Our friend, the illustrious Halacoglu

[Joseph]

Turkish historian performs publicity stunt in Armenian Genocide issue
28.05.2008 14:36 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Yusuf Halacoglu, chairman of Turkey’s state-funded Turkish Historical Society, said that he had offered Armenians $20 million to open the ARF archives in Boston which he says include "very important documents" regarding the Armenian Genocide, The California Courier reports with a reference to Hurriyet Turkish daily (May 20, 2008 edition: "Turkey offers $20 million aid to open Armenian archives.")

Halacoglu said that he made this financial offer after Armenians allegedly told him that they do not have the necessary funds to organize these archives. He claimed that "Armenians do not want to have the archives opened because such efforts will start a real debate over the genocide claims." Halacoglu claims that he had conveyed his offer of $20 million to "two Armenian historians, Ara Sarafian and Hilmar Kaiser," and had not received an answer.

“Betraying the depth of his ignorance, Halacoglu cannot even tell that Hilmar Kaiser is a German and not an Armenian!” writes Harout Sassunian, The California Courier editor.

Tatul Sonentz-Papazian, who managed the ARF archives in Boston until 2000, saying that, contrary to Halacoglu’s claims, the cataloguing of the ARF documents through 1925 were completed in 1995. Mr. Sonentz-Papazian told that Hilmar Kaiser, whom he had seen as recently as a month ago, did not convey such an offer from Halacoglu. Ara Sarafian also contradicted Halacoglu’s claims by telling that he had not been asked to convey such an offer to the ARF.

"This is obviously a publicity stunt," Sarafian was quoted as saying. "Halacoglu thrives on such publicity."

[Joseph]

Commentary
Armenians Should Take $20 Million
Offered by Turkey as Partial Payment

By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier

The largest Turkish daily newspaper, Hurriyet, carried the following
sensational headline in its May 20, 2008 edition: "Turkey offers $20 million aid to open Armenian archives." Yusuf Halacoglu, chairman of Turkey's state-funded Turkish Historical Society, told Hurriyet that he had offered Armenians $20 million to open the ARF archives in Boston which he says include "very important documents" regarding the Armenian Genocide. Halacoglu said that he made this financial offer after Armenians allegedly told him that they do not have the necessary funds to organize these archives.

He claimed that "Armenians do not want to have the archives opened because such efforts will start a real debate over the genocide claims."
In recent years, Halacoglu has made many bizarre statements on the Armenian Genocide, bringing nothing but ridicule upon himself, his fellow genocide denialists, and the Turkish Historical Society. This latest offer is yet another wacky statement by this charlatan, masquerading as a historian. It shows his own, and his government's desperation in trying to counter what Hurriyet describes as the Armenian Diaspora's increasing worldwide activities in recent years for the acknowledgment of the Armenian Genocide.
There are several falsehoods in Halacoglu's statement. First, he does not say
which Armenians, if any, had told him that they lack the necessary funds to
catalogue the ARF archives in Boston. It is a pretty sure bet that he has nevercontacted a single ARF official regarding the status of these archives. If he had, he would have learned that these archives are already open to any
serious scholar. I am also quite certain that no ARF official has ever told
Halacoglu that the archives are not catalogued due to funding issues, because many of the documents have already been published in several volumes. Since Halacoglu knows neither Armenian nor any other language besides Turkish, he would be unable to read a single document located in these archives.

Halacoglu claims that he had conveyed his offer of $20 million to "two
Armenian historians, Ara Sarafian and Hilmar Kaiser," and had not received an answer. Betraying the depth of his ignorance, Halacoglu cannot even tell that Hilmar Kaiser is a German and not an Armenian!
Tatul Sonentz-Papazian, who managed the ARF archives in Boston until 2000,
was quoted by the Armenian Reporter as saying that, contrary to Halacoglu's
claims, the cataloguing of the ARF documents through 1925 were completed in1995. Mr. Sonentz-Papazian told the Armenian Reporter that Hilmar Kaiser, whom he had seen as recently as a month ago, did not convey such an offer from Halacoglu.

Ara Sarafian also contradicted Halacoglu's claims by telling the Reporter
that he had not been asked to convey such an offer to the ARF. "This is
obviously a publicity stunt," Sarafian was quoted as saying. "Halacoglu thrives on
such publicity."
Furthermore, there is no evidence that the ARF archives will lend any
credence to the cause of genocide denialists. Gerard Libaridian, who was incharge of
the ARF archives in Boston from 1982 to 1988, posted the following
explanation on the armworkshop website on March 26, 2007: "I doubt that they [ARF
archives] will shed much light on the genocidal process itself, since the leaders of
that party, both national and local, were among the first victims of that
process=80¦. These archives, of course, cannot be lumped in the same basket as state
archives, since the Dashnaktsutiune [ARF] is a political organization and not
a state."
Halacoglu would do well to be more concerned about the accessibility and
integrity of Ottoman/Turkish archives rather than those of the ARF. In the May 25,
2008 issue of the Turkish newspaper, Taraf, researcher Ayse Hur, in a
detailed and lengthy report, courageously exposed the destruction and manipulation of
the Ottoman archives. The Taraf article is appropriately titled, "Leave the
Tashnak archives alone and look at the Ottoman archives." Over the past nine
decades, the Ottoman archives have been cleansed from all incriminating
documents and made available mostly to denialist "scholars" hired by the Turkish
government.
My advice to the officials in charge of the ARF archives is to take the $20
million being offered by the Turkish government and declare that sum to be a
partial compensation for the billions of dollars of damages suffered by
Armenians during the Genocide. Whenever Armenians have an opportunity to recover even
a small portion of their immense losses during the genocide, be it money,
personal property or other assets, they should grab it without hesitation!

[Joseph]

Translation of Akcam response to Halacoglu from Taraf

Taner Akcam's Response To Yusuf Halacoglu Article - TARAF,
> Sunday,
> June 15, 2008
>
> TIME TO EXPOSE LIES
>
> It is time to put an end to the primitive and deceitful policy of the
> Turkish Historical Society, based on lies and propaganda for internal
> public
> opinion and a cause for embarrassment for Turkey and Turkish historians
>
> First, I would like to thank Ayse Hur for providing a summary of the
> Ottoman
> Archives research covered in my book titled The Armenian Problem Is
> Solved -
> Armenian Related Policies During Wartime According To Ottoman Archives
> (Iletisim Publishers, January 2008). Ayse Hur also included sections from
> my book criticizing Halacoglu, in an article titled "Akcam Asks Questions,
> Halacoglu Remains Silent."
>
> Before I respond to Halacoglu's article, I would like to provide some
> context in order not to be drowned in minute details back and forth.
>
> THE FALSIFICATION ABOUT 1397
>
> Those claiming that there was no genocidal intent or mass destruction in
> the
> 1915 Armenian Deportations often use the argument that all civil servants
> who maltreated the Armenians, attacked the convoys or murdered the
> deportees
> were arrested and prosecuted. Accordingly, some government officials who
> exploited the situation were investigated and sent to courts, a total of
> 1397 people were tried, a majority of them were convicted and given
> various
> sentences, including capital punishment.
>
> I have demonstrated in my book that based on the Ottoman Archives, this
> argument is not correct. There are no documents in the Ottoman Archives
> related to prosecution and punishment of government officials accused of
> Armenians' murders. The Ittihat Terakki party in power had no such policy;
> on the contrary, I have documented that if any government officials were
> by
> chance accused of any such crimes, the government took steps to have them
> discharged immediately. I have also documented on several occasions how
> the
> Ittihat Terakki government eliminated a few of their own officials who
> could
> potentially cause future allegations related to the Armenian case.
>
> ATTENTION AND CARE ABOUT PROPERTY NOT HUMAN BEINGS
>
> One of the facts that is clearly evident in the Ottoman Archives is that
> the
> Ittihat Terakki government, which had shown no care toward the Armenians
> as
> human beings, did show extra care and attention toward the possessions and
> properties left behind by the Armenians. The government took extraordinary
> precautions to ensure that all these possessions were converted to state
> ownership. The special commissions or trials set up to investigate the
> wrongdoings related to the Armenians were all about the government
> officials
> who attempted to personally plunder, steal or take over ownership of the
> Armenians' properties. There has been absolutely no investigation or trial
> by the Ittihat Terakki government about those who committed crimes against
> the Armenians or who organized the massacres.
>
> I had explained in my book how Yusuf Halacoglu leads the campaign of lies
> in
> this subject, by giving an example from his book titled The Armenian
> Deportations and Truths (1914-1918) (Turkish Historical Society, Ankara,
> 2001). I had accused him of revising the Ottoman Archives and by
> deliberately providing misinformation. Halacoglu in his responding article
> merely repeats and confirms that I am right.
> In his book, in the chapter titled "Attacks on the Armenian Convoys and
> Preventive Measures Taken by the Government," Halacoglu writes that
> "special
> investigative commissions were formed in order to prosecute the officials
> accused of neglect of duty or illegal activities." He further claims that
> "government officials who were accused of wrongdoings and maltreating the
> Armenians were prosecuted," and that "they were taken to the Military
> Tribunals for severe punishment." Halacoglu bases these words on the
> following Archival Document No. 12 (Internal Ciphers Directory 54-A/236;
> 55-A/146: 55-A/157: 58-A/141; 58-A/278; 61/165; 57/105; 57/116; 57/143;
> 57/416; 59/196; 59/235) .
>
> In fact, Yusuf Halacoglu is lying, as none of these archival documents
> relate to Military Tribunals and punishment of officials for maltreatment
> of
> Armenians. As I have shown in my book, one by one for each document, these
> are all related to personal enrichment crimes of officials plundering,
> stealing or converting ownership of the properties and possessions left
> behind by the Armenians.
>
> In these documents, Talat Pasha directs officials to comment (59/196), to
> investigate (55-A/156), to fire from duty the accused persons (57/143).
> Two
> other documents are related to seeking authority to take the personal
> enrichment cases to the Military Tribunal (57/146, 61/165).
>
> Halacoglu not only dared to present these documents as "trial and
> punishment
> of government officials at Military Tribunals charged with maltreating the
> Armenians," but he also used documents "praising government officials for
> successful deportation activities" for the same purpose. For example, the
> document no. 58-A/141, dated November 28, 1915, is a telegram from Talat
> Pasha to Cemal Pasha, reminding Cemal that he has no right to fire a local
> governor for maltreatment, praising the fired official and instructing
> Cemal
> to reinstate him.
>
> I have asked in my book and pose the same question again: Isn't it
> shameful,
> isn't it criminal in the name of scientific research to use these
> documents
> as evidence that "government officials maltreating the Armenians were
> prosecuted and punished, including capital punishment?"
>
> NEW DOCUMENT NO. 13 OUT OF A HAT
>
> What could be expected from Yusuf Halacoglu as a response to my
> allegations?
> Shouldn't he use my documents, one by one, to prove or disprove that I
> have
> told the truth? Instead, in his article he responds by referring to
> another
> book of his and writes: "Akçam's questions are answered with the necessary
> documents." In his book titled Armenian Allegations from Deportation to
> Genocide, in the Section titled "Guilty Deportation Officials" (Pages
> 91-96), the same information, same documents exist as in his 2001 book
> that
> I criticized. There are also 12 new documents unrelated to my criticism.
> That is, there is absolutely no change.
>
> My criticism was that none of the new 12 documents shed light on the
> punishment of government officials charged with the maltreatment of
> Armenians. Halacoglu does not and cannot say "These documents show that
> there is information about punishment of government officials for
> maltreating the Armenians." Instead, he produces a new Document No. 13.
> But
> funnily enough, this new document further reinforces my criticism.
>
> As can be seen, this new document, dated March 12, 1916, relates to
> sixteen
> trials of the Syria Military Tribunal. Of the sixteen trials, fourteen are
> related to the personal plunder and stealing of properties and possessions
> left behind by the Armenians. The last two are about Circassian Ahmet
> (Halacoglu erroneously writes Recep, son of Ahmet, whereas the correct
> names
> are Ahmet, son of Recep). Nine cases were discharged outright and the
> accused released. Five cases resulted in guilty verdicts but punishments
> were deferred (Please see Appendix for the translation). The
> aforementioned
> Circassian Ahmet was a member of the Teskilat-i Mahsusa (Special
> Organization), executed on September 17, 1915. Talat Pasha had sent a
> telegram to Cemal Pasha, authorizing the execution, saying that: "His
> death
> is immediately required, otherwise, he can cause us harm in the future."
> The
> execution of a few undesirable Teskilat-i Mahsusa members is further
> covered
> in my book (pages 247-252).
>
> THERE ARE NO NEW FACTS
>
> I will repeat my questions, again and again: Are there any trials and
> prosecutions against anyone for maltreating the Armenians, FOR HARMING THE
> ARMENIANS AS HUMAN BEINGS? The answer is NO. Are there any officials
> arrested by chance for other crimes, but released by the Central
> government?
> YES. The Ittihat Terakki government has never organized any trials related
> to the massacres but if any accused officials were to be arrested, it did
> everything possible to have them released. Are there any trials and
> prosecutions of government officials for personal plunder of the property
> and possessions left behind by the Armenians? YES. Have these been
> successful? NO. This is evident from any and all documents. Property and
> possessions plundered personally have remained in the ownership of these
> persons. We do not need any documents for these. Anatolia is still full of
> these stories.
>
> My second criticism of Halacoglu's book, Armenian Deportations and Truths,
> relates to another deceitful thesis. Halacoglu states that "The Abandoned
> Properties Commissions paid funds from the proceeds of the sold properties
> to the deportees. The resettled refugees used these payments to start new
> businesses and quickly adapted to their new environment." Halacoglu uses
> three documents to support this argument (DH. SFR. 57/348; 57/349;
> 57/350).
>
> As can be seen, there is a great thesis and three documents. The thesis is
> that the Armenians were paid monies in lieu of their properties left
> behind.
> This is completely untrue, and Halacoglu is deliberately lying. It is in
> vain to find any documents in the Ottoman Archives related to funds paid
> to
> the Armenians; such documents do not exist and therefore, the supporters
> of
> this thesis can lie indiscriminately. When Halacoglu referred to three
> archival documents about "monies paid to the Armenians and about Armenians
> using these monies to set up businesses in their new settlements," he
> perhaps thought that no one would investigate these three documents. These
> three documents are all from Eskishehir, and they refer to monies to be
> sent
> to the Governor of Aleppo, not to be given to the Armenians, but to cover
> the expenses of the local government during the Armenian deportation
> activities.
>
> WHY ARE THOUSANDS OF ARCHIVAL DOCUMENTS MISSING?
>
> It is impossible to have only three puny documents to support the argument
> of considerable transfer of funds to the Armenians. There should have been
> hundreds of thousands of documents about the Armenians deported to Syria
> and
> Iraq. These documents simply do not exist. There is a simple argument to
> refute this deceitful thesis. If we consider the official government
> declaration dated March 11, 1919, it states that 101,747 Armenians did
> return to their homes after the war. Did any government official ask these
> Armenians: "Brother, we paid you for your sold possessions when you
> resettled elsewhere, now, you have to pay back..."
>
> THE LIE ABOUT AID
>
> When one reads Halacoglu's response, it becomes apparent that his argument
> changes from financial payment to the resettled Armenians to financial aid
> to Armenians during the deportations. He refers to some documents about
> government fund transfers to cover the deportation expenses. While doing
> this, he brazenly falsifies the archival documents. As an example, he
> refers
> to a report by Dr. W. M. Post, a doctor at the American Hospital in Konya.
> The doctor states that "Armenians are paid 1 kurus (piastre) per adult and
> 20 para per child." It is obvious that Halacoglu has not researched this
> subject, as he states that he got this information from his colleague
> Kemal
> Cicek. Kemal Cicek is an expert in document falsification. He has
> published
> the said falsified document of Dr. Post in his book titled, Armenians'
> Forced Emigration 1915-1917. Readers interested in the original complete
> reports can refer to Ara Sarafyan (ed.), United States Official Record on
> the Armenian Genocide 1915-1917, Princeton, London: Gomidas Institute,
> 2004,
> pages 245-257. Dr. Post explains the Konya deportation camp where "there
> are
> absolutely no sanitary conditions, average 30 to 40 people die daily,
> rape,
> murder, bribe and kidnapping is rampant." Kemal Cicek's version does not
> refer to these facts. The payment of 1 kurus per adult and 20 para per
> child
> is a limited arrangement for a few days. But Halacoglu applies this with a
> magical trick to all the Armenian convoys, throughout the entire duration
> of
> the deportations.
>
> There is no limit to the document falsification and revisionism in
> Halacoglu's world. In his response, he writes that "foreign aid
> organizations received permission to help the Armenians with Talat Pasha's
> signature." I refer the reader to my book, pages 306-320, which explains
> how
> the Ottoman government refused any help to the Armenians from the foreign
> aid organizations. In fact, Ottoman archival documents clearly show that
> not
> only was the foreign aid refused, but any foreigners trying to aid the
> Armenians were threatened, arrested and imprisoned.
>

[Alexandros]

Yusuf Halacoglu is a big joke.Even some Turks acknowledge that.

[Joseph]

Right on Aram!!!

ANCA: Halacoglu issues public statements which always prove untrue
11.07.2008 13:51 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Yusuf Halacoglu issues a public statement every few weeks, every one of which proves, after the minimum of research, to be untrue, said Executive Director of the Armenian National Committee of America.

“Halacoglu is a combination publicity-hound and serial liar,” Aram Hambarian told a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter.

Earlier, Yusuf Halacoglu, head of the Turkey Historical Society, stated that AFR Dashnaktsutyun members propose him to investigate into the past events. “It’s not easy to force Turkey to recognize the Armenian Genocide. It’s not easy for Armenians to hush up the scandal they caused. Proposals come from the West but not from Armenia. As you now, the Armenian Diaspora centers are located in France and the U.S. We will see how sincere they are. We eye Serzh Sarsgyan’s proposals in the same context,” Halacoglu said.

[Joseph]

I love these articles from the Azeri press; putting lace curtains on a turd. Can anyone confirm this news?

http://en.apa.az/news.php?id=52408

Head of Turkish Historical Society Yusuf Halacoglu dismissed

[ 23 Jul 2008 12:43 ]

Ankara-APA. Professor Yusuf Halacolglu, Head of Turkish Historical Society has been dismissed, APA reports quoting Resmi gazete

Halacoglu will continue teaching at Gazi University. The reason of dismissal has not been made public yet.
Halacoglu has been Head of Turkish Historical Society since 1993. He is one of the well-known scientists, who proved falsity of so-called Armenian genocide by the help of historical documents.

[Joseph]

http://www.bianet.org/english/kategori/english/108546/turkish-historical-society-gets-a-new-president

Turkish Historical Society Gets A New President

President of the Turkish Historical Society (TTK) Prof. Dr. Yusuf Halaçoğlu has been removed from his post. Prof. Dr. Ali Binici may take his place.
Bia news center - Ankara
23-07-2008
Head of the Turkish Historical Society (TTK) Prof. Dr. Yusuf Halaçoğlu has been removed from his post. Halaçoğlu is back at his old post at Gazi University in Ankara. Prof. Dr. Ali Birinci is expected to take Halaçoğlu’s place.

According to cnnturk.com, today (July 23) new assignments regarding the posts in some ministries were announced in the Official Gazette. Halaçoğlu’s removal was included. There was no explanation regarding why he was removed from his post.

Halaçoğlu found out about his removal while in holiday in Bodrum. He said that he did not care about the removal, that it was a burden anyways.

“It is normal”

Halaçoğlu said, “This is something that can happen anytime. One day you do your duty for your state, another day you are back to being a scientist. These are normal things. I take it as normal.”

Last year on August 19, Halaçoğlu had participated in a conference at Kayseri in Central Turkey about “Avşar people in Turkish History and Culture” and claimed that Kurds living in Turkey were Turkmen and Kurdish Alevis living in Turkey were Armenian descendants. (NZ/EZÖ/TB)

[Alexandros]

Professor Yusuf Halaçoğlu


TTK President Halaçoğlu removed from office


24 July 2008, Thursday

TODAY’S ZAMAN İSTANBUL


Professor Yusuf Halaçoğlu, who has served as the president of the Turkish Historical Society (TTK) since 1993, has been removed from office by Cabinet decision and is to return to his post of professor at Gazi University in Ankara.

The decision to relieve Halaçoğlu of his office was published in the Official Gazette yesterday. Halaçoğlu will serve as a professor at Gazi University as he did prior to his nomination as TTK president.
Speaking to reporters yesterday, Halaçoğlu said he did not know why he was being removed from office. “I see this duty [serving as the president of the TTK] as a relay race. I hope a good and successful friend will be nominated to the position,” he noted.

He stated that he didn’t have prior information that he would be removed from office and returned to his position at Gazi University. “I read it in the newspaper. I was not warned in advance. Nevertheless, it was no surprise to me. I don’t consider anything in my life a surprise,” he said.

Halaçoğlu, emphasizing that it is normal to be nominated to a new post or to be removed from a position, said he will continue serving in any position offered him. “As a şeyhülislam [the chief religious official in the Ottoman Empire] said, we are ready to leave our positions at any time and be commissioned with another duty when necessary. One day you are given a duty by the state and the next, you continue your position as a scientist. This is pretty normal,” he remarked.

He also said he will not seek legal redress against his removal from office. “I am not the kind of man who resorts to such means. You cannot continue serving in a post by force. I am a scientist,” he stated.

Halaçoğlu is a strong denier of allegations that Armenians were subjected to genocide at the hands of Ottoman Turks during World War I.

In conferences and panel discussions organized by his organization, Halaçoğlu asserted that claims of genocide were completely false and the TTK has 100,000 pages of archived documents that serve as proof, refuting allegations that Armenians faced genocide in 1915.

“A historical committee should be established to investigate the issue. The TTK has been collecting documents and information on the issue from several countries, and it currently has thousands of pages that positively refute Armenian claims of genocide,” Halaçoğlu had said.


Link

[Joseph]

From what I have learned, Prof. Ali Birinci, an academic who is reported to be very conservative, is expected to replace him. The general approach of the TTK will not change at least as far as Armenian Genocide and Kurdish issues are concerned.

[Joseph]

Halacoglu Packs Up
What Does Yusuf Hoca’s Departure Mean To Turks And Armenians?

By Khatchig Mouradian

*

WATERTOWN, Mass. (A.W.)—On July 23, Resmi Gazete (Official Gazette) announced that Yusuf Halacoglu, the head of the Turkish Historical Society (TTK) since Sept. 21, 1993, was dismissed from his position.

Halacoglu had become notorious following a number of issues that were highly publicized—at least in Turkey—like his denial of the Armenian Genocide in Switzerland and the investigation against him in that country; his debates with and challenges to genocide scholars Taner Akcam, David Gaunt, and Ara Sarafian; and, most recently, his $20 million offer to the ARF to open its archives here in Watertown (better known in the Turkish media as the “Boston archives”).

For years, progressive Turkish scholars have urged Ankara to replace Halacoglu. In off-the-record interviews I conducted on July 23, several of these scholars said they were very happy with the decision.

According to the Turkish daily newspaper Hurriyet, Halacoglu—who is called Yusuf hoca (teacher) by many in the TTK—said he is currently on vacation (in Bodrum) and the developments took place without his prior knowledge. Halacoglu added, “This is something that can happen any time. One of the Seyhulislams [a title of superior authority on Islam] says, ‘We are people who are used to pack up and be on our way. We can go anywhere anytime.’ I believe the same. Today you do this duty for the state; tomorrow you continue as a scientist. These are normal things. I perceive these things as normal.”

Turkish commentators and political analysts I talked to generally agreed that Halacoglu’s contract was terminated because the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) wanted to appoint someone close to the AKP. Halacoglu was very close to the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), an ultra-nationalist party that has 71 seats in the Turkish parliament. According to some sources, his ties to what is known as the “Deep State” in Turkey may have contributed to the decision of not renewing his yearly contract as well.

It is also likely that the AKP was not happy with the extreme radical and confrontational course Halacoglu had taken on the Armenian Genocide and the Kurdish issue. Whether this signals a change of policy regarding the Armenian issue—in the current, generally positive atmosphere between Turkey and Armenia—is not clear, however. Many think that although the AKP may have been unhappy with Halacoglu’s confrontational approach regarding the genocide, the party is not prepared to face off with the army nor the bureaucracy either on the Armenian issue. Therefore, no major change in its policy should be expected.

Dr. Ali Birinci, a prolific scholar called a “conservative,” “Islamist,” and nationalist” by those who know him, will replace Halacoglu. Although most commentators and researchers I spoke to say that in all likelihood Birinci will not take the TTK in a completely new direction—at least as far as the Armenian issue is concerned—it is expected that he will at least not employ Halacoglu’s sensationalist tactics. Scholars familiar with Birinci’s work consider him a serious researcher who has sometimes challenged the “established” historical knowledge in Turkey. Although Birinci does not have publications on the Armenian Genocide, one Turkish-born scholar expressed a “minute hope” that he would employ his training and experience to gradually challenge the fossilized denialist rhetoric on the genocide issue.

So what will become of Halacoglu? He will retain his position at Gazi University and probably continue publishing works on what he calls the “alleged Armenian genocide.” There are a few—very few—scholars who believe that recently Halacoglu, having realized how untenable his position was, had begun to work on publishing more credible research and to venture into what one scholar called “constructive cooperation” with researchers who acknowledge the genocide. Judging from the experiences of Gaunt and Sarafian, however, this sounds highly unlikely. Yet if he was, indeed, contemplating a fresh start, it is never too late. Either way, we have not heard the last from Yusuf hoca, who kept the Turkish—and, to a lesser extent, Armenian—media busy for years.

July 23, 2008