WYCKOFF, NJ - Thea Halo, author of Not Even My Name, a history of the Genocide of Armenians, Greeks and Assyrians in Turkey during and after World War I, framed through her mother's tragic account, will make a presentation on January 14, 2001. The echo of that tragedy haunts the course of foreign policy in the United States and in Europe as the new century begins. Halo will be joined by noted author Marjorie Housepian Dobkin (who wrote Smyrna 1922, The Destruction of a City), photojournalist Basilios Theodosakis, and Phil Spyropoulos, Executive Director of the American Hellenic Media Project (AHMP). Together, they will describe the historical record of that tragedy, and compare the press coverage during that event to the present-day media view of the same event.

This educational event is sponsored by AHEPA, a national civil rights organization, and will take place in Wyckoff, NJ at 3:00 p.m. at the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, 467 Grand View Avenue (just off Rte. 208)..

Historians have described the Genocide of Christians in Asia Minor, which claimed up to three million victims, as the "first holocaust of the twentieth century." Because the Turkish government succeeded in carrying out this genocide, Adolf Hitler was emboldened to launch his monstrous Holocaust in a bid to exterminate the European population of Jews, Gypsies and other minorities. "Who, after all, speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians?" Hitler told his followers, underscoring his conclusion that since the world did not react against the Turkish government for their actions, Hitler would also escape the consequences of his plans.

The Turkish Genocide of the Christians is more than a historical curiosity. It continues to be an issue of great controversy in Europe and the United States, striking at the core of our societies' values of truth, justice, and human rights. In early October, President Clinton took the extraordinary step of persuading Congressional leaders not to even bring for a vote a resolution which condemned the Turkish Genocide, citing danger to American nationals in Europe from Turkish backlash. The French Senate, by contrast, has recently approved a resolution condemning the Turkish Genocide of Christians, putting a leading European power at odds with the United States over an issue that is at the heart of the enlargement of democratic Europe, a core goal of the US and Europe.

The coverage of the Turkish Genocide of Christians by the news services during the last decade of the 19th century and first quarter of the 20th century was factual and extensive. The news media today reports the story of the Turkish Genocide of Christians as if it were an example of ethnic politics, ignoring the facts, pictures, and accounts accumulated in their own archives.

Additional information about this event and the AHEPA can be found at http://www.geocities.com/sammyjt/