Letter to the Editor re: An ANC of Massachusetts political endorsement

The comment below was posted online in the Armenian Weekly (Watertown, MA). It concerns the Armenian National Committee's endorsement of Democratic candidate Steve Grossman for state treasurer:

https://armenianweekly.com/2010/08/31/state-treasurer-candidate-speaks-out-on-armenian-issues/

August 31, 2010

Certainly Steve Grossman says some very welcome and principled things above and should be thanked.

Mr. Grossman is a highly respected figure not only in Massachusetts but also throughout the country. He is a man of enormous intelligence, accomplishments, and talents.

For example, he was chairman of the Democratic National Committee from 1997 to 1999. He was previously chairman of the Massachusetts Democratic Party from 1990 to 1992.

Mr. Grossman was also chairman of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) from 1992 to 1997.

However, since the campaign against the genocide denials of the Anti-Defamation League began in 2007, I have had some concerns about AIPAC and Mr. Grossman but have not written about these concerns until now.

In the June 8, 2010 issue of The Washington Times is an article by Eli Lake titled “American Jewish community ends support of Turkish interests on Hill.” It is essential reading:

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/jun/8/jewish-community-ends-support-turkey-capitol-hill/

According to the article, AIPAC was asked by Turkey in the year 2000 to work to defeat the US House of Representatives resolution on the Armenian genocide. AIPAC agreed and got right to work.

Please see these two excerpts:

“The Turks called up Keith Weissman, a senior researcher from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee [AIPAC], and asked him to intervene. Mr. Weissman said in an interview this week that AIPAC lit up the phones and managed at the last minute — with the help of the State Department — to persuade President Clinton himself to write a letter to Mr. Hastert saying a vote on the resolution would cause strategic damage to U.S. interests.”

“Mr. [Barry] Jacobs [of the American Jewish Committee] and Mr. Weissman were in some ways the architects of the Jewish community’s support for Turkey in Washington that began at the end of the Cold War. Both men led delegations of Jewish community leaders to Istanbul and Ankara. Mr. Weissman said AIPAC’s leaders even offered training to Turkish Americans on how to establish a successful lobby.

One of several questions, therefore, that Armenians and human rights activists must ask is this: did AIPAC oppose Armenian Americans and represent Turkey’s interests during Mr. Grossman’s tenure? To what extent did AIPAC cooperate with Turkey before and after Mr. Grossman’s tenure (when, presumably, he was a leading AIPAC member)?

I recall reading sometime back – though I cannot now recall where and when exactly (perhaps a reader would know) – that a member of AIPAC stated absolutely that the organization had never sided with Turkey on the Armenian genocide resolution issue.

We know now, from The Washington Times article cited above, that that is not true, to put it mildly.

The national ADL, AIPAC, AJC, JINSA and similar organizations that have long worked with Turkey to deny the Armenian genocide and defeat Armenian genocide resolutions in the US Congress must not only unambiguously, publicly, and forthrightly acknowledge the Armenian genocide but also begin to repair the vast damage they have done by henceforth working vigorously and publicly to ensure passage of that resolution. They must also publicly apologize to Armenian Americans.

(Please see http://www.NoPlaceForDenial.com for information about the ADL and similar groups’ genocide denials.)

Despite The Washington Times article cited above, and similar articles that report Jewish and Israeli anger at Turkey, and despite the current tensions between Turkey and Israel, there is no convincing evidence that I have seen that would lead me to believe that, in actual practice, the aforementioned organizations (and several others) support Turkey and its genocide denials any less than before.

There are many other questions that could be asked, but perhaps those are best left to another time.

I want to emphasize that I write the above with respect to our many, many principled Jewish friends and to Mr. Grossman.

I believe that Armenian individuals and organizations in Massachusetts must now ask Mr. Grossman for clarification of his record at AIPAC and the latter’s ongoing record.

Other candidates for treasurer and statewide offices in Massachusetts should also be asked about their record regarding the Armenian genocide, and, for example, whether they had publicly supported the Armenian Heritage Park and opposed the (presumably adjudicated) Turkish lawsuit against the Massachusetts Department of Education.

As citizens, this is not only our right but also our obligation.