Armenian Genocide: Bush Recognizes the Genocide in 2000, Renounces Bill Now

I haven't been this angry in a long time. I have recently stumbled upon a letter that George W. Bush drafted in 2000 while running for president, directly referring to the mass killings of 1.5 million Armenians in the beginning of the 20th century as "a genocidal campaign" and swearing "If elected President, I would ensure that our nation properly recognizes the tragic suffering of the Armenian people." Needless to say, this letter, when coupled with recent events in Washington regarding the Armenian genocide, displays a level of blatant hypocrisy and opportunism even I didn't think possible of this administration. I DISCOVERED THIS LETTER ON THE WEB SITE OF THE ARMENIAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE FOR AMERICA (ANCA), AND AM AT A LOSS AS TO WHY I WAS UNABLE TO FIND ANY REFERENCE TO IT ON ANY OF THE NEWS SOURCES I HAVE SEEN, BOTH MAINSTREAM AND "LIBERAL". THIS INCLUDES FOX, CNN, MSNBC, THE NEW YORK TIMES, THE NEW YORK POST, THE WASHINGTON TIMES, USA TODAY, TROUTHOUT.COM, AND COUNTLESS OTHERS. The letter, alongwith its accompanying press release, is reprinted in it's entirety at the bottom of this post, after a brief summary of the situation and of recent events.

On Wednesday, October 10th, President George W. Bush, along with his Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice and his Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, publicly criticized the House Foreign Affairs Committee for working towards passing a non-binding resolution labeling the WWI-era slaughter of 1.5 Turkish Armenians at the hands of the Ottoman Empire a genocide. Said Bush, "We all deeply regret the tragic suffering of the Armenian people that began in 1915, but this resolution is not the right response to these historic mass killings. Its passage would do great harm to our relations with a key ally in NATO and in the global war on terror." The concern of the White House is that officially labeling the genocide as such would put strain on U.S relations with Turkey, and thereby jeopardize the United States military bases and air fueling stops that are located on Turkish soil. The White House maintains that these bases and other military establishments are essential to the continuation of the U.S war on terror, and intrinsic in maintaining United States involvement in the Iraqi and Afghani debacles (my words, not theirs obviously). Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice said "The passage of this resolution at this time would indeed be very problematic for everything we are trying to do in the Middle East." Even Secretary of Defense Robert Gates acknowledged that "About 70% of all air cargo going into Iraq comes or goes through Turkey." Currently the House's proposed non-binding resolution is still in committee, and even after the president's remarks drew away some of its Republican support, it currently has enough votes to pass if the Democrats decide to bring it to vote. The purpose of the proposed resolution is to put pressure on the White House, President Bush, and the rest of the Untied States government to formally identity the deaths of 1.5 million Armenians as genocide.

It is not my interest to convince anyone that this resolution is completely appropriate, incredibly overdue, and more than necessary, and so I will not waste a great deal of time or space here attempting to do that. It is also not my interest to waste any time convincing anyone that what occurred in the early part of the twentieth century in what is now Armenia was a genocide. It was. I believe simply looking at the history will convince anyone of that. Between 1915 and 1917 the Ottoman Empire deliberately and consciously engaged in the active ethnic cleansing of Armenian men, women, and children, resulting in the illegal, immoral, and horrific deaths of 1.5 million people.

The passage of this resolution would take a long-overdue step toward an American condemnation of the Armenian genocide, a condemnation that would add the Untied States to a steadily growing list of countries to acknowledge the genocide and condemn it as such. An American condemnation would also put a great deal of pressure on the international community: both on other countries and on the United Nations, who have been amazingly un-active in reconciling the damage done by the ethnic cleansing. Proper United Nations support could go a very long way towards healing the emotional, social, and economic scars that still exist among ethnic Armenians. The incredible social and economic influence of the UN, as well as the similar power held by the United States as one of the world's dominating nations, could also go a long way towards alleviating much of the inhuman poverty that many ethnic Armenians continue to face as a direct result of the decades-old genocide.

However, as I stated above, it is not my interest to convince anyone who may be reading this of the powerful efficacy the passage of this bill could have. However, it is my interest to bring to their attention a letter that then-Governor George W. Bush drafted in 2000 to the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA), as he was seeking support for his presidential campaign. The letter is addressed to Mr. Edgar Hagopian and Mr. Vasken Setrakian, two Armenian activists and members of ANCA. In the letter, George W. Bush refers to the mass killings as "a genocidal campaign" and pledges "If elected President, I would ensure that our nation properly recognizes the tragic suffering of the Armenian people." The letter is re-printed in it's entirety below, immediately followed by the press release that ANCA released after receiving the letter. Both of these documents can be viewed at, and are reprinted from, ANCA's website, http://www.anca.org/press_releases/press_releases.php?prid=3. It bears mentioning that this letter won George W. Bush the support of many Armenian-Americans and the unofficial support of ANCA. The letter is marked February 19, 2000, and the press release was issued on February 20, 2000. More than any record I've seen, this letter indicates the hypocrisy of this president and this administration, particularly regarding this, a massively important issue.

George W. Bush for President
February 19, 2000

Mr. Edgar Hagopian
Mr. Vasken Setrakian


Dear Edgar and Vasken,

Thank you for your inquiry to my campaign regarding issues of concern to Armenian Americans.

The twentieth century was marred by wars of unimaginable brutality, mass murder and genocide. History records that the Armenians were the first people of the last century to have endured these cruelties. The Armenians were subjected to a genocidal campaign that defies comprehension and commands all decent people to remember and acknowledge the facts and lessons of an awful crime in a century of bloody crimes against humanity. If elected President, I would ensure that our nation properly recognizes the tragic suffering of the Armenian people.

The Armenian diaspora and the emergence of an independent Republic of Armenia stand as a testament to the resiliency of the Armenian people. In this new century, the United States must actively support the independence of all the nations of the Caucasus by promising the peaceful settlement of regional disputes and the economic development of the region. American assistance to Armenia to encourage the development of democracy, the rule of law and a tolerant open society is vital. It has my full support.

I am encouraged by recent discussions between the governments of Armenia and Azerbaijan. The United States should work actively to promote peace in the region and should be willing to serve as a mediator. But ultimately peace must be negotiated and sustained by the parties involved. Lasting peace can come only from agreements they judge to be in their best interests.

I appreciate the tremendous contribution of the Armenian community to the United States. The Armenian community has been and will continue to be a model of dedication to values of faith and family.

Sincerely,

[signed]
George W. Bush

(end of letter--J)

PRESS RELEASE For Immediate Release ~ 2000-02-20 Contact: Elizabeth Chouldjian ~ Tel: (202) 775-1918

GEORGE W. BUSH RECOGNIZES ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

Republican Candidate Calls on Americans to Remember and Acknowledge "Facts and Lessons" of the "Genocidal Campaign" against the Armenians

Washington, DC -- In a powerfully worded letter to two of his leading Armenian American supporters, Republican presidential hopeful Texas Governor George Bush acknowledged the Armenian Genocide, called on Americans to join with him in remembering the crime committed against the Armenian people, and pledged as President to ensure that the United States properly recognizes this terrible atrocity, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA). Governor Bush's letter, addressed to Michigan community activist Edgar Hagopian and New York businessman Vasken Setrakian, who attended Harvard with the Governor, also called for continued U.S. aid to Armenia, encouraged a peaceful settlement of the Nagorno Karabagh conflict, and praised the "tremendous contribution of the Armenian community to the United States." "We welcome Governor Bush's principled stand on the Armenian Genocide and join with him in calling upon all Americans to acknowledge both the facts and lessons of this crime against humanity," said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. "We would like, as well, to voice our community's gratitude to Vasken Setrakian and Edgar Hagopian, both of whom have done so much to share with Governor Bush the issues of pressing concern to our community. We appreciate their leadership and value their contribution to expanding the voice of Armenian Americans in the political process." Governor Bush's rival for the Republican nomination, Arizona Senator John McCain, has yet to speak out on Armenian issues. He has remained silent, in particular, on the Armenian Genocide, despite having received an unprecedented number of postcards from Armenian Americans as part of the ANCA's million postcard campaign to leading presidential candidates - including Governor Bush, Vice President Al Gore and former New Jersey Senator Bill Bradley. The two hundred thousand postcards addressed to Sen. McCain ask him to explain his vote in 1990 against former Senator Bob Dole's Armenian Genocide resolution and, more recently, his 1999 vote to lift the Section 907 restrictions on U.S. aid to Azerbaijan, despite Azerbaijan's failure to lift its blockades of Armenia and Nagorno Karabagh. (For more information on the ANCA postcard campaign, visit http://www.anca.org.) In a September 1998 speech in the U.S. Senate, McCain attacked a Congressionally approved ten million dollar aid package to the American University of Armenia as an "objectionable program," and a "serious diversion of scarce resources otherwise needed for truly worthy programs." (For more information on this speech, visit http://mccain.senate.gov/frop99ap.htm.) Provided below is the full text of Governor Bush's letter. #####

I will attempt to continue to write about this and provide updates as I discover them, but I fear that if the media continues to be as silent as they are now about this issue, these updates will never come. Any information I haven't found or have missed, as well as any new information you may discover would be greatly appreciated.