Turks Say “Yok”

In July 1915 von Wangenheim reported to the German Chancellor that there no long was any doubt that the Porte was trying to “exterminate the Armenian race in the Turkish empire.” He and Pallavicini both concluded that attempting to interfere did no good. His recommendation to his government was to build a record showing that Germany was not responsible for what was happening. Other German officials disagreed, and tried to interfere, as did the German Pastor Johannus Lepsius, but the Wilhelmstrasse accepted von Wangenheim’s advice. In October it asked the Porte to issue a public statement clearing Germany of complicity and stating that German representatives in the Ottoman Empire had tried to save the Armenians. When the Porte refused, the Wilhelmstrasse threat to issue such a statement on its own, but then backed down for fear of damaging the Turkish alliance.

In July 1915 von Wangenheim reported to the German Chancellor that there no long was any doubt that the Porte was trying to “exterminate the Armenian race in the Turkish empire.” He and Pallavicini both concluded that attempting to interfere did no good. His recommendation to his government was to build a record showing that Germany was not responsible for what was happening. Other German officials disagreed, and tried to interfere, as did the German Pastor Johannus Lepsius, but the Wilhelmstrasse accepted von Wangenheim’s advice. In October it asked the Porte to issue a public statement clearing Germany of complicity and stating that German representatives in the Ottoman Empire had tried to save the Armenians. When the Porte refused, the Wilhelmstrasse threat to issue such a statement on its own, but then backed down for fear of damaging the Turkish alliance.