In 1915, the United States was neutral, and the Russian government urged it to use its good offices to prevent the genocide by the Ottomans of the Armenians.
Ambassador Morgenthau. Wikipedia photo.
A hundred years ago today, U.S. Secretary of State William Jennings Bryan
sent this telegram to Henry Morgenthau, the U.S. ambassador in Constantinople. It reads:
Russian Ambassador has brought to our attention an appeal made by the Catholicos of the Armenian Church that this Government use its good offices with the Turkish Government to prevent the massacre of non-combatant Armenians in Turkish territory.
You will please bring the matter to the attention of the government, urging upon it the use of effective means for the protection of Armenians from violence at the hands of those of other religions.
The Russian Ambassador calls attention to the fact that there are many Mussulmans in Russian territory and that these enjoy immunity from religious persecution.
–BRYAN
References
- Earlier Armenian Genocide Posts
- Telegram at Armenian-Genocide.org
- The American Ambassador in Constantinople