U.S. Official Records

[Tongue]

US Consul Leslie Davis describing Armenian "deportees" passing through the Harpoot Plain on their way to Der Zor, United States Official records on the Armenian Genocide 1915-1917, pp. 644, doc. NA/RG59/867.4016/392. :

“All of them were in rags and many . . . almost naked . . . emaciated, sick, diseased, filthy, covered with dirt and vermin . . . driven along for many weeks like herds of cattle, with little to eat . . . There were few men among them, most of the men having been killed by the Kurd before their arrival at Harpoot. Many of the women and children also had been killed and very many others had died on the way . . . Of those who had started, only a small portion were still alive and they were rapidly dying . . . Many Turkish officers and other Turks visited the camps to select the prettiest girls and had their doctors present to examine them . . . Several hundred of the dead and dying scarttered about the camp . . . the body of a middle-aged man who had apparently just died or been killed. A number of dead bodies of women and children lay here and there . . . Old men sat there mumbling incoherently. Women with matted hair and sunken eyes sat staring like maniacs. One, whose face has haunted my memory ever since, was so emaciated and the skin was drawn so tightly over her features that her head appeared to be only a lifeless skull. Others were in the spasms of death. Children with bloated bellies were on the ground wallowing in filth. Some were in convulsions. All in the camp were beyond help.”


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Consul Leslie Davis to Ambassador Henry Morgenthau, Harpoot, 24 July 1915. United States Official records on the Armenian Genocide 1915-1917, pp. 461, doc. NA/RG59/867.4016/269 :

“Any doubt that may have been expressed in previous reports as to the Government’s intentions in sending away the Armenians have been removed and any hope that may have been expressed as to the possibility of some of them surviving have been destroyed. It has been no secret that the plan was to destroy the Armenian race as a race…”
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Confidential telegram, Ambassador Morgenthau to Secretary of State, Constantinople, 16 July 1915, United States Official records on the Armenian Genocide 1915-1917, pp. 55, document NA/RG59/867.4016/76 :

"Deportation of and excesses against peaceful Armenians is increasing and from harrowing reports of eye witnesses it appears that a campaign of race extermination is in progress under a pretext of reprisal against rebellion.
"Protests as well as threats are unavailing and probably incite the Ottoman government to more drastic measures as they are determined to disclaim responsibility for their absolute disregard of Capitulations and I believe nothing short of actual force which obviously United States are not in a position to exert would adequately meet the situation. Suggest you inform belligerent nations and mission boards of this."
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Henry Morgenthau's report of his conversation with Talaat Pasha.dated 8 August 1915. United States Diplomacy on the Bosphorus: The Diaries of Ambassador Morgenthau 1913-1916, p. 298. :

"I argued in all sorts of ways with him but he said that there was no use, that they had already disposed of three quarters of them, that there were none left in Bitlis, Van, Erzeroum, and that the hatred was so intense now that they have to finish it. I spoke to him about the commercial losses and he said they did not care, that they had figured it out and knew it would not exceed for the banks etc. five million pounds. He said they want to treat the Armenians like we treat the negroes. I think he meant like the Indians. I asked him to make exceptions in some few cases which he promised to do."

[Gavur]

The Slaughterhouse Province

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[bell-the-cat]

http://www.gomidas.org/gida/index_gida.htm

[Gavur]

Thank you

[Joseph]

merican Consul Leslie A. Davis in a letter to Ambassador Morgenthau in Constantinople describing conditions he observed in the camps of Armenians deported from Erzerum and Erzinjan:

Kharpert Turkey:

A more pitiable sight cannot be imagined. They are almost without exception ragged, filthy, hungry and sick. That is not surprising in view of the fact that they have been on the road for nearly two months with no change of clothing, no chance to wash, no shelter and little to eat....

As one walks through the camp mothers offer their children and beg one to take them. In fact, the Turks have been taking their choice of these children and girls for slaves, or worse. In fact, they have even had their doctors there to examine the most likely girls and thus secure the best ones.

There are very few men among them, as most of them have been killed on the road. All tell the same story of having been attacked and robbed by the Kurds. Most of them were attacked over and over again and a great many of them, especially the men, were killed....

The system that is being followed seems to be to have bands of Kurds awaiting them on the road to kill the men especially and incidentally some of the others. The entire movement seems to be the most thoroughly organized and effective massacre this country has ever seen.

Davis described this massacre on July 7, 1915:

On Monday many men were arrested both at Harput and Mezreh and put in prison. At daybreak Tuesday morning they were taken out and made to march towards an almost uninhabited mountain. There were about eight hundred in all and they were tied together in groups of fourteen each. That afternoon they arrived in a small Kurdish village where they were kept overnight in the mosque and other buildings. During all this time they were without food or water. All their money and much of their clothing had been taken from them. On Wednesday morning they were taken to a valley a few hours' distance where they were all made to sit down. Then the gendarmes began shooting them until they had killed nearly all of them. Some who had not been killed by bullets were then disposed of with knives and bayonets.