In 1934 a book called Patriotism Perverted was published in Boston by an Armenian-American author Kapriel Serope Papazian (Baikar Press). " In it he tried to present to the English-speaking Armenians of the United States and to the American public in general a picture of an organization called the "Armenian Revolutionary Federation", or the "Dashnagtzoutune".

K.S.Papazian dedicated it to the memory of those Armenian martyrs who "met death at the hands of their brothers". That organization had received much publicity in connection with the assassination in New York of Archbishop Leon Tourian.

Prof.Turkkaya Ataov, an established Ottoman and Turkish history schollar later published a book called "An Armenian Author on Patriotism Perverted" from which these pages are taken. Plainly putting into view the Armenian Revolutionary Movement and its acts, which today's Armenian fanaticsm prefers to 'not remember' and biased historians sweep it under the rug as it contradicts their theories...

Author Papazian thought that "an understanding of the background, past activities, the purposes and the methods" of the Dashnags would be important. He believed that the Dashnags' "mode of organization, its discordant mental make-up.., its belief in the use of violence..its tendency to disregard and distort the will of the majority... " were all alien to American ideals and Christian principles. He wrote the book to help create an idea "as to the moral and physical dangers" with which the youth and the community was "threatened on account of Dashnag activities."

The Dashnagtzoutune was organized in the Caucasus, in 1890, through the union of several secret Armenian revolutionary societies. It is difficult to assert that they shared a common purpose or ideal, which meant different things for the Armenian rightists and leftists, moderates and radicals. Although for some, this might have meant "some measure of autonomy" (p. 9), author Papazian accepts elsewhere (p. 31) in the same book that the Armenian Patriarchs of Istanbul, under age-old firmans of the Sultans, enjoyed privileges, "according to which the Armenians were given some sort of autonomy in ecclesiastical, educational arid purely Armenian community affairs." Papazian states that "from the very beginning, the society (Dashnags) has lacked consistency of purpose and method, and opportunism and lack of common sense have characterized most of its actions." (p. 1l)

Papazian describes the organization of the Dashnags as being "democratic in form only" (p.11). He says that its various committees and conventions were "little more than debating societies and providers of money". The actual direction of affairs, he believes, "had rested in the hands of a secret Bureau", with headquarters in Geneva. The common members were not encouraged to communicate with each other or with committees. This did away with criticism and independent thinking (p.12). The leaders of the official bodies could withhold facts and information from the rank and file. Hence, many plots, intrigues, conspiracies and terroristic enterprises were kept secret from the members (p. 13). Many innocent members were made co-partners in plots without knowing the purposes behind them. This "privilege of secrecy" has been gravely abused by the Dashnag leaders.

Papazian says that "'self-interest governed the policies of the Dashnagtzoutune". Opportunists placed themselves at the helm of the organization, and "even criminal methods were resorted to..." (p. 14). "Terrorism has, from the start been, adopted by the Dashnag Committee of the Caucasus. '' Papazian underlines that the "Dashnag publications are full of stories of terroristic exploits" (p.15). The Program, adopted in 1892, states that they believe in terrorizing government officials and subjecting government institutions to destruction and pillage. Papazian quotes several Armenian and other sources to prove that, at first, terroristic methods were resorted to in order to obtain money, then used to intimidate prominent men and exterminate officials.

For instance, in the summer of 1902, a Dashnag "storm" squad "arrested" the well-to-do Isahag Jamharian and took him to a lonely spot outside the city of Shousha. He was set free when he promised to pay 30,000 rubles. But he notified the police. He was stabbed to death inside an Armenian church in Moscow. M. Varandian, a historian of the Dashnags, (1)writes that the traitor has paid for his sin. In Papazian's evaluation, "Jamharian had committed the sin of defending himself" (p.16). He was a traitor in 1902, and is still a traitor for the Dashnag historian Varandian, writing in 1932. Papazian says: "All those who disagreed with the Dashnag leaders, or against whom the local Dashnag chiefs nourished a grudge, were denounced as traitors..." Mateos Baliozian, a merchant of Izmir, was thus denounced. (2) The same terroristic methods were also used within the ranks of Dashnag leaders for differences of opinion and to satisfy personal grudges. In 1891, for example,

Gerektzian was killed in Erzurum by the decision of the local Central Committee, whose members cast lots, and the lot fell on Aram Aramian, who killed Gerektzian. (3) According to Papazian, The Dashnags were "very prolific in organizing and carrying out terroristic acts " (p.17). Terrorism against their own co-nationals has been a prominent part of the activities of the Dashnags. Varandian exalts terroristic activities in. the following words: "...Perhaps there has never been a revolutionary party-not even the Russian Narodovoletz, or the Italian Carbonaris-with such experien-ces on the road of terroristic acts, as the A.R. Federation..."(4) Papazian concludes: "One of the most unfortu-nate results of these terroristic methods was the gradual development of a class of terrorists, who used their bullets and dagger indiscriminately.. This class of terrorists enjoyed a place of honor within the society" (p.18). They killed Mihran in 1909. (5) They shot and stabbed to death Abbot Arsen Vartabed of the Akhtamar Monastery (near Van) and his secretary Mihram in 1904. They then dismembered their bodies and threw them into Lake Van. Abbot Vartabed had opposed the designs of Ishkan, a notorious Dashnag chieftain, who wanted to control the property and the income of the monastery. Papa-zian adds: "After his death, Ishkan and his gang pillaged the ancient monastery" (pp.68-69). Dehertzi David was a very trustworthy man in the ranks of the Dashnags in Van. He was sent to Iran on a secret mission. Returning to Van he found that his fiancee had been gravely mistreated by Aram, the chief Dashnag leader in the district. He was disarmed and imprisoned at Aram's order, but escaped. Maddened with thoughts of revenge, he confessed to the Turkish authorities. He was killed by the Dashnags in 1908 (p. 69). Garjgantzi Manoug, a former Dashnag, who had opposed the arbitrary acts of the leader, was murdered in 1910. Bedros Capamajian was likewise shot and kil-led one winter night in 1912 while getting into his carriage with his wife and daughter.

Hampartzoum Arakelian the well-known seventy-year old editor of the journal Mushag of Tiflis (Tbilisi), "whose biting pen and sarcasm", in the words of Papazian, "had mercifully lashed the Dashnag stupidity and arbitrariness for many years," was killed in his bed one night in 1918 by terrorists. Garjigian, "a Dashnag of high rank, who occupied a ministerial chair in the newly formed Armenian Republic at Erivan", was killed in 1918 by another Dashnag, Egor Der Minasian (pp.69-70). Bedros Atamian, the manager of the Ramgavar paper Nor Alik, was stabbed to death on a street in Salonica (Greece) in 1926. Dekhruni, a Hunchagist was shot to death in Athens in 1933. Mihran Aghazarian, a Hunchagist editor, was killed in Beirut also in 1933.

The Dashnags adopted the methods of sensational, sporadic and partisan fights inside Turkey. They decided on an attack on the Imperial Ottoman Bank. In August 1896, a group of young men entered the Bank in Istan-bul, subdued the employees and threatened to blow it up. Through the intervention of the Tsarist Russian Embassy, they were safely escorted out and placed on board a French steamer. The Dashnag leader clung to the idea that such terroristic acts would bring European intervention in favour of the Armenians. Papazian says that they ignored "the people of Turkish Armenia," that they "never took the trouble of inquiring into the actual conditions" of the Armenians and that they never consulted them. "They pursued their own disastrous methods" (p.2l).

Papazian refers to another "futile expedition" which he calls the "fiasco of Khanasor." He describes the "Khanasor expedition" as the "result of the machinations of the Russian authorities, whose purpose was to encourage political unrest and turmoil along the eastern borders of Turkey.'' He says that the Dashnag leaders of Tiflis were "playing the game of the Russian government.'' In November 1897, about 250 Armenians attacked the camp of the Mazrik tribe in the Plain of Khanasor and set fire to the nearest tents, killing some. The main body of the tribe, however, drove back the attackers, who in their confusion fired upon each other. The Dashnags declared Sharaf Bey, the tribal chief, dead, celebrating the "glorious victors" -although he rived another twenty, years, and the episode itself was a retreat and a failure. Similar terroristic acts, involving sacrifices of human life, failed to lead to "European intervention". Papazian states that had the attempt on the life of the Ottoman Sultan Abdulhamid II been successful, this "would not have helped the Armenian cause" (p.24).

part 2