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Mrs. Evans Reveals Intriguing Details Of Her Husband's Recall

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  • Mrs. Evans Reveals Intriguing Details Of Her Husband's Recall

    MRS. EVANS REVEALS INTRIGUING DETAILS OF HER HUSBAND'S RECALL
    By Harut Sassounian, Publisher, The California Courier



    AZG Armenian Daily
    29/11/2007

    More than two years after her husband became the first U.S. diplomat
    to publicly acknowledge the Armenian Genocide, Donna Evans revealed
    some of the behind-the-scene details of Ambassador John Evans' tenure
    in Armenia and his dramatic forced retirement from the U.S. Foreign
    Service. She spoke at the Armenian Assembly's Annual Capital Region
    Holiday Reception held at the Armenian Embassy in Washington, D.C.,
    on November 18.

    Mrs. Evans began her talk by describing the phone call she received
    from her husband, telling her, "Assistant Secretary of State Beth
    Jones had just informed him that he was the State Department's choice
    to be assigned as Ambassador to Armenia in the summer of 2004. She
    told him that it was a small country but growing in importance and
    had a significant assistance program and a new Embassy was being
    built. She encouraged him to accept it and he did, without hesitation."

    After Senate confirmation, Amb. Evans and his wife moved to Armenia
    in fall 2004. Mrs. Evans described the constant "tension" because the
    "unwritten policy of the State Department was that the word 'genocide'
    had to be in quotation marks and, if spoken, it would be referred to
    as the 'g' word." She said Foreign Service officers "knew, for certain,
    that the word 'genocide' was a strict taboo."

    She went on to state, "The Armenian genocide was a very sensitive
    subject and therefore avoided in diplomatic circles in Yerevan. The
    wives of other ambassadors did not talk about it even in private. The
    first time we drove by the Genocide Memorial my husband whispered to me
    'there's the Genocide Memorial.' I looked over and caught a fleeting
    glance of the spire. As I turned back, our driver's eyes caught mine
    in the rear view mirror. I was so uncomfortable. My husband told me
    that we were allowed to go there once a year, on April 24th."

    Amb. Evans' problems began during his speaking tour of the Armenian
    communities in the United States in early 2005. Upon the couple's
    arrival in California, Mrs. Evans said her husband informed her that
    "he was going to use the word 'genocide' and that it might cost him
    his job." She said she was "stunned at first but then very proud of
    him. I hoped that telling the truth would result in no more than a
    reprimand and that he would be marginalized for a while. I thought
    that losing his job was the very worst-case scenario."

    Once her husband used the term "genocide" in public, Donna Evans was
    amazed that the Armenian American media did not rush to publicize it
    immediately - "It was as if they were protecting the Ambassador."

    Eventually, after a press release from ANC revealed that Amb. Evans
    had actually used the words "Armenian Genocide" during his talk
    at Berkeley, she said her "husband went on to Washington to brief
    the State Department on what had transpired. The reaction was not
    pretty to say the least" which made her "sick at heart." Meanwhile,
    the Ambassador did not know "whether his recall orders would be on
    his desk when he returned to Yerevan. I did not know whether I would
    be returning to Yerevan myself."

    Mrs. Evans had harsh words for the State Department for buckling under
    Turkish pressure. "It was unthinkable that the Turkish ambassador and
    the Government of Turkey had enough clout to get a knee-jerk reaction
    from the State Department and cause the recall of an ambassador,"
    she said.

    Leaving his ambassadorial post voluntarily was out of question,
    Mrs. Evans said. "Not resigning was the right thing to do. My husband
    had not committed a crime, he only acknowledged a crime," she said.

    Upon returning to Yerevan, Mrs. Evans said her husband went on
    carrying out his diplomatic duties and "acted as if it was business
    as usual.... However, each morning he arrived at the office wondering
    if the morning e-mail and telegram traffic would include his official
    recall. Then, on July 2, 2005, the dreaded telephone call came." Dan
    Fried, the Assistant Secretary of State, called to inform that her
    husband's position was "about to be posted as open for the summer of
    2006 and that we could be removed at any time," she said.

    Mrs. Evans said she was "furious" particularly since this call had come
    "just before July the 4th, Independence Day and axed a professional
    diplomat with 35 years of faithful service to his government --
    and a 12th generation American -- just because he said 'genocide'
    in an academic setting in the United States."

    Mrs. Evans further revealed that she wrote a personal letter to First
    Lady Laura Bush because she said she believed "in spouse power." She
    never received a reply.

    When the word got out -- this writer was the first to report that
    Amb. Evans was about to be recalled for his statement on the Armenian
    Genocide -- Mrs. Evans reported that "the pressure was on...[there was]
    wild speculation in the Armenian papers, some calling my husband a
    hero and others not so flattering and some downright ridiculous. Again
    the press had a field day.

    My husband's answer had to be 'I serve at the pleasure of the
    President.' I died a little every time I heard him say it."

    Notably, Mrs. Evans revealed that during those tumultuous days, "the
    diplomatic community" supported her husband "privately." She then
    described April 24, 2006 as "an unforgettable day" in her life when
    thousands of Armenians from all walks of life tied yellow ribbons to
    a fence at the Genocide Memorial Monument in Yerevan, in support of
    her husband. "How this was pulled together and who supported it is a
    remarkable story. I wish I could give them all a hug individually. This
    event inspired us to stay strong during a very trying time," she said.

    As they say, the rest is history. The White House cut Amb. Evans'
    service short and announced the nomination of his successor, Richard
    Hoagland, who never made it to Armenia.

    Showing her continued support for the reaffirmation of the Armenian
    Genocide, Mrs. Evans said that when the House Foreign Affairs Committee
    adopted the Armenian Genocide resolution, it was one of the happiest
    days of her life.

    However, she was "stunned and outraged" when her husband showed
    her the letter that was signed by eight former Secretaries of State
    opposing the congressional resolution on the Armenian Genocide. "How
    could Secretaries of State so blindly sign such a document?

    What I would say to the former Secretaries of State is 'shame on
    you' for being used by the Turkish lobby. By your actions, you have
    set back any progress that has been made to normalize diplomatic
    relations between Armenia and Turkey. It would have been better to
    remain silent. A special shame on Secretary [of State Alexander]
    Haig because he served under President Reagan, who acknowledged the
    genocide," she said.

    Donna Evans described her dismay at some of the negative reactions to
    the genocide resolution. "What followed was the worst turn of events
    that I had witnessed in all my time in Washington. The supporters of
    the recognition of the genocide were in shock and awe at the cruel
    commentaries, articles, and Internet buzz. What we were witnessing
    was a hyper-overkill of a human rights issue."

    She concluded her remarks with heart-warming words: "The Armenian
    experience has woven itself into my soul like the intricate carvings
    in the Khachkars. It is beautiful, it is sad and it is hopeful. So
    what do we do now? We don't give up. We bide our time and return
    to the fight, more experienced, better informed and therefore better
    armed. Most important of all we continue to educate. Grassroots support
    is vital. You are vital. This issue needs to be resolved. You and your
    ancestors deserve an apology and recognition of the first genocide
    of the 20th century...the Armenian Genocide."
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