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1995 Volume 1, No.2  pages 11-23

ORIGINAL ESSAYS:

RABBI LJOVA M. SARGISOV

THE ASSYRIANS OF THE NEAR AND MIDDLE EAST

THE FIRST QUARTER PF THE 20^TH CENTURY

     Assyrians are one of the ancient people of the world who made a considerable cultural contribution to the civilization. In the special literature there is a -very popular opinion that contemporary Assyrians are the descendants of ancient Assyrians.

     Many sources show that after the collapse of Assyria its people were not entirely slain or assimilated. Many Assyrians fled to the mountains of the Minor Asia.

     On the eve of the first World War the Assyrian villages were situated on the territory of the Hakkari Sandjak and Van Villajett in Turkey, of the Urmian Maggal in Iraq: and Mosul Villajett in Mesopotamia, where over a million of Assyrians were concentrated. It was a nation living in one territory with its' own language, cultural and historical traditions and self-government.          

     The Assyrian sources along with the Armenian, Arabian and Iranian historians offer us an opportunity to have an insight into the modem history of the Assyrians and to imagine their social and political life in the period under consideration.

     Anyway, we must say that there is too little known about the modem and recent Assyrian history.  However, it is a very interesting history not only in terms of the Assyrian issue, since it in many ways intermingles with the history of the Armenian, Kurdish and other peoples.

     It is absolutely clear that the comprehension of the history of these peoples will give us a good opportunity to highlight the policy of the European powers in the Near East, especially in the described period.

     In this book we just wanted to focus on the principle events in the history of the Assyrians in the first quarter of the century as well as to describe the policies of the young Turkish nationalists and imperialist powers in relation to small nations of the Near and Middle East generally and to the Assyrians in particular.

     The difficult economic situation, deprivation of rights and oppression on the part of both Assyrian and Kurdish feudal barons urged Assyrians to seek “patronage” from European powers who inevitable would want to send their missionaries.  As Termen focused on the Assyrian interest in education, he wrote that they never could afford national school to teach their children.[1]  The missionary schools could offer only a religious education which being protestant or catholic in the letter and in the spirit brought about accordingly slowed down the development of their national identity.  This ideological pressure was so big sometimes that the missionaries very often burned down the Assyrian schools.

     The foreigners set up their trading businesses as well as representative offices. The town of Urmia became a business and trading center. Consular offices were opened, and more buildings and houses were built. As more rich Assyrians were coming to settle down in Urmia, its population was growing. Before the First World War the town saw many periodicals in print, including fiction and textbooks, clerical literature, Assyrian papers and magazines.

     The town of Urmia became a very important economic and political center in the land. It was like the eyesore for feudal Muslims and their clergy, who wanted its wealth and treasure. Therefore Assyrians had to fight their foes in a continuous steadfast battle for independence and peace. The intention of the Turkish and Persian rulers to oust the aliens from their territories could well be explained by the fact that Christian colonies occupied the lands that were in every geographic and strategic sense most favorable for wartime coalitions. Geographically, it was just at the joint of Turkish, Iranian and Iraqi territories. As is known, the Near and Middle East had become by this time a disputable land where major world powers like Great Britain, France, Germany and Russia pursued their own interests.

     The crisis of the Ottoman Empire was accompanied by the upsurge of the liberation movement of non-Muslim oppressed nations who inhabited Turkey at the time. In this respect one of the comer stones of the pan- Turkish policy was "purification" of the country from national minorities, Christians in particular .As a matter of fact, these considerations as well as the crazy idea of establishing the "Great Turan" urged Turkey to take a pro-German position in the First World War. The Turkish powers tried their best to deprive Assyrians of their ashirets.   

     The anti-Russian subversive activity of the Turkish intelligence service as well as diplomats and missionaries from Germany and Great Britain failed to change the orientation of Assyrians as much as it was expected.

On the contrary, Assyrians only hoped for the Russian Army to deliver them from the Turkish yoke. The Assyrian liberals sought liberation with Russia only.

     Being aware of this fact, the Russian powers wanted to win the Assyrian support in the war. Therefore it is no wonder that even before the war the commander of the 6th Caucasian infantry regiment colonel Dokuchayev and deputy chief of the staff of the -Azerbaijan-Van detachment colonel Andrievsky addressed Dr. Ishai Bet-Ionan, who chaired at the time the Assyrian national council in Urmia with a formal proposition to join the allies in the forthcoming war with Turkey. In the end of the address they both concluded, "who denies to fight side by side with Russia will be considered an enemy".2 In reply, Mar-Shimun Benjamin promised the Russian advisor in Van R. I. Termen to send out as many as 40,000 soldiers in case of a war between Russia and Turkey. Assyrians promptly began to enlist volunteers for the military groups for they were aware that in case of war Turkey would send its troops against Assyrians and try to urge Kurds to start a border conflict.

     Moreover, on the 5th of September 1914 the Russian foreign minister Sazonov cabled a special directive to the Russian representative in Caucasus pointing to very aggressive and violent raids of the Iranian Kurds into the land of Urmia, and calling for support of Assyrians.33

     However, in fact it was just a game on the part of Sazonov and his likes. For clarity we just should continue to quote the contents of the cable:

"In this situation it is plain to see that aggression against Urmian Christians will probably be repeated. In our opinion it would be better for us, if the local Christians tried to defend themselves at first without expecting us to send Russian troops promptly. In this respect I think it would be very reasonable to supply them some guns and ammunition."

     Sazonov's conception must be cleared up since the Russian minister as he expressed the official stance of the Russian government on the matter, in fact he proposed at first to arm Assyrians and Armenians so that they should embark on a military conflict with a far more powerful and much stronger enemy without Russian combat support. In other words, Sazonov proposed just watching the Turkish army unit suppresses poorly armed Armenian and Assyrian volunteers and only then sending Russian regular troops. At first glance, Sazonov's proposition on Christian resistance to the enemy's advance might seem just inadequate because he might not seem to know the real situation at the moment. But in fact his plan meant two goals: strengthening of the Russian force in the territory with local Christian volunteers to use them in the vanguard of the army in close combat with the advancing enemy just to keep Russians in strength. Also, strengthening of the Urmian detachment with a regular Russian army unit could be made only at the expense of some weakening of other sectors of the battlefield. On the other hand, his plan had a far-reaching goal, we mean, world recognition of the political role of Russia in the east as a defender of Christians being destroyed by the Muslim enemy.

     At the same time Sazonov pointed out that neither Armenians nor Assyrians should be left unprotected. As early as back on 13th of August 1914 he wrote to Vorontsov-Dashkov that "if the war begins, Armenians, Assyrians and Kurds can be very useful for Russia. However, in case they rise to revolt without our active support, then the prestige of Russia will be definitely destroyed."4

     Unlike Sazonov, Vorontsov-Dashkov made a different plan in late 1914. He pro- posed some light combat activities in the Urmian direction by Assyrian volunteers without Russian heavy support. This plan was largely denounced publicly everywhere in the near and Middle East. It made many complications for Armenians, Assyrians and definitely Russians. The whole thing looked even worse as the Assyrian liberation leaders in their readiness to fight with the Turkish oppressors and accordingly support Russian army maneuvers did not have any plan to act before the war. Especially they were helpless during the so-called Turkish "neutrality". In this respect one must point to the disagreements in Patriarch Mar-Shimun's immediate surrounding. Some spoke for keeping the line with the neutrality

in the forthcoming war.  Afterwards, they accused Mar-Shimun of making a grave mistake when he threw Assyrians into the war and caused them suffer. Others assessed the inevitability of the genocide and justified his decisions in pursuit of liberation struggle. These disagreements augmented and aggravated by British provocative measures led to disaccord and eventual split in the Patriarch's supporters. This event had a very harmful effect on Assyrians and their struggle against Turkey.

     Long before Turkey declared war the Russian intelligence groups and advisors reported on Turkish military concentration in Van, Serai, Bashkala, Gjavar and Shamdinan. This army group included nearly 12,000 infantry soldiers, 2,200 strong, 8 border guard detachments, 2 cavalry regiments, Nearly 30,000 strong Kurdish cavalry and 30 heavy guns. These troops had been concentrated along the Iranian border across from the Assyrian towns of Khoi, Dilman and Urmia. Simultaneously they supplied guns, ammunition and food.5

     In response to German and Turkish war preparations on 20th of November the Russian military command sent into Iran the so- called Azerbadjan army unit headed by, general Chernozubov. The troops went on a march in two columns. One of the two columns occupied the territories of the towns of Khoi and Urmia on the Iran-Turkish borderline while the other came to hold the area of Tebriz. After the Turkish diplomats failed to win support from Iran, on 21st of November 1914 the Turkish and Kurdish regular troops invaded the southern Azerbaijan from Mosul and engaged general Chernozubov headed unit on a close fight. The Turks began to advance the day after Russians came into Iran.6

     The Iranian government of Mustafa, AL-Mamalek who came to power in August 1914 was openly speaking against the Russian military invasion in Iran7.   The Russian command was aware of the complex position of its troops when the Sardar of Makin embarked on secret negotiations with German and Turkish commands on joint actions to oust Russians from Iran.  On 14th of November 1914 Russian vice-counselor in Iran Mr. Vvedenski reported that they had intercepted top-secret correspondence of the Turkish counselor in Urmia. This material disclosed the Turkish plan to seize and hold the district of Urmia with their regular Army troops to set up a base to advance further- more following two directions: Khoi-Julfa and Sulduz-Soudjbulag with an approach to Tebriz.8

     In this situation the Russian command could not help but turn to Assyrians for support, as one of the anti- Turkish active forces. As it was noted before the Russian diplomats previously wanted to arm and use the Christian population of northwest Iran to fight the Turkish army troops. And when Russians called for it, the Assyrian National Council in. Urmia began to form volunteer’s brigades immediately. After general Chernozubov's army unit entered Iran, the Assyrians were well trained and ready with the guns. Being attached to the Azerbadjan army unit the Assyrian officer of the staff KhanPira reported to his superior on the formation of Assyrian brigades in the district of Urnia. He said, about 2,500 rifles with full ammunition were given to volunteers in late September throughout early December 1914,

But, obviously it was not enough.9 The colonel of the Russian general staff Andrievsky in his message to the field staff general of the Caucasian army wrote that "some 2,000 rifles the Christian volunteers in Urmia have received from us are never enough because there are over 10,000 Assyrians in Turkey who can carry a gun and use it properly" .It is noteworthy that Mar-Shimun had announced to bring along about 40,000 fighters. Andrievsky reckoned that the armed Assyrians being positioned behind the Turkish front line in the direction of V an- Bashkala would be able to strengthen the Urnian army unit which was rather distant from the rear communications, he remarked that before Turkey joined in the war, weapons supplies were scarce, then it became more feasible and urgent as the frontier was held open in the wartime. Anyway Andrievsky proceeded from the conception that weapons supplies in larger quantities, on the one hand, "will hold back local Shiites from attacks on Russians, and on the other hand, release the Russian soldiers from all rear function duties including convoy. He was certain that in case his army unit moved into Turkey, Assyrians who knew the area near the border like the palm of the hand would be very useful indeed. Andrievsky also reckoned that the Assyrians of Turkey inhabiting the territories from Mosul to Van and on the flanks of the passages would do their important part to interrupt the connection between Turkish troopS.10 In his plans he proceeded from the assertion that the Iranian border should be secured from Turkish invasion while Assyrians could only be of little use in the war anyway.

     At first the Russian command wanted to use the Assyrian squads to guard the Russian office buildings in Urmia.

     Assyrians like Armenians did their duty in Urmia very well, having received from Russians 3,000 rifles and shells Assyrians started to watch over caravan paths, communication lines and roads. Besides, they informed Russians of the enemy maneuvers so that they could be well prepared to fight back Turks and Kurds.11 In every fight with the enemy in Urmia and outside the Assyrian "guards" stood shoulder to shoulder with Russian soldiers in order to destroy Turkish attempts to take hold in the region of Urmia. According to Khan-Pira again, the Assyrian squads in Urmia were set up in September 1914. 11 squads were formed. 9 of which (in prior to Turkish declaration of war) were meant to protect local Assyrian settlements from Turkish raids. The rest were not active. After the Caucasian front was opened the Assyrian squads were assigned to leave their places and join Russians to oppose the Turkish invasion. For this purpose from the reserves a special unit was formed to be stationed along with a Russian Cossack intelligence group in the village of Charbash on the Urmia lakeside. Reorganization and keep-up of the squads in new circumstances demanded the money, which, was collected from the Christian population of the region. All along they raised 4,800 tumans (more 25,000 were in plan). At that time the national council was established consisting of 20 most "respected residents".     

     Soon after the Charbash Assyrian detachment was complete with guns and ammunition and began regular training, it was relocated to Margavar to watch the border line with Turkey. Khan-Pira reported on one of the operations at this stretch of the borderline, as he wrote that Assyrians imitated the retreat according to the working plan inviting Turks to engage on the offensive in the direction where they would be easily trapped and destroyed by Kuban Cossacks.             

     Taking into account many other successful joint operations of Assyrian and Russian squads the Urmia vice-counselor for Russia Vvedensky used his own intelligence reports to reckon that Turkey was planning to seize the town of Urmia in late 1914. In his cable he said that Assyrian squads had greatly "impressed" the Turkish side of the war conflict. He also reflected on Russian close checking of Turks (where Assyrians could really give a big hand) in the regions of Tergever, Mergever and Dshta. It came so hard to them that they decided to try another direction to advance. We had armed Assyrians with guns and they became a hardest obstacle in the way of Turkish advancing as they planned. Turks expected Teheran to assist immensely. They also wanted to raise a nationalistic upsurge against Russians in the west Asia and in the Caucasus. Turks had a plan to capture Azerbadjan and then to move towards Erevan.

     This document is very important as it shows the role of Assyrian squads in the efficient operations undertaken by the Azerbaijan detachment against Turks and Kurds. For example, on 6th September 1914 when Kurds cavalry came to the town of Urmia, 150 Assyrians volunteers and Russian Cossacks beat them off.

     It should be said that the Russian command knew well of Assyrian combat qualities so that they were assigned to watch over the territories occupied by Russian troops.

     Two squads were on the watch in Baranduz in the south of the river Basin near Kasimlu. Mounted raiders from the squads came to check every place in and around Sulduza and Ushna on the joint border with Iran, Turkey and Mesopotamia. Another squad was stationed in Geitape. Besides, this squad maintained and protected the connection between the town of Urmia and Baranduz including the telegraph road. Later in December 1914 they dug themselves in on the southeast hillside to the west from Geitape.12  Other squads were sent to watch over all connecting roads to Urmia and to the Harbor and also in many settlement around. In this "peaceful" service the soldiers took a lot of training learning fast to discipline and combat from Russian instructors while the Russian soldiers could be used more effectively.

     As it was noted, in the time of the Sarakamish operation Turks started to do more actively in the region of Urmia. Being worried by the threat of Turkish advance Vorontsov-Dashkov was afraid that the Russian brigade in Urmia distant from the main forces would be destroyed completely. That is why, on 2Oth December he ordered general Chemozubov to move out to the north and then towards the town of Khoi.

     This decision can be argued now. Maybe it could protect the small Russian unit, but on the other hand, the Assyrians and other Christians in and around the town of Urmia were left to their own devices and to the mercies of Turks.

     It is interesting that Vorontsov-Dashkov himself could not find a reason to his decision so he even suggested that "Turkish violation of the border in the place where we moved out from and their advance across and far out till they attacked the Iranian regular army should be considered as a threat to Persia, not to Russia".

     In order to realize what is false in the aforesaid statement we should bear in mind that it was Russia, not "neutral" Iran that Turkey engaged on the war, and besides, the Russian troops were ordered to enter Iran because Turkey threatened not Iran, but Russia all along.

     This time let us consider the circumstances and consequences following the relocation of general Chemozubov's detachment from the region of Urmia. The Assyrian refugees wrote to the Russian top official in Caucasus: "on 20th of December 1914 the Russian squads in Urmia moved out without a warning so Assyrian guards were left to face the enemy alone in a number of positions. We were told to want for more army supplies and soldiers. The guards were fighting very hard with Turks and Kurds while the Russians were moving. When the guards found they had no shells to spare they had nothing left to do but die or surrender. Knowing it, Turks and local Persians made an assault on fighting Assyrians and destroyed them all. 98 villages were burned down, and the people were stripped almost naked. The males were killed, while the women and children were taken away. No-one else could see more trial and tribulations ever since". Then they emphasized that they "suffered only for their sympathy for Russia".

     The refugees reflected, "22,000 men, women and children who had fled from different places tried to find shelter in American and French missions in the town of Urmia, suffered much from hunger, illnesses and discomfort. Everybody hoped to be saved. But nothing really helped the matter when the people were taken out, beaten, stripped and raped. Recently it became known that the orthodox Christian bishop Mar- Illia with his priests and deacons were seized at the American mission and hanged publicly. It is said that 500 people were murdered and about 800 women and girls were taken somewhere unknown. The Americans sent out messengers every day to implore Russians who were stationed in an 8-hour walk from Urmia for help and rescue of the remaining Christians, but all was in vain."

     Losing hope for deliverance Assyrians asked the Russian governor in. Caucasus to address foreign consular offices in Tebris to save those victims who had sought refuge with the American or French missions waiting to be tortured and killed any moment. It must be said that Assyrians who found shelter with Dr. Shedd in the American mission were in an extremely hard situation; the archives revealed that some 10,000 died in the missions during 5 months. Some news of this ordeal found a way into the press. The newspaper "Kavkazkoye Slovo" said, "the Christians who had to stay in their homes (mainly in and around Oilman) were all slain by Turks. This order was given by Jevdet-Pasha, and it was found later in the captured papers, in Gevtuan the Turkish governor of Oilman organized a massacre that probably the world never had seen since the time of Bashibouzuks".13 Another paper "Baku" from 5th of March 1915 said, "After Dilman was occupied by Russians, it was found out that all around the place over 20 settlements were destroyed. Many dead people were found scattered everywhere. They all were cruelly murdered three days before the Russian army took the place. Turks just used axes, daggers, knives and something blunt and heavy."

     Assyrians saw no other way but flee to Russia. It was a terrible sight to see them moving on their way to Russia. As the Russian counselor Vvedensky wrote, "I saw some 15,000 Assyrian refugees lining up on the road. They were wearing basically rugs or very modest garments. On a 40-mile stretch I myself spoke with many poor refugees who begged for any help. I spared what I could really. It looked like exodus, unorganized and interrupted. We must set up I a special committee urgently on the Russian territory to accommodate these masses in Christian places of the Caucasus".14

     The reporter from the newspaper "Mshak" S. Melikjan who visited north Iran with an English correspondent said, "The panic started before we arrived in Tebris, Urmia. Crowds of Assyrian refugees had flowed into I Tebris. They were walking hastily to save I themselves from advancing Turks. They reached in numbers about 40.000 totally. All the way down to Dolman we saw never ending scenes of torture and misery .One must have the strength to watch it. The road and streets were filled with naked refugees lying on the wayside starving and suffering.15

     The archives, in particular of the Caucasian committee say that over 63.000 refugees (30.000 Armenians and 33.000 Assyrians) came down to Russia from Urmia. Salmast and Khoi.

     Needless to say that Vorontsov-Dashkov never expected to have these results of his policy. The Russian authorities were looking for a decision. On 29th of January 1915 Sazonov commissioned Korostovets, the Russian envoy in Teheran “to ask the American envoy to take all possible measures to take care of Urmian Christians by giving the special instructions to the American religious mission and by exerting some pressure on the American ambassador ~ Turkey.”16

     But unfortunately this step was belated. It looked like shifting the responsibility from the Russian army to American diplomats and missionaries after all. This maneuver could not change anything in the fate of Assyrians. Anyway it is hard to believe that either Sazonov or Vorontsov-Dashkov who was alone to blame for the physical exhaustion of Assyrians' that made even their existence endangered indeed ever cared about them. They evidently were taken up by the situation that occurred after the Russian detachment was withdrawn from Urmia.”

      The Great October Socialist Revolution along with the Soviet State formation followed by a breach of the imperialist front brought about very drastic changes in the status quo on every front of the First World War. This process was accelerated even more with the declaration of the new Russian foreign policy, namely, denunciation of former unequal treaties and agreements signed by both the Tsar's and provisional governments before the revolution. In a big way, the new situation covered every aspect of the Russian policy in the east as well. The former secret treaties with the allied countries were denounced, too.

     By 23rd of March 1918 the withdrawal of the Russian army was completed. The British counselors hurried to make the perfect use of the situation trying to offer the Assyrian squads supplies and ammunition.

Some leaders of "Khajadta" organization suggested a fly to Russia as the moment was pressing, otherwise Assyrians would be surrounded by Muslim nations. However, some unstable and unreliable members of the national council met this suggestion critically. They were probably under the cover of British army intelligence service or they just trusted in British promise to give Assyrians autonomy in the region of Mosul.

     Benjamin Arsanis in his book "The Assyrians and Kurds" wrote" Assyrians had only two options: follow the Russian army and try to settle down in the north, or stand, to fight for their freedom and even existence".

     In fact, because of an ill-considered decision of some members of the national council, Assyrians could not make it in time to move to Russia. The difficulty was that the town of Khoi situated on the main road I to Trans Caucasus was seized by the Turkish army, and the other pathways around were less passable.

     In these circumstances, Assyrians had to fight for their independence so they accepted the British support. On the one hand England was allied to Russia, whom Assyrians trusted very much. On the other hand the English army was fighting against Turks, besides, the principal targets of the British colonization scheme in the land were revealed only in the end and after the war. 

     Since Russia had withdrawn from the war, and giving up to fight Assyrians would be inevitably destroyed, the Assyrian army leaders in view of great material difficulties had to accept British financial support as they promised to oust Turkey.  It is noteworthy that this support was offered on the condition that Assyrian officers should replace Russian high rank officers. It was a clear intention to oust Russians from the east, or at least lessen the Russian influence over Assyrian military circles.

     Making a plan to take over in Tran Caucasus and Baku oil region England did not want to see the Turkish army in those territories, and if that was the case the British command helped Assyrians form their squads in order to watch over the Iranian border with Turkey. As for Assyrian political leaders they considered fighting with Turks as the only possibility to win themselves autonomy in their inhabited territories. In search of further annexation to the Soviet Trans Caucasus, Assyrians conducted very heavy fights with Turks on the far approaches to Tran Caucasus.

     In 1917 the Tran Caucasian parliament assigned colonel Kuzmin to command Assyrian and Armenian national squads in order to keep the front line in the Urmia region the Russians had left before. 250 military instructors were commissioned to train Assyrians.

     In the meantime Mar Shimun Benjamin called for the general assembly to discuss the situation. Assyrians invited the English captain Gracy, Russian vice-counselor in Urmia V. Nikitin, American vice-counselor in Urmia Dr.Shedd, the executive physician of the French hospital in Urmia Dr .Cojole, the Lazar mission center leader Sontag. The assembly decided to resist their common enemy, Turkey, in the region of Urmia and Salmast. The allies’ representatives promised financial and material support as well as legitimate rights for the Assyrian people. But during the debates it became clear that the British representatives wanted everybody else to pull chestnuts out of fire for them. The protocol said Assyrians asked captain Gracy questions.  This implied that too little confidence in what they promised. For example, he was asked, "will any English troops arrive to enforce the Assyrian squads? The captain replied that 250 English army officers will be there to help, and moreover in six weeks the Caucasus-formed troops will be due to arrive".17

     In other words, captain Gracy made his point that England was going to use Assyrians and command them in the war without sending its own soldiers to the front. Therefore Assyrians would have to be the cannon meat for English guns. As for the English troops formation in the Caucuses he obviously meant the Armenian national army detachment headed by I.eutenant general Nazarbekov. Before his negotiations with Assyrian leaders in Iran captain Gracy visited Tiflis where he most probably was put in the way of the policy of the Tran Caucasian commissariat. Furthermore he made a speech on behalf of the allies in Urmia where he suggested that II Ally" should mean the Tran Caucasian commissariat and its forces only. There was another statement of captain Gracy. The question being about where Assyrians could get ammunition and fire supplies, he pointed to the same source. Besides, captain Gracy said that the British government vouowed as much as 3,000,000 liras and "England was ready to finance any war operation against Turkey". But the real facts that followed disclosed the false sense of his words.

     Despite the heroic resistance the Assyrian soldiers could not hold back the advancing Turks. The Assyrian squads had to retreat to a new position around the place near KhavTakhti and onto the mountain passes Bargavuz, Kuchin including the village of Imamkjand and hold there a very narrow passage through the Gorge that leads to the lake of Urmia. It was a very advantageous position for there were steep rocky cliffs and an open field in front where any stronghold was hard to build. Civilians were also with the Assyrian and Armenian fighters.

     The First World War was coming to an end. The victory of the allied forces was obvious. The golden dream of Assyrians to be free after all and to win themselves an autonomy at last was just near to come true. Therefore Assyrians were fighting tooth and nail in a hope that the blood shed in the war would be compensated in the end. But the British party of the allies was making their own plans. They wanted the oil from Mosul and expected Assyrians to be used in Mesopotamia in many ways including a working force as well as a military force to suppress the Arab liberation movement. The British leaders knew they would never persuade Assyrians to leave Urmia and move on to Mesopotamia. Accordingly, Assyrians should be deceived, discouraged and driven out to Mesopotamia. This wretched decision was taken in the very crucial moment for Assyrians. On 1st of July 1918 a small two-seatter plane landed near the village of Charbash 6 kilometers away from the town of Urmia. The pilot's name was captain Pennington. He was met and taken directly to the British religious mission. The Assyrian and Armenian representatives were invited very promptly. Knowing the Assyrian aspirations Mr. Pennington began with his credentials of a special envoy of the British Empire saying that his country in praise of heroic deeds had decided to support them.

     According to this statement Assyrians could expect army supplies from Britain in quantities enough to take strong hold in this sector of Iran and to demand autonomy. Furthermore England would help Assyrians take back Hakkari from Turks. "In consideration of difficulties of our ally", said Mr. Pennington, "the English command have sent to our friends a regular army unit and transport with supplies, which arrived at Saint Kale. Now we need 2,000 Assyrian fighters to clear the road to Saint Kale where they will meet their British friends with ready supplies".18 Under the pressure from Surma Khanim, the real head of Assyrians this proposal was accepted.

     Surma Khanim did not wonder why Assyrians would have to meet the English unit who were arriving at Sain-Kale, 100 kilometers away from Urmia, and why they should leave the front line unprotected. She ordered Agha-Petros to go with two squads to Saint- Kale and to give a good welcome to their English friends. Agha-Petros refused to go, but Surma- Khanim prevailed him, so he had to obey. After he had gone, this front line became stripped of a very skillful military command. Turks found approaches to the Assyrian positions and engaged on a large-scale offensive in the dead of the night. Assyrians and Armenians failed to hold back Turks and had to retreat to Caravanserai and Kerimabad. This maneuver gave Turks the direct access to the town of Urmia. The people in town became panic-stricken. The national council proposed defense of the town and no retreat in any case for the war was near the end, and it was obviously the last Turkish offensive operation. Jacob Bar- Malik Ismail noted in absence of 2,000 fighters and such military leaders as Agha- Petros and the likes the front line was largely interrupted. Yet Assyrians could fight to check the enemy anyway if not for Surma- Khanim who treacherously ordered to set fire to army supplies depot, leave Urmia and move to Saint-Kale.

     The passage to Saint-Kale lay through mountains on a very poor road. Very rare wells or springs could be found in the way of thousands of people walking in the hot sun for days.

     The fly of the people to Saint-Kale turned into panic. It spread over to the squads. Soldiers broke their lines to find and help their relatives. Even Stafford who tries to justify the English actions has to confirm, "...in the military history this fly should be one of the most tragic. The trials and tribulations were terrible, and before the people reached the British controlled territory, they had lost a third of the people. Turks went on attacking them in the night and in the day. The people suffered from many illnesses, some were epidemic. Those who did not die of any dangerous disease would collapse on the road to die of exhaustion and hunger. The whole road was filled with their corpses scattered along the way to form the line of a retreating nation, every morning as they started out again, they left more the weakest to die. People were demoralized so they left their dead friends and relatives without mourning. Over 17, 000 Assyrians and Armenians perished in this ordeal. Raiders took 10,000 of this number from local tribes, they were never heard from again. The men were murdered, the women and children taken away".19

     When the remaining Assyrians reached Saint-Kale at last, where they wanted to find British supplies, local nationalists assaulted on them, the eye-witness of this incident Karapet Ter-Oganesjan from the village of Mian-Doab in a interview he gave me in 1965 in Erevan said that in a close fight the head of the Armenian squad Kostja Ambartsumjan was slain. The most important role in this incident was played by Bet-Tamraz and Agha-Petros who hurried to help Assyrians in the crucial moment of the fight.

     As it turned out, there was not a single English army squad or even transport waiting for Assyrians. Being deceived by the English promises the refugees took a real trouble getting to Bedjar and Khamadan where they found sympathy and food from the Russian and American missions, from the Armenian refugee committee and from foreign Assyrians. The following events would show that it was a provocation as part of the British colonization policy in Iran.

     A group of over 25,000 Assyrians never trusted in British promises or plans. There- fore they decided to part their way with the rest and to go to the mountains and then to settle down in Tebriz. Amongst them were the majority of the Assyrian national council members including its chairman Malik Ionan. It was he who was nominated by Assyrians in Tebriz to speak for them at the Paris peace conference. Since the English authority did not allow the Assyrian representative from the Bakub camp in Mesopotamia to attend the peace conference, Malik Ionan actually had to represent the whole Assyrian nation. In Paris Malik Ionan met with the head of the American delegation colonel House and with British Prime Minister Lloyd George. The latter was not glad to see Malik Ionan in Paris in a fear that the deception would be disclosed and the Assyrian tragedy in the English Bakub camp would be known. Prime minister managed to convince Malik Ionan that the Assyrian issue would be better handled in London at the British ministry of

Foreign affairs. So he would have to go to London to see Lord Cairson, British foreign minister. Believing in his words Dr. Malik Iollan left for London where he found what he had found before in Teheran. Where he arrived on the set with the British counselor Smith. In London after he visited the minis- try of foreign affairs several times but all in vain, Dt.Malik Ionan was asked to write about his matter. According to I. Mar Jukhanna, who witnessed this event the aforesaid note contained the following demands: return of Assyrians to where they belonged before the war, and in Julamerk Assyrians must stay self-governed under some control from the allies’ commissioner.

     In the territories of Urmia and Salmast Assyrians shall stay subject to Iran, unless otherwise another state claims to take over them.

     Part of Assyrians in Van shall be relocated to Bashkali, Somai and Bradost, i.e. in the territory between Hakkari and the west side of the lake of Urmia in order to keep close ties between Assyrians in Turkey and Iran.

     In the areas of mixed inhabitants including mainly Azerbadjans, Kurds and Assyrians special laws shall be adopted to secure them equal rights with each other. Above all, Dr. Ionan demanded withdrawal of Assyrians from Mesopotamia, i.e. from the zone of British influence, to Urmia of Iran and Julamerk of Turkey, and Assyrians who in- habit near and around Van should be relocated to a 100 kilometer long strip between Hakkari in the west and Urmia in the east. In other words, the nation once scattered would be collected in one place.

     However, this plan had one but a very serious disadvantage. The territory of Assyrian unification was a considerable breach in the borderline between Iran and Turkey. This plan actually could well be accepted by the world powers then in Paris during the peace conference. But now Turkey would unlikely be positive about it. So would England for it meant relocation of Assyrians from Iraq and with them re-dislocation of Assyrian battalions as well as hard-working peasants in addition. Besides, it would disclose the English plans publicly. Therefore Dr. Ionan's plan was a failure after all. As a matter of fact he received a formal answer in the long run. However, it did not come from the British foreign minister but from priest Wigram, who was on a mission in Assyrian-inhabited lands. He made his point clearly that Assyrians should give up the idea of returning to the lands they belong before the war and better stay where England wanted them to start over again. For this Assyrians should be getting to very loyal in Iran at first, and only then probably enjoy self-governing in North Mesopotamia in the towns of Mosul, Amadia, etc. under the British mandate. This obedience only could save Assyrians from decay. The Assyrians of Urmia and Hakkari must unite and live together otherwise they would never be able to win themselves independence.

     It is needless to say that it was nothing else but humiliation on the part of the, so-called partner. "I never expected, as said Dr. Ionan in his reply, a priest on a mission in Asian Turkey to give an answer to very important political issue in my note I had sent to the British foreign' ministry .For all you care, I was assigned by my people to represent their interests at the world peace "conference in Paris. In London I must discuss the issues relevant to the future of my "people who have been ill-fated already, but now being held against their will in English "tent cities" outside their homelands while the war is over. That is why I least expected what I heard from a clergyman who should have been humane and sympathetic to suffering Assyrians amongst whom he used to live before. Can you not really know that a hundred thousands of them are deprived of their natural living resources and held like captive in the tents in the hot sun in Mesopotamia. They are dying in big numbers every day of hunger, discomfort and disease. Why do you not ask yourself, Mr. Wigram "What for?" Yes, I think you are right, indeed Assyrians should blame themselves. They are to blame for their loyalty to England, because they believed England would bring them liberation so they readily assumed its military guidance and took its side in the war.  And now the things have changed adversely. Who we trusted causes us suffer. You say Persia is neutral, and England cannot interfere in its home affairs. Who else wants it? I wrote that Assyrians of Iran will return to the places where they were before, i.e. they will become Iranian subjects again. In this demand there is no contradiction with the idea of the Iranian sovereignty.  Besides, the formation of Assyrian squads to defend themselves as well as to protect the country where they live. This fact will only raise the prestige of Iran and nothing else. In the history of Iran there is a fact that Fatali Shah Kadjar in 1796 set up a detachment of Assyrians to watch over Teheran. In late 19th century Shah ordered an Assyrian guard body to be formed in the said territory .The command and rank and file members were all Assyrian. Colonel Bedjan headed the troop. They maintained a perfect order that is remembered in generations.

     England was up to every promise it made to Assyrians whose trials and tribulations were obvious to see."  20In this respect Malik lonan wrote: "In London I saw once again that England does not intend to keep it promises. This fact is revealed in my futile addresses to the British foreign ministry, where the future of my people could well be decided.   But as is known this British institution has refused to deal with the official representative of the Assyrian people.

     Proceeding from all above-mentioned I protest against my people being detained and held in so-called "tent cities" and demand that all Assyrians there should be released immediately. Let Assyrians themselves decide where they should stay and live. Perhaps this issue could be handled without collaboration with England." 

     The letters of Malik lonan made English powers alerted. They evidently were convinced that he would spare no effort to go further to Paris to attend the peace conference and curb British plans'. Therefore they decided to delay Dr. lonan's departure from London for some time. Every time Mr. Wigram suggested in his letter anew topic of discussion. So Dr. Ionan had to answer it. All this time English officials were looking for a way to get rid of him arid even promised him to accept all his proposals if .he left. But Dr. Ionan declared he would not want to leave London until he receives a formal message from the Assyrian national council confirming withdrawal of all Assyrians from Mesopotamia who many times asked England for permission to delegate their representative to the world peace conference in Paris, but permission was never granted, they received from British foreign ministry a directive to send to London the Assyrian representative to coordinate opinions on the Assyrian issue before the conference in Paris. Since all Mar- Shimun's house was in the hands of Surma- Khanim, she was delegated to London as expected the British powers.

     The day after she arrived in London, the local newspapers carried the headline with the caption to the photo, "The first president is a woman" .So this way they got rid of Dr. Malik Ionan. Following English instructions, Surnia-Khanim refused to deal with him and demanded from him he should return promptly.

     Having him out and gone, English officials kept Surma-Khanim busy with her issue till the peace conference in Paris was over. Then the first woman president had to return to Iraq with empty hands.

     It is history now, up to date about two millions of Assyrians in the near and Middle East have to live a miserable life. One of the most ancient people in the world who made a considerable input to the world culture are doomed now to be assimilated and poverty stricken.