Office of the Historian

Mr. Terrell to Mr. Olney.

Legation of the United States,
Constantinople, January 20, 1896. (Received Feb. 3.)
No. 773.]

Sir: I have the honor to inclose for your information the copy of a letter from Rev. H. O. Dwight, dated the 11th instant, which shows that the Turks at Bitlis continue their effort to hold Rev. George Knapp responsible for massacres there, and which requests me to ask a public retraction, and in default thereof to demand a commission.

Feeling the extreme danger of obtaining a fair inquiry through a commission, it will not be applied for; but the Grand Vizier has been told by me that I knew it was duress and terrorism which had caused the Armenians to lie on Mr. Knapp; that it must cease; that he was sick, and I desired to send him to Persia, but Americans had not learned to run when slandered, and he should stay at Bitlis until the calumnies against him were retracted. I requested the Grand Yizier to rebuke the corrupt officials at Bitlis, and require them to retract charges against Knapp, that he might depart for a time and recover his health. He professed ignorance of the matter. * * *

In this connection I should state that the —— ambassador informed me that his consul in Asia Minor reported that American missionaries were in many places unable to leave their houses for fear of the resentment of the Armenians, caused by the fact that our missionaries had encouraged sedition and had promised more than they could perform.

* * * The safety of our people requires me to assume the falsehood of the charge, and so to denounce it, which I have done at the Porte. The advice given to all missionaries two years ago, to refuse to instruct the children of known conspirators, which at the time provoked against me the resentment of Armenians and also some of our own citizens, was followed at Marsovan, and the Turkish guard which I have so long kept there before massacres is now my chief object lesson to prove the peaceful nature of our missionaries. I have requested from both the French and Russian ambassadors specific statements as to seditious advice from American missionaries, with a view to future inquiry.

I have, etc.,

A. W. Terrell.
[Page 1464]
[Inclosure in No. 773.]

Mr. Dwight to Mr. Terrell.

Constantinople, January 11, 1896.

Sir: The following extracts from a letter from—— ——, of Bitlis, throw light on the situation there respecting the effort being made by the officials at that place to inflame the populace and to mislead the Sublime Porte, to the detriment of our missionaries there:

You have no idea how extensive is the effort to make Mr. George P. Knapp responsible for all of these calamities. From most reliable sources we have information, which we are forced to believe, that, from the governor down to ordinary Turks and Koords, all are determined to prove Mr. Knapp instigator of all that has taken place.

—— Bey confesses that the Government officials are all against him. Conversation between Turks on the subject has been overheard. In the affair of the shooting of Kevork Bakalian they are trying to show that Mr. Knapp planned the affair. The Armenians are so dominated by terror for their lives that the number is not small who would perjure themselves to save their lives. A large number of official declarations have been seen with Mr. Knapp’s name on them. We have grave reason to believe that one signed by 30 Armenians, to save their own lives, has been sent within a few days to Constantinople. The names of our informants can not be given here. Can nothing be done to counteract these slanders at Constantinople? I wish Judge Terrell could understand these things. * * *

From Flezoun and other places come notes of warning. We are warned to allow no one to enter the house who has not some special work. Even in these places remote from here the ears of the people are filled with these same slanderous stories against Mr. Knapp.

* * * of course, neither Mr. Knapp nor Mr. Cole can leave Bitlis until their honor is vindicated, else the same process of slander will be used elsewhere to drive out missionaries.

* * * * * *

Yours, very truly,

H. O. Dwight.