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« Reply #30 on: April 26, 2010, 12:56:18 pm » |
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Antranik was yelling, swearing, and cursing at some people in Armenian.
Dr. Zavriyev was both trying to calm him down, and telling us that
Antranik was cursing and swearing at the Armenian administrators and
statesmen who never wanted to fight at the fronts, and who abandoned
the Armenian people and Armenia by sending a force of 3.000-4.000
men until then, although they had all the chance on their side earlier.
At last, Antranik explained his decision: to resist in Erzurum for
another two days; and to evacuate the city to a maximum extent
possible in this limited time. Antranik, disregarding our presence in
the room, shamelessly, took his clothes of washed his face and
hands, wore his pyjamas, and went to bed as if we were not there.
I informed Dr. Zavriyev about the arsonings and fires breaking out in
the city. I told him about an incident I witnessed on my to meet him
that day; there was a dozen shops burning to ashes in the town and
no one was even attempting to extinguish the fire in the market
place. He said necessary orders for extinguishing the fires in the city
were already given.
I inquired Dr. Zavriyev about the gathering of the Muslim people and
sending them to other places to work by the police. He said, they
were gathered for the cleaning of the railroads. Upon my inquiring
him, in great bewilderment, especially on the gathering of the elderly
and the disabled, who were not capable of working at all, in the
middle of the night and sending them to work right away; he said he
did not know anything, but that he would investigate the issue.
I believe the words I had spent to Dr. Zavriyev about the coercion
exerted on the civilian people previously created an enough sense of
grief and anxiety for not turning a blind eye one the oppression and
massacres carried out. He, as a member of the government, was
trying to do his best in persuading the Armenians establish flawless
relations with the Muslim population within the framework of the laws
prevailing.
I used to observe such intentions among the Armenian intellectuals in
Erzurum as well. I have no chance of knowing what they really have
in their minds; but their words sounded as if they were full-heartedly
standing against the most reprehensible acts and massacres.
Dr. Zavriyev ought to have known the instincts of the other
Armenians better than I did, but he did not.
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