1915-03-07-DE-011-M

Source: DE/AP-AA/Embassy Constantinople/ Vol. 168
Publication: DuA Doc. 018 (abbr.)
Translator: Linda Struck

From the Vice-Consul in Alexandrette (Hoffmann) to the Ambassador in Constantinople (Wangenheim)

J. No. 226

Alexandrette, 7 March 1915

During the last few days house-to-house searches took place at all the homes of the Christian subjects of the Ottoman Empire residing here - Armenians, Syrians, Greeks – on order from higher up (most likely from Constantinople). In some houses, papers were confiscated, apparently only because they were in a foreign language, as well as books, especially English ones. Nobody has been placed under arrest because of these occurrences so far. As far as I know about the character and doings of the small local population, I do not believe that they would commit treason. For this reason, many of the local foreigners who were not affected by these measures shook their heads in disbelief. By the way, the house searches were conducted in a polite manner.
As I heard from the military, these actions were taken because of the rising mistrust which has lately been growing in government circles against the Christian (and especially Armenian) elements of the population in Syria and Cilicia – and I am sure elsewhere – and which has been fanned here and in the surrounding area by a few small incidents. For instance, there were two Armenians among the arrested gendarmes when the cruiser “Doris” landed. Once, an Armenian sergeant of a group of seven men (equipped with malfunctioning Martinis) in a trench (with no emergency exit) supposedly surrendered by waving a handkerchief. Even though it seems very plausible to explain this by the lack of martial characteristics in the Armenian character, the local military authorities saw this as treason; the common man would certainly have regarded it as such. Therefore, a sense of panic gripped the local Armenians.
This was intensified by the actions of the military authorities near the small village of Dörtjol, which is 30 km away from here and belongs to Vilayet Adana. I have not yet been able to find out what actually happened there. According to the military authorities, a raid took place because of suspicions that it was a well-known refuge for deserters, robbers and troublemakers. According to other reports, all able-bodied people were forced to leave to do roadwork near Osmanije. The fact is that Osmanije is surrounded by the military and nobody can enter or leave without a valid permit.
The interpretation given to the Turkish actions in Dörtjol is indicative of the feeling of the Armenians against Germany. It is said that a German, who pretended to be English, visited the villages in that area and told the Armenians that they, the English, intended to occupy this area; what would the Armenian reaction be? They answered “of course”, nothing better could happen to them. The German reported this to the Turkish authorities.
Even if some better-off Armenians reject this interpretation, the common people are sure to believe it. This shows once again how deeply rooted the mistrust of the Armenians against Germany is, since friendship for Turkey is automatically interpreted as enmity against the Armenians. All evidence of new German “sympathy” for the Armenians failed to produce the hoped-for impression, as I can detect from conversations with the local Armenians. This intention was partly too obvious and the means used involved too crass a shift not to arouse more mistrust.
Since being here I, too, have attempted to disperse the Armenians’ mistrust, be it through a friendly manner towards them and private discussions or through the use of opportunities for public speeches when they came up here during victory celebrations held by the Armenians, church services held upon the murder of Armenian civilians by British grenades, etc. Occasionally, I also attempted to show my sympathy by means of donations, visits to the wounded in hospital, etc. But I am well aware that these are only drops in the ocean of mistrust.
It is an entirely different question whether Germany should trouble itself sympathising with the Armenians.
Copy for the consulate in Aleppo is enclosed.

Hoffmann