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Even If the Memoirs Are Authentic, Could the Documents Still Be Forgeries?

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Killing Orders

Part of the book series: Palgrave Studies in the History of Genocide ((PSHG))

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Abstract

Chapter 4 seeks an answer to a crucial question: even if a bureaucrat by the name of Naim did indeed write these memoirs, is not still possible that the events of which he speaks are his own concoctions? Corroboration of names and events mentioned by Naim Efendi are found in Ottoman archival documents and described in detail.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Şinasi and Yuca, Talat Paşa’ya Atfedilen, 129–130.

  2. 2.

    For examples of the registries of outgoing cipher cables (Şifre Telgraf Giden Defter), see ibid., 49, 58, 61, 62, 67–71, 75, 76.

  3. 3.

    Halil Menteşe, Osmanlı Mebusan Meclisi Reisi Halil Menteşe´nin Anıları (Istanbul: Hürriyet Vakfı Yayınları, 1986), 216.

  4. 4.

    Henry Morgenthau, Ambassador Morgenthau’s Story (Garden City, New York: Doubleday, Page & Co., 1918), 143–144.

  5. 5.

    Ibid., 145.

  6. 6.

    Murat Bardakçı, Talat Paşa’nın Evrakı Metrukesi (Istanbul: Everest, 2008), 211.

  7. 7.

    Andonian did not use the photographic image of this cipher telegram. The document was published by Krikor Guerguerian (Krieger, “Aram Andoniani Hradaragadz Turk Başdonagan Vaverakrerı”). The translation of the document is found on the same paper below the groups of numbers, and reads: “there are almost 400 children in the orphanage and these will be sent to the areas of resettlement separately from the convoys.” The deciphered version of the cable is to be found in the version of Naim’s memoirs published by Andonian (and that we no longer possess). See, Aram Andonian, Medz Vojirě, 183, 185.

  8. 8.

    This telegram is related to the killing of Armenian deputy Zohrab and was not used by Andonian. The Ottoman date on the document is 17 February 1332, which is a mistake. There was a 13 days’ difference between the Ottoman Rumi calendar and the Gregorian calendar. To avoid this 13-day difference, the Ottoman Government decided to eliminate the dates between 16 February 1332 and 1 March 1333 (which is the first day of a new year according to the Ottoman calendar). Beginning with 1 March 1333, Ottoman and Gregorian calendars have the same dates, which is a source of confusion even today.

  9. 9.

    Ozel and Yuca, Talat Paşa’ya Atfedilen, 129.

  10. 10.

    İbid.

  11. 11.

    Ibid., 76, 129.

  12. 12.

    To the best of our knowledge, no study has ever been done of the encryption methods used by Ottoman governments for their own internal correspondence. What we can offer here is only some limited observations. The subject is of sufficient import to merit a specific study in its own right.

  13. 13.

    BOA.DH.ŞFR., 47/302 Cipher cable, dated 3 December 1914, from the Interior Ministry to the Province of Aleppo.

  14. 14.

    BOA.DH.ŞFR., 92/71, Cipher cable, dated 7 October 1918, from the Interior Ministry to the Province of Mamuretülaziz.

  15. 15.

    BOA.DH.ŞFR., DH.ŞFR. 85/62, Cipher cable, dated 10 March 1918, from the Foreign Ministry to Consul Mahmut Bey.

  16. 16.

    BOA.DH.ŞFR., 47/355, Cipher cable, dated 6 December 1914, from the Interior Ministry to the Provinces of Edirne, Erzurum, Adana, Ankara, Aydın, Bitlis, Basra, Baghdad, Beirut, Hicaz, Aleppo, Hüdavendigar (Bursa), Diyarbekir, Syria, Sivas, Trebizond, Kastamonu, Konya, Mamuretülaziz (Elazığ), Mosul, Van, and Yemen and to the Provincial Districts of Urfa, Izmit, Bolu, Canik, Çatalca, [Deyr-i] Zor, Asîr, Karesi, Kudüs-i Sherif (Jerusalem), Kale-i Sultaniye (Gallipoli), Menteşe, Teke (Antalya), Kayseri, Karahisar-ı Sahib (Afyon Karahisar); and the Sanctuary of Medina.

  17. 17.

    BOA.DH.ŞFR., 52/228, Cipher cable, dated 11 May 1915, from the Interior Ministry to the Provinces of Edirne, Erzurum, Adana, Ankara, Aydın, Bitlis, Basra, Baghdad, Beirut, Hicaz, Halep, Hüdavendigar (Bursa), Diyarbekir, Syria, Sivas, Trebizond, Kastamonu, Konya, Mamuretülaziz (Elazığ), Mosul, Van, and Yemen; and to the Provincial Districts of Urfa, Izmit, Bolu, Canik, Çatalca, [Deyr-i ]Zor, Asîr, Karesi, Kudüs-i Sherif (Jerusalem), Kale-i Sultaniye (Dardanelles), Menteşe, Teke (Antalya), Kayseri, Karahisar-ı Sahib (Afyon Karahisar), Eskishehir, Içel, Kütahya, Marash, and Niğde; and the Sanctuary of Medina.

  18. 18.

    BOA.DH.ŞFR., 61/280, Written message from the Cipher Office of the Interior Ministry, dated 1 March 1916.

  19. 19.

    BOA.DH.ŞFR., 92/82, Cipher cable, dated 9 October 1918, from the Interior Ministry to the Provinces of Edirne, Erzurum, Adana, Ankara, Aydın, Bitlis, Aleppo, Hüdavendigar (Bursa), Diyarbekir, Sivas, Trebizond, Kastamonu, Konya, Mamuretülaziz (Elazığ), Mosul, and Van; and to the Provincial District of Urfa, Izmit, Bolu, Canik, Çatalca, Zor, Karesi, Kale-i Sultaniye, Menteşe, Teke (Antalya), Kayseri, Kütahya, Karahisar-ı Sahib (Afyon Karahisar), Içel, Marash, Niğde, and Eskishehir.

  20. 20.

    BOA.DH.ŞFR., 48/199, Cipher cable, dated 29 December 1914, from the Interior Ministry to Süleyman Askeri Bey. In the telegram, Süleyman Askeri is requested not to use the special code that he has with him: [Please] use the new encryption code that is in Cavid Pasha’s possession to communicate [with the Ministry]; by no means is the special encryption key to be used, as this key can be encrypted by everyone.

  21. 21.

    BOA.DH.ŞFR., 50/262, Cipher cable, dated 21 March 1915, from the Special Secretariat of the Interior Ministry to the Interior Ministry. In the cable, it is reported that “a certain type of encryption key has been created” for the communication between the “[interior] minister and Halil Beyefendi, who was in Europe on official business.”

  22. 22.

    A. Faik Hurşit Günday, Hayat ve Hatıralarım, volume 1 (Istanbul: Çelikcilt Matbaası, 1960), 97–98.

  23. 23.

    BOA.DH.KMS., 24-2-05-03, Cipher cable, dated 9 March 1915, from the Interior Ministry to the Provincial Districts of Izmit and Menteşe. The same document can be found in the archives as BOA.DH.ŞFR., 50/219.

  24. 24.

    BOA.DH.ŞFR. 52/107, Cipher cable, dated 25 April 1915, from the Interior Ministry to the Provinces of Istanbul, Edirne, Erzurum, Adana, Ankara, Aydın, Bitlis, Basra, Baghdad, Beirut, Hicaz, Aleppo, Hüdavendigar (Bursa), Diyarbekir, Syria, Sivas, Trebizond, Kastamonu, Konya, Mamuretülaziz (Elazığ), Mosul, Van, and Yemen; and to the Provincial Districts of Urfa, Izmit, Bolu, Canik, Çatalca, [Deyr-i ]Zor, Asîr, Karesi, Kudüs-i Sherif (Jerusalem), Kale-i Sultaniye (Dardanelles), Menteşe, Teke (Antalya), Kayseri, Kütahya, Karahisar-ı Sahib (Afyon Karahisar), Içel, Marash, and Niğde; and to the Sanctuary of Medina.

  25. 25.

    BOA.DH.KMS., 24-2-44.

  26. 26.

    BOA.DH.ŞFR., 50/262-2 Written message, dated 10 April 1915, by the Directorate of the Interior Ministry’s Special Secretariat.

  27. 27.

    BOA.DH.ŞFR., 531/35, Cipher cable, dated 6 September 1916, from Erzurum Provincial Governor Midhat to the Interior Ministry.

  28. 28.

    BOA.DH.ŞFR., 591/3 Cipher cable, dated 29 July 1918, from the Acting Deputy District Governor of [Deyr-i ] Zor, Ömer Zeki to the Interior Ministry.

  29. 29.

    Here some examples of four-digit telegrams with different number combinations: with number one: BOA.DH.ŞFR., 464/36 (7 March 1915); 467/106 (17 April 1915); with number two: BOA.DH.ŞFR., 464/31 (8 March 1915); 654/188 (20 December 1919); with number three: BOA.DH.ŞFR., 461/84 (17 February 1915); 519/24 (9 May 1916); with number four: BOA.DH.ŞFR., 465/69 (17 March 1915); 668/12 (10 October 1917); with number five: BOA.DH.ŞFR., 457/11 (10 January 1915); 486/04 (30 August 1915); with number six: BOA.DH.ŞFR., 464/34 (7 March 1915) and with number nine: BOA.DH.ŞFR., 467/106 (17 April 1915).

  30. 30.

    Even though the labels 6, 7, 8 and 9 were related to different numbering groups within a digit group, one would expect them to be explicitly mentioned in the document as to which digit group they belong. For example, they would have said, 6, 7, 8 or 9 of the five-digit group, etc. However, this was not the case. The simplest answer is that there is no need to mention this specifically because one would readily see whether the ciphered telegram has a four or five-digit group.

  31. 31.

    BOA.DH.ŞFR., 502/80, Cipher cable, dated 25 December 1915, from [Aleppo] Governor Mustafa Abdülhalik to the Interior Ministry.

  32. 32.

    BOA/DH.ŞFR., 497/79 (15 November 1915) and 520/23 (18 May 1916).

  33. 33.

    BOA.DH.ŞFR., 486/139 and 498/62, Cipher cables, dated 2 September and 21 November 1915, from Director of [Tribal and] Immigrant Settlement Şükrü Bey to the Interior Ministry.

  34. 34.

    BOA.DH.ŞFR., 499/87, Cipher cable, dated 2 December 1915, from the President of the Trebizond Canik Commission on the Liquidation of Abandoned Property Nazım Bey to the Interior Ministry.

  35. 35.

    Second Army Commander Ahmet Izzet Pasha’s note, in a cable to the interior ministry dated 5 September 1916: “extremely urgent, to be handled personally [by minister]” and “with the province code,” informs the ministry that “the Second Army’s administration of provisioning matters has reached a worrisome state, and the need was felt for extraordinary measures [to be taken] in order to ensure the [continued] functioning of the whole.” (DH.ŞFR., 531/21); The Provincial Governor of Mamuretülaziz, Sabit, sent a cable dated 8 September 1916 with the demand that the currently 150 person-strong cavalry unit in Hozat be allowed to stay in Mazgird (DH.ŞFR., 531/61); and the cable sent by Mustafa Kemal on 7 October 1917 on behalf of the Seventh Army Command, containing the demand that someone new be appointed in place of Reis ül-‘Ayn County Executive (Kaymakam) Refi Bey (DH.ŞFR., 568/3).

  36. 36.

    BOA.DH.ŞFR., 59/155, Cipher cable, dated 30 December 1915, from the Interior Ministry to the President of the Kayseri Disposal [of Abandoned Property] Commission.

  37. 37.

    BOA.DH.ŞFR., 56/125, Cipher cable, dated 22 September 1915, from the Interior Ministry to the President of the Niğde Commission on Abandoned Property.

  38. 38.

    BOA.DH.ŞFR., 55/185, Cipher cable, dated 26 August 1915, from Interior Minister Talat to all of the provinces.

  39. 39.

    BOA.DH.ŞFR., 472/111. Since the deciphering of this specific cable was done on the same sheet of paper, it is possible to see how the official did the deciphering by dividing the five-digit cipher into four-digit number groups. Whether or not our observation is true can be verified only by the publication of the relevant Encryption Key Registries.

  40. 40.

    Orel and Yuca, Talat Paşa’ya Atfedilen, 66.

  41. 41.

    BOA.A.}d, Ministry Registries, 01520.001.

  42. 42.

    BOA.DH.ŞFR., 52/209, Cipher cable, dated 4 May 1915, from the Interior Ministry to the Prosecutor’s Office of the Van Court of Appeals.

  43. 43.

    BOA.DH.ŞFR., 48/9, Cipher cable, dated 16 December 1914, from the Interior Ministry to the Provinces of Edirne, Erzurum, Adana, and Aydın, to the Acting Governors of Basra and Baghdad (Vekalet); to the [Provinces of] Beirut, Hijaz, Trebizond, Kastamonu, Mosul, and Van, to the Acting Governor of Yemen, and to the Provincial Districts of Canik, Kale-i Sultaniye (Dardanelles), and Antalya.

  44. 44.

    BOA.DH.ŞFR., 48/195, Cipher cable, dated 29 December 1915, from Interior Minister Talat to the Governor of Baghdad.

  45. 45.

    BOA.DH.ŞFR., 48/268 and 274, Cipher cables, dated 4 January 1915, from the Interior Ministry to the Provincial District of Bolu; and to the Provinces of Ankara and Diyarbekir.

  46. 46.

    BOA.DH.ŞFR., 51/182, Cipher cable, dated 31 March 1915, from the Interior Ministry to the Provinces of Konya and Adana, and to the Provincial District of Antalya.

  47. 47.

    BOA.DH.ŞFR., 51/227, Cipher cable, dated 7 April 1915, from Interior Minister Talat to the Provinces of Sivas, Van, Bitlis and Mamuretülaziz (Elazığ), and to the Provincial District of Kayseri.

  48. 48.

    BOA.DH.ŞFR., 52/24, Cipher cable, dated 17 April 1915, from the Interior Ministry to the Province of Aleppo, and to the Provincial Districts of Urfa and Marash.

  49. 49.

    BOA.DH.ŞFR., 52/140, Cipher cable, dated 28 April 1915, from the Interior Ministry to the Provincial District of Kütahya.

  50. 50.

    BOA.DH.ŞFR., 52/174, Cipher cable, dated 1 May 1915, from the Interior Ministry to the Provinces of Mamuretülaziz (Elazığ) and Hijaz, and to the Provincial District of Kayseri.

  51. 51.

    BOA.DH.ŞFR., 53/125, Cipher cable, dated 26 May 1915, from the Interior Ministry to the Provinces of Van and Bitlis.

  52. 52.

    BOA.DH.ŞFR., 53/210, Cipher cable, dated 2 June 1915, from the Interior Ministry to the Provinces of Diyarbekir, Baghdad, and Basra, and to the Provincial Districts of Siverek and Deyr-i Zor.

  53. 53.

    BOA.DH.ŞFR., 54/357, Cipher cable, dated 8 July 1915, from the Interior Ministry to the Provinces of Ankara and Kastamonu.

  54. 54.

    BOA.DH.ŞFR., 45/214, internal document of Interior Ministry [undated].

  55. 55.

    BOA.BEO, 4461-327029, 13 June 1915.

  56. 56.

    BOA.DH.ŞFR., 47/254, Cipher cable, dated 30 November 1914, from the Interior Ministry to the Province of Hüdavendigar (Bursa).

  57. 57.

    Orel and Yuca, Talat Paşa’ya Atfedilen, 76.

  58. 58.

    Orel and Yuca, Talat Paşa’ya Atfedilen, 75.

  59. 59.

    Ibid.

  60. 60.

    BOA.DH.ŞFR., 500/53, Cipher cable, dated 7 December 1915, from Civil Service Inspector (Mülkiye Müfettişi) Fuat to the Interior Ministry.

  61. 61.

    BOA.DH.ŞFR., 490/96, Cipher cable, dated 25 September 1915, from Director of Immigrant [Resettlement] (Muhacirin Müdürü) Şükrü to the Interior Ministry.

  62. 62.

    BOA.DH.ŞFR., 498/62, Cipher cable, dated 21 November 1915, from Director of Immigrant [Resettlement] (Muhacirin Müdürü) Şükrü to the Interior Ministry.

  63. 63.

    Just to expel any doubts on the matter, here are a few more: 2 and 3 September 1915 Eskishehir (DH.ŞFR., 486/139 ve 487/14); 26 September 1915 Bursa (490/16); 8 October 1915, Aleppo (DH.ŞFR., 492/90) and Ankara (DH.ŞFR., 492/97); 2 December 1915 Ordu (DH.ŞFR., 499/87).

  64. 64.

    Şinasi Orel and Süreyya Yuca, Talat Paşa’ya Atfedilen, 75.

  65. 65.

    Ibid.

  66. 66.

    Ibid., 66.

  67. 67.

    BOA.DH.ŞFR., 513/73; 514/82 and 103; 515/79.

  68. 68.

    The coded documents in question are between BOA.DH.ŞFR., 513/98 and 514/001.

  69. 69.

    Ibid., 60.

  70. 70.

    For the full document translation and photographic plate, see Aram Andonian, Medz Vojirě, 169–170. Orel and Yuca, Talat Paşa’ya Atfedilen, 56, 156.

  71. 71.

    BOA.DH.EUM.MH., 136/43, Message, dated 27 August 1916.

  72. 72.

    BOA.DH.EUM.LVZ., 34/116, Message, dated 27 August 1916.

  73. 73.

    BOA.DH.EUM.LVZ., 40/45, Message, dated 6 November 1917.

  74. 74.

    BOA.DH.KMS., 510, Message, dated 29 October 1913, from the Office of the Grand Vizier to the Interior Ministry.

  75. 75.

    BOA.ŞD., 2825-15, Message, dated 29 October 1913, from the Office of the Grand Vizier to the President of the State Council.

  76. 76.

    BOA.DH.KMS., 5-10, Message, dated 24 November 1915, from the Interior Ministry to all administrative units/regions.

  77. 77.

    BOA.A.}d, Ministry Registries, 01520.001.

  78. 78.

    BOA.DH.KMS., 24-2-22.

  79. 79.

    BOA.DH.KMS., 24-2-44.

  80. 80.

    Minhü is often used in Ottoman documents meaning “of that [same] month,” with the preceding number indicating the date. For the image of the document, see the Armenian version of Naim Efendi’s memoir, Aram Andonyan, Medz Vojiru, 152; for the text, see: Naim Efendi, Hatırat, 06 [06].

  81. 81.

    Regarding Governor Mustafa Abdülhalik’s appointment to the office, see BOA.İ.MMS, 200/27, From Interior Ministry to Sublime Porte, Ministry of the Interior, Directorate of Personnel and Service Registers, 3 October 1915; BOA.BEO., 4377-328273-01-01, from Grand Vezier’s Chancery Office to the Interior Ministry, 4 October 1915. Regarding the beginning of his duties, see BOA.DH.ŞFR. 496/53, Cable from Director-General of Security İsmail Canpolat to the Interior Ministry, 7 November 1915.

  82. 82.

    Even though he had the photographic image of the document dated 25 October 1915, Andonian did not use it in his book.

  83. 83.

    Aram Andonyan, Medz Vojiru, 21.

  84. 84.

    BOA.DH.ŞFR., 62/18, Cipher cable from the Interior Ministry to the Province of Sivas, 1 April 1915.

  85. 85.

    BOA.DH.EUM.2. Şb., 14/58-1, Note from the Foreign Ministry to the Interior Ministry, 1 December 1915.

  86. 86.

    The Rumi was based on the Julian (hence, “Rumi,” or “Roman”) calendar, but began its dating from 622 CE, like the Muslim Hijri calendar. It was employed, alongside other calendars (Hijri, Mali) for various administrative purposes by the Ottoman government from the Tanzimat Period (1839) until the early years of the Turkish Republic

  87. 87.

    Orel and Yuca, Talat Paşa’ya Atfedilen, 12.

  88. 88.

    For Enver’s document, see Aram Andonyan, Medz Vojiru, 232–233. Andonian incorretly read the year on the document by Enver as 1918. It should be 1915.

  89. 89.

    BOA.İ.MMS, 200/27, Note from Sublime Porte, Ministry of the Interior, Directorate of Personnel and Service Registers, dated: 3 October 1915.

  90. 90.

    If the date written on the 16 September document is accurate, why did Bekir Sami (who was in Aleppo at the time) not respond to it? And did Mustafa Abdülhalik write the date “5 minhü” (the fifth of this month) by accident? These questions remain open to speculation.

  91. 91.

    Two examples of the correspondence of the “Acting Governor” (Vali Vekili) are BOA.DH.ŞFR., 494/34 and 496/17, Cipher cables from Acting Provincial Governor of Aleppo Kadı Halit to the Interior Ministry, 19 October 1915 and 4 November 1915.

  92. 92.

    The six signatures on the list from Column II of the Interior Ministry’s Cipher Office are, in descending order: BOA.DH.ŞFR., 77/042; 79/061; 79/216; 82/221; 84/113; (and especially) 91/221.

  93. 93.

    These two signatures follow the Governor’s short note of places to which the information in the cable should be forwarded. See Genelkurmay Başkanlığı, Arşiv Belgeleriyle Ermeni Faaliyetleri (1914–1918), Cilt VII, 408 and 523.

  94. 94.

    For the photographic images of the documents that were quoted, see: Aram Andonyan, Medz Vojirě, 152, 184; 136 and 147–148 (The image for the last quoted document was not used by Andonian, but a copy is in the author’s possession)

  95. 95.

    BOA.DH.ŞFR., 91/221, Cipher cable from Mustafa Abdülhalik to the Provincial District Governor of Batum, 24 September 1918.

  96. 96.

    List of the handwritings and referrals in Volume 7; (1) p. 408 (English translation of the text p. 236); (2) p. 515 (English translation, p. 315) (3), pp. 516–518 (English translation, p. 316); (4) p. 523 (English translation, p. 321); in Volume 8: (5) p. 405 (no English translation of this document); (6) p. 412 (English translation: 268); (7) p. 413 (English translation: 269).

  97. 97.

    Genelkurmay Başkanlığı, Arşiv Belgeleriyle Ermeni Faaliyetleri (1914–1918), Cilt VII (1914–1915), 236.

  98. 98.

    Orel and Yuca, Talat Paşa’ya Atfedilen…, Foreword, 12.

  99. 99.

    It is perhaps necessary here to dispel any misunderstanding. There are certainly some very valuable documents that explain the subjecting of the Armenian population to a process of systematic annihilation, and they are an important indicator of a systematic annihilation having taken place. What I am trying to say here is simply that there are a great number of documents similar to these in both style and content in the Ottoman archives.

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Akçam, T. (2018). Even If the Memoirs Are Authentic, Could the Documents Still Be Forgeries?. In: Killing Orders. Palgrave Studies in the History of Genocide. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69787-1_4

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