Letters Daily has responsibility to research the truth To the Daily: As editor of a prestigious and large American university youandyourstaff have a responsibility to seek out the truth and report information as factu- ally as possible. I am referring to the recent clash you had in Ann Arbor over the AnnenianTurkish relationship and history. Unfortunately, finding the truth is not always aneasy task, especially when one party is coercing with an enonnous amount of power and is also attempting to rewrite history. All your staff has to do is to review the Archives of the U.S. government to lean the truth. Many other nations recorded the massacres of 1894-96 when 300,000 Arnenians were butchered by the Turks; in 1909 when 30,000 were slain by the order of the "Young Turks" with their slogan of "Liberty,EqualityandFratemily"(what a farce); in World War I when 1.5 million were murdered; and even after the war, when Ataturk, the modern progressive George Washington of Turkey, ordered another carnage of 30,000 deaths. You will find all of the above very well documented. You will findnothing about the Armenians mur- dering the Turks. If there was any kill- ing itwas only inself-defense when the Armnenians were only trying to protect themselves. Make no mistake about the truth. There was a genocide and there was a massacre. Your Turkish students are only being told to carry the Turkish governmentlie. Ask themhow many of their grandparents or great grandpar- ents were murdered. If you get true answers, you will find there were very few. You and your staff have to be ac- countable in searching for facts and in reporting it as it really happened. George Mouradian Milford, Mich. Has Moscow moved? To the Daily: Last week's Daily Sports Trivia question asked: "What was the last Europeauncity tohost theSummerOlym- pics?" The answer you printed was Munich (1972). The correct answer is Moscow (1980). Most geographers agree the Ural Mountains divide Eu- rope from Asia, and since Moscow is west of that range, it's in Europe. Wayne Adam Daily provides helpful guide to local elections To the Daily: I would like to compliment you on the excellenttreview of candidates and issues in your Wednesday, July 29 is- sue. Your report was unbiased, thought- ful, and well-researched. It provided Daily readers with specific facts and figures, as well as specific actions each candidate has taken to back uphis or her platforn. I wasn't going to vote due to ignorance of the main issues. Now I have the tools to make an inforned decision. I've cutout the piece toshare with family and friendssothey, too, will be infonned and inspired to vote. Thank you! I look forward to read- ing more of the same as each election approaches. Natalie Chernomordik School of Education Vi otint .s Aortion issue. deeds, not words by Katherine Metres The much-hyped Penitsylvaiiia abortion ruling, the appearance of pro- choice Republican womenat theDemo- cratic convention podium and dte Quayles' confusion over t/e imaginary unwanted pregnancy of their daughter resolve only one thing: the abortion issue will continue to divide the Ameri- can people. Neither side will take all, and neither women nor the unborn will benefit from the debate. Abortion always has been attd al- ways will be an insoluble issue. That is why abortion must remain a legal op- tion. Women must be able to choose how to handle an unwanted pregtncy privately, in consultation with their doctor and in accordance with their own convictions and lifecircumstances. Abortion is not murder, but it is taking a life, however undeveloped. Almost 20 years after Roe vs. Wade legalized abortion nationwide, most Amemcans still feel somewhat uneasy about abor- Katherine Metres is an LSA junior. tion, even if they support its legality. So what's an aspiring - or scared incumbent - president to do? the an- swers of both candiat/es are predict- able election-year pandering. Clinton, admittedly hoping to ride on the coattaits of pro-choice senatorial candidates, last month areed that his plan to uphold Roe vs. Wade throughm Supreme Court nominations anouss to a litmus test. Clinton has repeatedly criticized President Bush for his reli- ance on such a limited criterion in ap- pointing judges. Bush's strategyhas been to contrast reproductive freedom with family val- ues. The sertnonizing of Vice President Quayle has been aimed at shoring up the president's support on the right, which has never redly trusted Bush. In short, there's been toomuchpoli- tics on both sides. That's why it was so refreshing when the Quayles last week publicly grappled with how they would handle a hypothetical unwanted preg- nancy in their own family. Suddenly Quayle stepped offthisholier-than-thou pedestal. His response-thattte would counsel his daughter not to have an abortion but would support her inde- pendent final decision -- reflects the hazy dilemma that millions of Ameri- can families have had to face. To be strictly consistent with his stated anti- choice position he should have re- sponded that tie could never accept tle "murder" of his grandchild. Still, given the contentious elec- tion-year climate, there's little hope that the Republican platfort will con- cede that abortion should be a private matter in which the interests of preg- nant woman and future child are weighed without the interference of government. And Clintonmwillcontinue to waffle on whether he supports a litm s test on abortiongpere ortnetely tie right to privacy, the legal basis of Roe vs. Wavde. In the midst of the political fire- works, the human reality of abortion gets lost. Abortion is a tought choice. It is deadly and sometimes painful for the unborn. anitdiis an ordeal for the preg- nant women. Still, the freedom to make this tough choice must be preserved. Matkitgabortionillegalswouldnotelimi- nate it; it would simply endanger the livesof themillionssofdesperate women who would tlen seek illegai abortions. Likewise, the mountingrestrictions and unavailability ofabortion result innmore late-tern abortions (which are more dangerous for die woman and more tragic for die unborn) and unwanted children. The rig/ht to abortion ought to re- main a legal, safe, viable option. Those who abhor abortion should work to eliminate die root causes of abortion, rather than restrict its availability. Does anyone ever address why the national abortion rate is so high? I can- not believe it is because American women are careless and callous. Have eidier of die candidates spoken about improving access to cuffrdable contra- ception and realistic sex education? Have either of them linked die need to abort to econominic discrimination against women, the unavailability of quality childcare, and the /iresponsibil- ity of men who ipregnate and then ruin? Do either of them pledge govem- ment support to agencies which help house, feed, clothe, and educate women who become mothers too young? Until they give these issues some hard thought and sincere advocacy, I don't want to hear any more from die candidates, the activists, and the pun- dits about die abortion issue. Toomany women and children are suffering as them ootd dbate drones on. . Wednesday, August 5, 1992 - The Michigan Daily Summer Weekly - 5 Genocide allegations based on forgeries by Tayfun Akin forgeries.Andonantmadesontanytmis- A number of letters by Armenians takesinpreparingtthepapers, however, have been printed in the Daily follow- that it ispossible toprove with absolute ingafullpage ad commemorating April certainty that they wereforgeries, even 24, 1915 as Armenian Martyrs' Day. without the originals... Togivejust one They were angry at the Daily's refusal example, Andonian has the governorof toprinttheten "genocide." They refer Aleppo signing documents at a time to elderly Armenians' experiences and when ie had not vet been named to the to telegrams allegedly written by Otto- post and was still in Istanbul. man Minister of the Interior, Talaat Some Armenians still question the Pasha, as historical proof of the "geno- validity of these scientific works, sim- cide" charge (they usually refer to the ply calling them works of the Turkish Ottoman govermnent as the Turkish government. Andonian's"documents" goverunent to draw a parallel with the have been available to scholars since current Republic of Turkey). Further- 1920; however, the majority of schol- more, they call any study challenging ars do not seem to accept them as valid their interpretations of the events that sources, and neither do they accept the took place in Eastern Anatolia during genocide allegations. When a resolu- World War I "anti-Armenian Turkish- ion was brought to tie U.S. Congress goverrinental generated propaganda." to commemorate April 24, 1915 as I do not wish to minunize the scope Armenian "Genocide"Day, the major- of the sufferings of the Armenians, but ity of American academic experts on I am also aware of the suffering experi- late Ottoman history declared theirop- enced by non-Armenians in the samne position. Those 69 scholars wrote in place, during same time. In 1915, Ar- The New York Times: The weight of menians in Eastern Anatolia joined to evidence sofar uncoveredpoints in the die Cztuist Russian army during its direction of serious inter-comiutna invasion of die Eastern Anatolia as an warifare (perpetrated by Moslem and act of rebellion against the Ottoman Christianirregularforces),complicated Goertnett.Theemsuimgevil wartud br uiseasefaiinesffeingand ias- subsequent re/cationof civiltntpopu- sacres. They appealed tothe Turks/ lation of Eastern Anatolia had tragic politicalauthorities toopendtherelevant consequences. Hundreds of thousands Ottomanarchiveswhich hadbeenclas- of people - Armenians, Kurds, and sifled since 1914. Turks, Christians and Moslems-cdied Prof. Heath Lowry, the editor of ie in inter-communal warfare or because Journal of Ottomtua Studies, wrote the of disease and famine. followingin The WallStreetJourmal:In In fact, my great-grandfather and response to the appeal, the Turkish some other family members werekilled Government... issued new regulations by Armenians whilethey were trying to facilitating access to tens of thousands escape from Van, a town in Eastern ofdocuients with relevance to the his- Anatolia, before the Russian Army tory of Eastern Anatolia in the first reached there. In addition, I heard of world war... Even tothe uninitiated, the atrocities committed by Armenians, importance ofthese materials to deter- massacres of Turks and Kurds, and mining thevalidityorlackithereofofthe other outrageous stories.Unfortunately, genocide charge should be apparent. thesenon-Armeniti peoplenevercame The arguments calling these scien- to die United States and their stories tific studies Turkish government pro- were not heard in the Western World. pagaida are weak and do not seem to Unfortunatesuffering ofArmenians satisfy the scholarly work. Annenian and one-sided reports on these events emotions about this tragic time have are not enough evidence to satisfy the been fired by the stories from their great majority of scholars to prove that parents, grandparents, great-grandpar- the Ottoman Empire instituted a sys- emts, and by movies like The Forty tematic, state-run program to extenni- Days of Musa Dagh. I understand the nate the Armenian people. Armenian emotions, since I used tohave the same allegations are mainly based on die kind of emotions when I heard stories telegrams allegedly signedbytopOtto- of atrocities committed against my mangovernenttofficials that appeared great-grandfather and other relatives, in a book written in 1920 by an Anne- and massacres of Turks and Kurds by niannamned AramAndonian, TheMeit- Armenians during those times of war. oirsofNaiimBe: Turkis/m QficiaiDocu- These memories and emotions mentsRelating totthe Deportations and should not be used to spread the seeds Massacres ofAnnenians. of animosity, bigotry, and hatred be- These telegrams, however, were tween Turks and Anmenians. The re- proved to be forgeries by extensive suts of these emotions opened a chap- scientificresearch.Thefollowing words term the world history known asArmne- are from Erich Feigl's book A Myth of nian Tenrorism. The worldneeds a bet- Terror; Armenian Extremism: Its terfuturewithunderstandingandfriend- Causes andits Historical Contesz: The ship instead of hatred. I would like to triginals of the papers copied by conclude by stressing that my intention Andonian were never seen. Photo- is not to offend anybody or to spread grap/hsoffourteen 'documents' appear "Turkish governmental propaganda," in his books. When askedfor the origi- rather to tell how I and the majority of nals, he claied they were lost. Not a historians view the issue. singleoneofthedocuments reproduced by Andonian can be found today. They Tayfun Akin is a Rackhau graduate were probably destroyed to make it student and the for/er president of more, difficult to prove at istey lre UniversityTurkis bStudentAssociation.