THE HARBORD MISSION REPORTS ON ARMENIA, 1919 IN THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE ARCHIVES (a video)
In June and August of 1919 the Paris Peace Conference discussed a lot of problems related to the Ottoman politics and the U.S. mandate for Western Armenia. European powers, namely Great Britain and France did not reject a possibility to establish the vast American zone of influence, encompassing Eastern and Western Armenia, Cilicia, as well as Constantinople with the Straits.
The U.S. President Woodrow Wilson announced that his country should allot regiments and money to establish a new semi-independent unit of multiethnic pattern. Besides, he always mentioned that his point of view would pass the Senate Committee debates. As follows from the documents mentioned below there was a threat of Turkish aggression against the Republic of Armenia. It was apparent that the Turkish side, continuing its policy of genocide against Western Armenians, activated its aggressive policy against Eastern Armenia too. In the beginning of August, 1919, the Chairman of the Peace conference and Major General Harbord were informed of the widespread Turco-Tatar movement in the Arax valley, aimed against the Republic of Armenia. Headed by commander of the 15th Army Corps Colonel Kiazim Karabekir and saturated with Turkish officers, it was a purely political undertaking.
Here we present a number of first-hand accounts, prepared by a group of experts, who ranked from two Brigadier Generals, Frank R.McCoy and George Van Horn Moseley to 1st Lieutenant Harutiun Khachadoorian. Their essays are kept in the U.S. National Archives at Washington (following: US NA), collection M820 General records of the American commission to negotiate peace, 1918-1931, American delegation, Field mission of the American delegation, Harbord military mission to Armenia. Microfilm publications, National Archives and Records Service, General Service Administration, 1970, reel 230, vol.204, and reel 232, together with National Archives of Armenia at Yerevan (following: NAA), collection of microfilms reels 2 and 4 (following: MR). We represent below a selection of the Harbord Mission reports, though all its dispatches compile several dozens of volumes, not to remind its photos and films. We do believe that this first-hand sources are really useful for any research devoted to so intricate and dramatic Political History of the First Republic of Armenia.
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