‘The Smyrna Death March of 1922’: A Lecture by Prof. Dan Georgakas

“…There was perfect order and quiet in Smyrna up until the arrival of the Turks on Saturday, September 9…
It was during this time that the robbing, looting, and murdering began.”
–Admiral Mark L. Bristol, Report to the Secretary of the Navy, March 27, 1924
(From The Smyrna Affair by Marjorie Housepian)

On Saturday afternoon, May 21, 2011, the Pontian Greek Society of Chicago sponsored a lecture by Prof. Dan Georgakas of New York University, a co-editor of the Journal of the Hellenic Diaspora, a fellow of the American Hellenic Institute, director of the Greek American Studies Project at the Center for Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies at Queens College-City of New York, and author of numerous publications and books. His most recent book is titled My Detroit: Growing up Greek and American in Motor City. The lecture was held at the Duke Realty Corporation Auditorium in Rosemont, Ill. Thomas Mantzakides, officer, and Anastasia Skoupas, president, of the Pontian Greek Society welcomed the audience, followed by Nicki Stergiou’s recitation of a poem titled “The Exile.”

Mantzakides then introduced Georgakas, who prefaced his lecture by recalling a Greek gathering and said, “Like today, a poem introduces the event…” The professor commenced his presentation, and stated: “Turkey is currently a great favorite among American politicians, academicians, and journalists writing about the Near East. They argue that Turkey is an Islamic nation that should serve as a model for the new states emerging from the turmoil of the Arab Spring. Not only is this view ill-informed, it is extremely dangerous to the United States and does not even serve the best interests of Turkey. A key to why the view of the American elite is so off-base can be seen by considering the Turkish actions that transpired in Smyrna 79 years ago, and how that conflict has been subsequently explained by Turkish diplomats and taught in the Turkish educational system. To be sure, the Turkish establishment admits that crimes were committed at Smyrna, but it states they were mainly the deeds of irregulars, part of the fog of war, and had no sanction from Turkish authorities. Similar false claims are made regarding the Pontian Genocide and the Armenian Genocide.”

Georgakas disagreed with such excuses or reasons given by the Turkish establishment, and illustrated his position by referring to the statement that George Horton, the American counsel general in Smyrna in 1922, had written: “The Turkish massacres are always carried out by orders of superior authorities. This is a well-known principle, and the way in which various historical massacres have been conducted abundantly proves it. Such was the case in Smyrna, and Mustafa Kemal’s statement that he could not control his troops is false.” After discussing the intentions Turkey has for Cyprus, the professor asked the audience a rhetorical question: “What does Turkey have that it has such a big role in the world?”

Georgakas detailed the steps and actions that culminated in the burning of Smyrna, and the atrocities against the Armenians and Greeks. He elucidated that prior to the burning, Ataturk had moved to Smyrna for a brief period; it was at that time that the city was burned, the Armenians killed, and the Greeks deported, with only the Turkish quarter spared. The leader of the Greek community at the time, Metropolitan Chyrsostomos, was murdered in a most barbaric and horrific manner. During the inferno and bedlam, he was handed over by the authorities to the Turkish crowd, who pounced on the religious leader, gouged out his eyes, ripped his limbs apart, and did other heinous things to him. Although the religious leader had ample warning of the possible harm to him and was encouraged to flee the city for his own safety, Metropolitan Chyrsostomos refused to leave and steadfastly proclaimed, “I am a shepherd and must remain with my flock!” The intent of the countless and unspeakable horrors inflicted on innocent and peace-loving Christian people was to rid the country of them, for the land was to be strictly “Turkey for the Turks!” No one else was to be included, especially the Christians.

Georgakas described how during the ordeal ships and boats were not permitted, and in some cases were unwilling, to rescue any Greeks or Armenians. The one and only exception was a Japanese cargo ship. The captain, witnessing the misery and suffering of the Christian population, among them the professor’s mother and uncle (at the time, ages 12 and 10), promptly commanded his crew to dump the cargo into the sea in order to save the people. An Italian boat was bribed to participate in the rescue. Eventually, various ships, including naval, among them American and British, were able to evacuate more people, most of whom were women, children, and the elderly. Greek fishermen also came to the aid of the refugees by evacuating 15-20 people at a time. Over 200,000 people were saved by ships, and thus considered the greatest naval evacuation. By orders of the Turkish government, the authorities allowed no males to leave Smyrna; as a result, tens of thousands of Greek and Armenian men were killed. Nearly all the men who attempted to escape by jumping into the bay drowned—Greeks, many Armenians, and some Assyrians. “The mass murder was done by a government directly commanded by the ‘father of the Turkish republic—Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.’”

Georgakas offered reasons as to why the men were not permitted to evacuate. One reason was the “government’s fear that perhaps in the future the men might return as a revengeful military force.” Another reason was that by “stripping the families of their males, the penniless evacuees could form no immediate challenge to the new Turkish state and the stranded families would constitute a huge cultural and economic burden on Greece.”

At the conclusion of his lecture, the professor stated, “We cannot and should not hold the present Turkish population responsible for the actions of their parents and grandparents, or even for more recent actions. We can, however, hold the Turkish government responsible for its deceitful account of these events in the educational textbooks it creates for its grade schools and universities. We must hold the Turkish government responsible for the reprisals against Turkish intellectuals who want to tell the truth… And we must hold the Turkish government responsible for its continual denial in the international forums of the Pontian Genocide, the expulsion of the Assyrians, the Smyrna Catastrophe, and the Armenian Genocide.”

Professor Georgakas suggested, “When addressing the American public about the realities of Turkish governance, we must speak as fellow Americans and avoid the trap of being perceived as ethno-centric Greeks advancing irresolvable emotional arguments…for such an image is easily dismissed by the American public… Two cornerstones of the American system are equality of all citizens before the law and separation of church and state. Within this context, we can ask American politicians, journalists, and academics to stop appeasing a state that mocks these values. Elizabeth Prodomou, of Boston University and vice chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, summed up the present Turkish reality by stating, ‘Turkey is a highly sophisticated authoritarian state speaking the language of democracy but not behaving like a democracy…’”

The lecture concluded with thoughts and comments from the audience, as well as a question and answer session. A number of issues were brought up, among them the topic of appeasement, to which Georgakas responded, “I don’t believe appeasement works; it never works.” Also discussed was the number of Turkish chairs (300) endowed in the U.S. by Turkey, as well as Turkey’s acumen in inviting people to Turkey. The professor concluded the session by stressing the importance of educating our Congressmen regarding not only the history of oppression, persecution, exile, and extermination of Turkey’s Christian minorities, but also the present situation and future of the remaining small number of Christians in Turkey.

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Knarik O. Meneshian

Knarik O. Meneshian was born in Austria. Her father was Armenian and her mother was Austrian. She received her degree in literature and secondary education in Chicago, Ill. In 1988, she served on the Selection Committee of the McDougal, Littell “Young Writers” Collection—Grades 1–8, an anthology of exemplary writing by students across the country.” In 1991, Knarik taught English in the earthquake devastated village of Jrashen (Spitak Region), Armenia. In 2002–2003, she and her late husband (Murad A. Meneshian), lived and worked as volunteers in Armenia for a year teaching English and computer courses in Gyumri and Tsaghgadzor. Meneshian’s works have been published in "Teachers As Writers, American Poetry Anthology" and other American publications, as well as Armenian publications in the U.S. and Armenia. Knarik is the author of A Place Called Gyumri: Life in the Armenian Mountains. She has also authored a book of poems titled Reflections, and translated from Armenian to English Reverend D. Antreassian’s book titled "The Banishment of Zeitoun" and "Suedia’s Revolt" She began writing at the age of 12 and has contributed pieces to The Armenian Weekly since her early teens.

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