, to the graphic novel Operation Nemesis: A Story of Genocide & Revenge by Josh Blaylock (author), Mark Powers (editor), and Hoyt Silva (illustrator), the 100^th anniversary of the genocide seems to have provided the perfect opportunity for authors to shed light on the sometimes-murky details of this historical quest for justice.

Renowned actor, novelist, and playwright Eric Bogosian first heard about the assassination of Talaat Pasha about two decades ago. According to Bogosian, the story struck him as “wishful thinking,” which was far from the truth—an Armenian urban legend, of sorts. After some research and investigation, though, Bogosian quickly realized that not only had the assassination taken place, but that it was part of a much more complicated history of secrecy.

Bogosian thought Tehlirian’s story would make a good film, so he decided to dedicate a few months to writing the screenplay. The few months would snowball into more than seven years of meticulous research and study. The result: Operation Nemesis: The Assassination Plot That Avenged the Armenian Genocide, a 384-page, in-depth history of the conspiracy.

Published in April by Little, Brown and Company, Bogosian’s book aims to go “beyond simply telling the story of this cadre of Armenian assassins by setting the killings in the context of Ottoman and Armenian history.” And it holds true to this promise.

In part one of the three-part book, Bogosian brilliantly paints a thorough picture of Armenian history, with a particular focus on the Armenians of the Ottoman Empire before and during the Armenian Genocide. By drawing on a number of academic and non-academic sources, including several primary sources, such as newspaper articles, memoirs, and letters from the time, Bogosian provides his reader a concise, yet wide-ranging historical context for the operation.

While some may feel that Bogosian dedicates too much of the book to historical background, it seems to be a wise decision on the part of the author, as most readers do not have a sufficient understanding of Armenian history.

In part two of the book, Bogosian details the origins of Nemesis, the story of the assassination of Talaat Pasha, and gives insight into its immediate aftermath. Bogosian does this fiercely, sparing little detail. By employing Tehlirian as his protagonist, he vividly describes the inner-workings of the covert operation, while giving readers an intimate look into a young survivor’s post-traumatic inner world.

Bogosian’s description of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation’s (ARF) role as the parent organization of Operation Nemesis is refreshing and crucial, considering it is often ignored or discussed in passing in other English-language works examining the operation. Bogosian openly writes about how the ARF aimed to exploit the assassination strategically to bring international attention to the Armenian Genocide, a reality rarely written about in the past.

Finally, Bogosian brings in a completely ignored facet of the Nemesis story: international intelligence in the context of the plot. Bogosian provides much evidence, for example, that British Intelligence at the time knew exactly where Talaat Pasha was, while in hiding in Berlin.

While part two of the book is captivating to read, it is also straightforward and balanced. Bogosian is careful not to follow the traditional typecast of heroizing Tehlirian (and later, his co-conspirators). Instead, he is able to provide a sober description of the operation in an in-depth and well-explained context.

Many critics, especially those from the Armenian community, will be quick to point to Bogosian’s overuse of the term “assassin” to characterize Tehlirian and his fellow collaborators, and may accuse him of trying to downplay their significance in history. However, Bogosian’s choice to characterize them as such can be considered fair, considering the word “assassin” is defined as “a murderer of an important person in a surprise attack for political or religious reasons.” And that’s exactly what Tehlirian and the rest of the gang were.

In his conclusion, Bogosian points out that the members of Operation Nemesis saw themselves as “holy warriors” carrying out more of a spiritual, rather than strictly political, calling to exact “some fraction of justice” for the destruction of a nation.

Bogosian closes off his masterpiece with the hopes that more serious scholarship examines the “memories we are losing” and the “history we’ve lost,” including the story of Operation Nemesis. What he ignores, however, is the fact that he himself has made a substantial and lasting contribution to the history of Operation Nemesis.

Bogosian’s Operation Nemesis is the result of painstaking and thorough investigation and research. Not only does he offer a comprehensive historical account of the plot, but also successfully changes the traditional narrative on one of the most important and most ignored aspects of post-genocide Armenian history.

Canadian Senate reaffirms recognition of Armenian Genocide

May 14, 2015 By administrator

The Canadian Senate reaffirmed its recognition of the Armenian Genocide by reiterating support for Motion 44, first approved in June 2002, according to Horizon Weekly.

“By formally recognizing the Armenian genocide, Canada lives up to the principles that we have promoted throughout the world. Any country that desires to suppress its past, any country that does not confront its past head on, seriously risks a failure to liberate itself from its own history,” stated Sen. Thanh Hai Ngo in his declaration.

On the heels of the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide he added that “this heinous crime remains unanswered, since Turkey refuses to recognise it. The Senate of Canada has not been indifferent to the atrocities committed during the Armenian genocide. We have to promote justice, human rights, tolerance, and peaceful co-existence between nations because it is the right thing to do. It is my honor to speak before this Chamber on the Centennial Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, and to reaffirm our strong commitment towards Motion 44, as passed in June 2002.”

Speaker of the Senate, Honourable Leo Housakos marked the solemn occasion of the Armenian Genocide and greeted the Ambassador of Armenia Mr. Armen Yeganian and members of the Armenian Community sitting in the Gallery, at the opening of the session. Other Senators joined their colleagues reaffirming the Upper Chamber’s commitment towards human rights, international justice and peace.

The reaffirmation of this historic motion was realized through the collective effort of the Armenian Genocide Centennial Committee of Canada.

Toronto Star: Armenian Genocide: 100th anniversary of a ‘great catastrophe’

April 19, 2015 By administrator

Up to 1.5 million Armenians died at the hands of the Ottoman Empire in 1915. One hundred years later, the wounds have not healed.

By: Olivia Ward Foreign Affairs Reporter

In 1915, the Ottoman Empire’s Armenians were declared enemies of the state by the ruling junta of ultranationalists, who denounced them as supporters of their wartime foe, Russia.

Even in the dark depths of the First World War, what followed was unique in its calculating brutality.

Fiercely denied by the Turkish government, it would be denounced as the 20th century’s first genocide: an organized attempt to ethnically cleanse the Armenians from their homeland. By the time the massacres and deportations were done, as many as 1.5 million men, women and children had perished.

On April 24, Armenians throughout the world will commemorate the 100th anniversary of the event that destroyed their families, pillaged their patrimony and set them adrift with few, if any, mementos of their past.

A century later, the world is closer to understanding the facts of the “great catastrophe” that befell the Armenians, as histories of the massive killings have swelled.

In Turkey, the history is hazier.

“What happened in 1915 is the collective secret of Turkish society, and the genocide has been relegated to the black hole of our collective memory,” says Turkish writer Taner Akcam in a foreword to Turkey and the Armenian Ghost.

“Confronting our history means questioning everything — our social institutions, mindset, beliefs, culture, even the language we speak. Our society will have to closely re-examine its own self-image.”

As recently as this week, Turkey sharply criticized the Vatican after the Pope denounced the massacres as genocide, calling on all heads of state to recognize it and oppose such crimes “without ceding to ambiguity or compromise.”

More than 20 countries, including Canada, have passed bills recognizing the killings as genocide. The U.S. does not officially recognize the term, although President Barack Obama had used it before his election.

Armenian newspaper holds century of memories in Istanbul

April 18, 2015 By administrator

Philippe Alfroy, AFP

An editor shows an old copy of Armenian newspaper Jamanak in the newspaper’s offices in Istanbul on April 10, 2015

Istanbul (AFP) – It’s witnessed the collapse of an empire, the horrendous massacre of its people and the birth of an entirely new state. And it keeps on printing.

The newspaper “Jamanak” (“The Times” in Armenian) is the oldest continuously-running newspaper in Turkey and oldest anywhere in the Armenian language.

It published its first issue on October 28, 1908, in the final one-and-a-half decades of the Ottoman Empire when Armenians were still citizens of the empire, before the creation of modern Turkey and when Istanbul was still officially known as Constantinople.

It survived the massacres from 1915 of Armenians at the hands of Ottoman forces, an atrocity whose 100th anniversary is commemorated on April 24.

And still it prints almost every day, keeping Istanbul’s small Armenian community of some 60,000 up to date with events and views.

Entering its offices in Istanbul’s Ferikoy district is like visiting a museum with the walls decorated with old photos and back issues painstakingly stacked up.

In his office, the director Ara Kocunyan, dictates his articles to three editorial assistants who type them into the computer in Armenian script.

“We are the newspaper of the Armenian community in Turkey,” said Kocunyan.

“Jamanak has been published without interruption and for a long time, it has crossed so many eras that it has become an anthology of the life of Armenians in the Republic of Turkey.”

“It is our memory,” he added.

Six days a week, the 2,000 daily copies of the newspaper are printed in a basement close to the editorial offices. As it always has.

The press is the domain of Ibrahim Celik, a man of mixed Kurdish and Armenian origin who takes his mission seriously even if he cannot speak or read the language of his grandmother.

“It is very important to print this newspaper so as not to lose this language. If this kind of newspaper was not printed then our children would forget Armenian and end up forgetting their origins.”

– ‘An important mission’ –

For all its history, the newspaper’s influence is in no way comparable to the Agos weekly, which publishes in both Turkish and Armenian and is also widely read outside the Armenian community.

The assassination in 2007 of the director of Agos, Hrant Dink, cerated a wave of revulsion across Turkey.

But Ara Kocunyan said that it would be wrong to underplay the importance of Jamanak.

“On the political level, it has no weight, that is evident,” he said.

“But we have an important mission to serve as the link between the Armenian community and the Turkish community and to prepare its future in this country.

He said the paper’s mission is even more essential in the run-up to the anniversary of the mass killings of Armenians by Ottoman forces, which Armenians regard as a targeted campaign of genocide that killed 1.5 million of their ancestors.

Turkey vehemently contests the use of the word genocide, saying hundreds of thousands of Turks and Armenians lost their lives in a shared wartime tragedy. Tensions have spiked ahead of the anniversary.

“On April 24, 1915, our newspaper was the only publication to talk about what happened,” said Kocunyan. Armenians see the start of the tragedy as the rounding up of Armenian leaders on April 24.

“100 years on, it’s still very hard to look at this tragedy.”

“People who like me were born in the 1970s did not grow up with the burden of this historical catastrophe.

“We, the young people, need to tackle this subject so that we can carry on living in this country.”

Kocunyan finds the attitudes of the Armenian diaspora — who lobby heavily in the United States to push for recognition of the killings as genocide — as somewhat radical.

In his commentaries, he urges a rapprochement between Turks and Armenians. “While protecting our history and culture, of course,” he added.

He said that the paper has never in recent years been singled out by the government because it is Armenian.

“We have a problem with freedom of the press in Turkey but it concerns all organs of the press. We don’t have more difficulties because we are Armenian,” he said.

4th digital exhibit ‘Iconic Images of Armenian Genocide’ launched

March 23, 2015 By administrator

The Armenian National Institute (ANI), Armenian Genocide Museum of America (AGMA), and Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly) announced the launch of a fourth digital exhibit entitled ‘Iconic Images of the Armenian Genocide’ that brings together as a single collection key images recording the brutal mistreatment of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire and the utter destruction of their historic communities.

The exhibit is designed to serve as an easily accessible educational tool that can be displayed in the classroom in digital or print format.

As more and more photographs of the Armenian Genocide are uncovered, and as the ‘Iconic Images’ exhibit illustrates, the general outline of the main events that defined the genocide can now be illustrated with compelling and dramatic images that survive from that era. Many of the images were taken in the teeth of a strictly enforced ban on photography by the Ottoman authorities. Other photographs capture the aftermath of the atrocities as witnessed by third parties.

Many invaluable pictures were destroyed during the war years and what remain are today scattered across continents. In view of how much was lost, these photographs are also survivors, many waiting for the time when they would be identified and reconnected to the events to which they attest.

These scattered images are now gathered and organized into a narrative exhibit that reconstructs many episodes of the Armenian Genocide. Together they recreate a sense of the terror exercised by the Young Turk regime and reveal the extent of the dispossession and decimation of the Armenian people in their historic homeland.

The photographs were collected from numerous repositories, sources and individuals, including the US National Archives, Library of Congress, Near East Foundation, Oberlin College Archives, University of Minnesota Library, California State University Fresno Armenian Studies Program, Republic of Armenia National Archives, Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute, AGBU Nubarian Library, Armenian Assembly of America, Armenian National Institute collections, Maurice Kelechian, and National Geographic photographer Alexandra Avakian.

“The exhibit creates a panoramic view of the entire duration of the Armenian Genocide,” stated ANI Director Dr. Rouben Adalian. “All facets of the genocide that the photographic record allows, ranging from the deportations, executions, massacres, murders, starvation, extermination and destruction, are reconstructed panel by panel.”

“The exhibit also documents the immediate aftermath of the atrocities, attesting to the catastrophic ruination of Armenian society in the Ottoman Turkish Empire,” added Dr. Adalian. “With panels displaying photographs of survivors, rescued women, homeless children and refugees, the scale and depth of the uprooting of the Armenian people is revealed.”

Among the iconic images are also the rare pictures of concentration camps where deportation and extermination became synonymous. The postwar refugee camps where survivors gathered are hauntingly reminiscent in appearance of these concentration camps. In the refugee camps, however, located beyond the borders of modern-day Turkey, a generation of Armenians scarred by the atrocities began life anew in exile, making their locations the beginning points of the Armenian Diaspora.

The exhibit recalls as well the humanitarian activities of American philanthropists who organized critically needed relief, especially on behalf of the tens of thousands of orphans who were gathered, housed, fed, and educated in orphanages operated by the Congressionally-chartered Near East Relief organization.

The principal perpetrators of the Armenian Genocide, the Young Turk triumvirate of Enver, Talaat, and Jemal, are also included, and their infamy contrasted with the moral voice of those who condemned the massacres, such as Theodore Roosevelt, Henry Morgenthau, and James Bryce.

The exhibit concludes with prominent memorials to the Armenian Genocide as a reflection of the commitment of the Armenian people the world over to remember and honor the victims of genocide. Concluding the exhibit are pictures of the memorial chapel of Deir ez-Zor, in present-day Syria, before and after its destruction, as a reminder that the legacy of the Armenian Genocide remains unresolved and continues to be violently challenged.

“With a symbolic 100 images in all, across 20 panels, and a map, ‘Iconic Images of the Armenian Genocide’ illustrates the scale of the Young Turk program to eradicate the Armenian people from its homeland, while reconstructing the multiple facets and lasting consequences of the deportation, massacre, and exile of the Armenians,” continued Dr. Adalian.

“By gathering and organizing these key photographs a comprehensive picture of the Armenian Genocide has been reconstructed,” said Adalian, “that will serve educators as an instructional guide for teaching about human rights and the consequences of their violation as applied to an entire people in the form of genocide.”

“The exhibit,” stated ANI Chairman Van Z. Krikorian, “was created to honor the exemplary figures in the United States diplomatic service whose conscientious reporting remains a permanent testament to the horrors of the Armenian Genocide, among them Jesse B. Jackson, U.S. Consul in Aleppo; Leslie A. Davis, U.S. Consul in Harput; Oscar Heizer, U.S. Consul in Trebizond; George Horton, Consul-General in Smyrna; and in Constantinople, Gabriel Bie Ravndal, Consul-General; Hoffman Philip, Chargé d’Affaires; Abraham I. Elkus, Ambassador; and Henry Morgenthau, Ambassador.”

“The response to the prior exhibits has been greatly encouraging, and their widespread use is exactly what we intended by making these materials accessible for free,” Krikorian said. “We are pleased to add this latest installment to the series. I especially commend the staff of the Armenian National Institute and the Armenian Assembly of America, in particular Dr. Adalian, Joseph Piatt, and Aline Maksoudian,” concluded Krikorian.

‘Iconic Images of the Armenian Genocide,’ is the fourth in a series of online exhibits released jointly by ANI, AGMA, and the Assembly and issued for worldwide distribution free of charge.

France: Article on Ovsanna Kaloustian, a survivor of the Armenian Genocide in The World

January 18, 2014 By administrator

Le Monde dated Thursday, Jan. 16, 2014, published a portrait of Ovsanna Kaloustian, a survivor of the Armenian Genocide, in the book “Europa”.

This is the correspondent of Le Monde in Istanbul (Guillaume Perrier) who wrote the article. This book has also been translated and published yesterday in five other European countries.

The booklet “Europa” was created as part of the Centenary of the 1st World War. Newspapers participating are:

Le Monde (France)

The Guardian (UK)

Süddeutsche Zeitung (Germany)

El Pais (Spain)

La Stampa (Italy)

Gazeta (Poland)

This week, the focus is on the testimony of centenarians who lived through that period. The portrait of the World is dedicated to a survivor of the Armenian Genocide that took refuge in France

Read the Article:

“God left me alive so I tell ‘