ARMENIAN - Erevangala500

ON В OF T H E FEW T K lU M l’ HS Ol T H E A RM EN IA N S
The picture shows a successful defense by the Arm enians of the city of V an against Turkish besteRcrs. in a later
. . attack the city fe ll; it U now occu| ivd by the Russians
The opening o f a second front in Van, behind Ottoman lines,
gave a decisive advantage to the Russians. The "struggle for
Van" thus became a favorite theme for the Allies, who supported
the Armenian rebellion as much as possible. In the hinterland,
this support was provided through the missionaries, who
put their good services at the disposal o f the Armenians. On a
broader scale, arms shipments and money were provided.
The ambitious Armenian uprising in the Vilayet o f Van led to
the capture o f the provincial capital by the insurgents. At the
same time, the Allies were threatening the capital o f the
Ottoman Empire with massive attacks on the Dardanelles. The
instructions to move the Armenians out o f the endangered areas
were not given until after the Annenian uprising in Van.
П * ’ -цЛ‘ * ■ Ф
‘«май* шшЗі#' р •
On April 7,1918, Van was back once again in Ottoman hands.
The Turkish part o f town lay in ruins. At the foot o f the mighty
castle-rock o f Van, there was nothing left but a pile o f rubble -
an enduring reminder o f the horror o f violence and terrorism.
The arrests ordered on A pril 2 4 began the fo llo w in g day
in Istanbul. In the p ro v in ces they b egan som ew h at later in
som e cases.
74
These arrests only affected the ringleaders o f the
Dashnaktsutiun and the Hunchaks, along with a few well-
known agitators. The order had absolutely nothing to do
with a general relocation.
The government's order to move the Armenians as a
group out o f the endangered areas (Istanbul and Izmir
were not affected since they were considered "safe" and
"under control") did not come until months later. It was
brought on by the horrifying assault o f Armenian terrorists
and irregulars on the city o f Van. This event represented
a shocking climax o f Armenian terrorism. The rebels
conquered Van, declared an "Armenian Republic o f
Van", and completely destroyed the Moslem part o f the
city. Some 30,000 Moslems lost their lives in the violence.
Once again, the idea o f moving the Annenian population
(and not just the terrorist ringleaders) out o f the
endangered areas did not arise until after the catastrophe
o f Van. The government troops were forced by the rebels
to leave Van on May 17, 1915. At this time, Van was
behind Russian lines, which were moving deeper and
deeper into eastern Anatolia. The spearhead o f the
Russian-Czarist assault troops was made up o f Armenian
volunteers, who distinguished themselves with their particularly
brutal treatment o f the Moslem population o f
eastern Anatolia. In the meantime, the true dimensions of
the catastrophe o f Van became known in Istanbul. It was
at this point that the idea arose o f relocating the Armenian
population o f Anatolia as a whole. Until this time, there
had only been arrests o f ringleaders and known terrorists
on a local level - nothing more.
The concept o f a relocation came up when the acting
commander o f the army, who had learned his lesson from
the horrid outcome o f the Van revolt, suggested responding
to steps taken by the Russians (which appear to have
been discussed with the Armenians!) with similar measures
from the Ottoman side. This suggestion was made in
a secret communique o f the Minister o f the Interior (No.
2049):
“The Armenians around the periphery o f Lake Van, and in
other regions which are known to the Governor o f Van,
are engaged in continuous preparations for revolution and
rebellion. I am o f the opinion that this population should
be removed from this area, and that this nest o f rebellion
be broken up.
According to information provided by the Commander o f
the Third Army, the Russians, on April the 7th (April the
20th), began expelling their Muslim population, by pushing
them, without their belongings, across our borders. It
is necessary, in response to this (Russian) action, and in
order to reach the goals that I have outlined above, either
to expel the Armenians in question to Russia, or to relocate
them and their families in other regions o f Anatolia. I
request that the most suitable o f these alternatives be chosen
and implemented. If there is no objection, I would prefer
to expel the creators o f these centres o f rebellion and