“Who Remembers the Armenians?” – Hitler Quote a Forgery

Dr. Robert John, a historian and political analyst of Armenian descent from New York City, declared that a commonly used quotation of an alleged statement by Adolf Hitler concerning the Armenian massacres during World War One was a forgery and should not be used.

Dr. John demonstrated how he had traced the original document in the Military Branch of the National Archives of the U.S.A. after being handed a folder bearing the quotation at a rally outside the United Nations building in New York following the Turkish invasion of Cyprus. The quotation:

“Our strength is in our quickness and our brutality. […] For the time being I have sent to the east only Death’s Head units, with the order to kill without pity or mercy all men, women and children. […] Who talks nowadays of the extermination of the Armenians?”

Dr. John showed slides of this document, undated and unsigned, with some words cut out of the last page. The statement was supposed to have been made at a meeting of the top German staff of the Obersalzberg on August 22, 1939. The document was released to the international press covering the Nuremberg War Crimes trials on Friday, November 23, 1945. The trials had commenced that Monday. The document was one of several made available to the press that day. Two-hundred-fifty copies were given to press correspondents, but only five copies were given to the 17 defense counsels – 24 hours before the Court convened on Monday!

Much later in the trial, the German defense lawyers were able to introduce the most complete account of the address, taken down by German Admiral Hermann Boehm, which runs to 12 pages in translation. There is no mention of the Armenians or the rest of the “quotation.”

Dr. Robert John said he believed that the document was introduced to create a climate of hate which was needed to stifle the protests of eminent American jurists such as Sen. R. Taft and Chief Justice Harland Stone. He had discussed it with Gen. Telford Taylor, who had said:

“I know the document you mean, I don’t know its provenance, and I have not used it in my own work.”

Dr. John said:

“We all believe that violence breeds violence. There has been an increase in Armenian violence since this false inflammatory statement was given publicly. Films like The Day After are a form of violence, and should not be shown to children – who are unable to evaluate their content. Films about the “Holocaust” are a form of violence and are harmful to us as well as to Jews. There is a high probability that the surprising violence and brutality shown by the Israelis towards the Palestinians, may be a result of being frequently exposed to these old scenes. Just as parents who abuse their children have often been abused themselves.”

Dr. John briefly traced the history of atrocity propaganda, particularly from the British – and later – American view. Real atrocities certainly occurred, but the deliberate fabrication and dissemination of atrocity stories increased the probability of their occurring.

Dr. John commented:

Dr. John, whose paper is entitled “Information and Misinformation,” hails from Armenian parents who moved from New Julla, Iran, to India. His father changed his name from Hovhanes to “John,” and subsequently the family moved to England. Dr. John studies law in England and holds a doctoral degree in political science from London University. He is presently a contributor to the London, England based The Middle East Magazine monthly, and in addition to giving lectures, is a frequent contributor to numerous magazines and publications. He is also the author of Palestine Diary, and specializes in Middle Eastern issues, including the Palestinian issue.

Note

Reprinted from The Armenian Reporter, Vol. XVII, No. 40, August 2, 1984, with permission of The Armenian Reporter Int’l, P.O. Box 129, Paramus, NJ 07652, (201) 226-1995 FAX (201)226-1660 [email protected]