United States Diplomacy on the Bosphorus

Description

The diaries of Henry Morgenthau give us invaluable insights into diplomatic life in Constantinople and Ottoman Turkey at the beginning of the twentieth century. They show how diplomats, government officials, and others interacted and influenced world affairs at a time when the world was in tumult and experienced such momentous developments as the rise of Turkish nationalism, the outbreak of World War I, and the genocide of Ottoman Armenians. Morgenthau is best know today for his stand in defence of Ottoman Armenians, when the Young Turks embarked on the first genocide of the modern era in 1915. Were it not for Morgenthau’s character, the United States would probably have remained a bystander to the Armenian Genocide, rather than adopt a concerted policy of humanitarian intervention on behalf of Armenians. Thousands of Armenians survived the Armenian Genocide because of United States diplomatic pressure and significant material aid to save them. United States Diplomacy on the Bosphorus and its sister publication, United States Official Records on the Armenian Genocide 1915-1917, demonstrate the nature of Morgenthau’s understanding of the Armenian issue and the subsequent actions he took to save victims wherever he could.