Leslie Davis
Encyclopedia
Leslie A. Davis was an American
diplomat
and wartime US consul to Harput, Ottoman Empire
from 1914 to 1917, who witnessed the Armenian Genocide
.
as a lawyer. He started his diplomatic career in Batumi
, then traveled through Uzbekistan
and Caucasus
. From 1914 to 1917 he was the US consul to Harput, Ottoman Turkey. In May, 1918 he was appointed as the US representative in Arkhangelsk
, Russia
, then moved to Helsinki
.
populations, who were being deported from provinces outside Harput to Der Zor desert in Syria
, were rerouted in Harput "only to be butchered in this province". Some of his observations concerned the condition of Armenian deportees arriving from further north. He noted that there were no men in these convoys, and the remaining surviving members were much abused, starved and exhausted.
Leslie Davis was among the mixed party of Americans who examined the mass graves of Armenians killed near Harput. Davis subsequently wrote a vivid account to the Department of State where he described the tens of thousands of Armenian corpses in and around Lake Geoljuk (present-day Lake Hazar
), during his trips to lake.
The mass deportations ordered by the Turks
, in which hundreds of thousands of Armenians were crammed into freight cars and shipped hundreds of miles to die in the desert or at the hands of killing squads, were far worse than a straightforward massacre, he wrote. "In a massacre many escape, but a wholesale deportation of this kind in this country means a longer and perhaps even more dreadful death for nearly everyone."
Leslie Davis aided some Armenians by allowing some 80 of them to live in his consulate and organizing an underground railroad to get other Armenians to cross the Euphrates River and into Russia
. He acted even though there were warnings by the Turkish government to not aid any Armenians.
While carrying out his rescue work, Davis kept up with his diplomatic work and periodically met with Harput governor Sabit Bey, who was one of the perpetrators of the Armenian Genocide.
His reports were dramatised in a BBC Radio 4 play, 'The Light of Darkness', broadcast on 4 September 2011 http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00t1yhb. It was written by Louis Nowra, a playwright who has researched Davis's life and work and the history of Harput.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
diplomat
Diplomat
A diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...
and wartime US consul to Harput, Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
from 1914 to 1917, who witnessed the Armenian Genocide
Armenian Genocide
The Armenian Genocide—also known as the Armenian Holocaust, the Armenian Massacres and, by Armenians, as the Great Crime—refers to the deliberate and systematic destruction of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire during and just after World War I...
.
Biography
In 1909-1911 Davis worked in New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
as a lawyer. He started his diplomatic career in Batumi
Batumi
Batumi is a seaside city on the Black Sea coast and capital of Adjara, an autonomous republic in southwest Georgia. Sometimes considered Georgia's second capital, with a population of 121,806 , Batumi serves as an important port and a commercial center. It is situated in a subtropical zone, rich in...
, then traveled through Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan , officially the Republic of Uzbekistan is a doubly landlocked country in Central Asia and one of the six independent Turkic states. It shares borders with Kazakhstan to the west and to the north, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to the east, and Afghanistan and Turkmenistan to the south....
and Caucasus
Caucasus
The Caucasus, also Caucas or Caucasia , is a geopolitical region at the border of Europe and Asia, and situated between the Black and the Caspian sea...
. From 1914 to 1917 he was the US consul to Harput, Ottoman Turkey. In May, 1918 he was appointed as the US representative in Arkhangelsk
Arkhangelsk
Arkhangelsk , formerly known as Archangel in English, is a city and the administrative center of Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia. It lies on both banks of the Northern Dvina River near its exit into the White Sea in the north of European Russia. The city spreads for over along the banks of the river...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, then moved to Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
.
Witnessing the Armenian Genocide
While working as US consul to Harput, Leslie Davis personally witnessed how huge clusters of ArmenianArmenians
Armenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian....
populations, who were being deported from provinces outside Harput to Der Zor desert in Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
, were rerouted in Harput "only to be butchered in this province". Some of his observations concerned the condition of Armenian deportees arriving from further north. He noted that there were no men in these convoys, and the remaining surviving members were much abused, starved and exhausted.
Leslie Davis was among the mixed party of Americans who examined the mass graves of Armenians killed near Harput. Davis subsequently wrote a vivid account to the Department of State where he described the tens of thousands of Armenian corpses in and around Lake Geoljuk (present-day Lake Hazar
Lake Hazar
Lake Hazar is a lake in the Taurus Mountains, southeast of Elazig, notable as the source of the Tigris....
), during his trips to lake.
The mass deportations ordered by the Turks
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
, in which hundreds of thousands of Armenians were crammed into freight cars and shipped hundreds of miles to die in the desert or at the hands of killing squads, were far worse than a straightforward massacre, he wrote. "In a massacre many escape, but a wholesale deportation of this kind in this country means a longer and perhaps even more dreadful death for nearly everyone."
Leslie Davis aided some Armenians by allowing some 80 of them to live in his consulate and organizing an underground railroad to get other Armenians to cross the Euphrates River and into Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. He acted even though there were warnings by the Turkish government to not aid any Armenians.
While carrying out his rescue work, Davis kept up with his diplomatic work and periodically met with Harput governor Sabit Bey, who was one of the perpetrators of the Armenian Genocide.
Books
- Davis L. A., The Slaughterhouse Province. An American Diplomat's Report on the Armenian Genocide, 1915-1917, ed. by Susan X. Bleair, N.Y., 1989
His reports were dramatised in a BBC Radio 4 play, 'The Light of Darkness', broadcast on 4 September 2011 http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00t1yhb. It was written by Louis Nowra, a playwright who has researched Davis's life and work and the history of Harput.