Armenian National Committee of America
1711 N Street, NW
Washington, DC 20036
Tel. (202) 775-1918
Fax. (202) 775-5648
Email.anca@anca.org
PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
October 21, 2008
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918
TURKEY HIRES FORMER BUSH ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL TO SHORE UP RIFTS WITH JEWISH AMERICAN GROUPS; FIGHT ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RECOGNITION
WASHINGTON, DC – The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) revealed today that the Turkish Government has hired former Bush Administration official, Noam Neusner, to harness Jewish American support for a pro-Turkey agenda in Congress, with defeat of the Armenian Genocide Resolution as his top priority.
"If Turkey had a credible case to make to the Jewish American community - which has grown weary of Ankara's pressure to deny the Armenian Genocide - it wouldn't need to be spending this kind of money in a misguided attempt to manipulate Jewish American opinion," said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. "Sadly, it seems that for $8,500 a month from a foreign government, Neusner Communications is putting at risk the well-deserved reputation of the Jewish American community as a powerful opponent of all genocides and a defender of universal human rights."
This revelation came as part of a September 30, 2008, mandatory U.S. Department of Justice (U.S. DOJ) Foreign Agent Registration Act filings by Neusner Communications, LLC, a Washington, DC public relations firm that has been on the Turkish Government payroll since September, 2007. The initial registration document submitted by the firm cites "policy goals" including "U.S. Jewish efforts to promote a pro-Turkey agenda in the U.S. Congress." Neusner Communications LLC is tasked to ensure "regular emails and phone calls to Jewish leaders highlighting Turkey's relationship with Israel" and facilitating the "creation of working relationships between U.S.-based Jewish and Turkish community groups."
Neusner's filings reveal that the first order of business for the public relations firm was, in September and October of last year, to contact top Jewish-American organizations regarding pending Armenian Genocide legislation, H.Res.106. Beginning with a phone conversation with AIPAC Director of National Affairs and Development Jon Missner on September 17th, Neusner personally contacted groups, including JINSA, the American Jewish Congress, Anti-Defamation League, B'nai B'rith, Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations, and the Jewish Council for Public Affairs some 23 times over the next four weeks regarding H.Res.106. The House Foreign Affairs Committee adopted the Armenian Genocide Resolution on October 11th by a vote of 27 to 21.
The U.S. DOJ filings note subsequent emails by Neusner with the ADL's Director of Government and National Affairs Jess Hordes regarding "ADL action on HR 106," and ADL Director "Abe Foxman's visit to Turkey" in May, 2008. Neusner continued to hold meetings with AIPAC's Jon Missner and National Political Director Rob Bassin regarding the Armenian Genocide Resolution, including one on November 29th. Seven months later, Neusner held a follow up meeting with Missner and AIPAC Director of Research and Information Rafi Danziger to discuss "Turkish concerns about Armenian issue; lack of support on the Hill from Jewish orgs." The meeting came just one day after the House Foreign Affairs Committee held a two- hour hearing on the South Caucasus region, with specific focus on Turkey's ongoing blockade of Armenia. In total, in the span of one year, Neusner Communications contacted or met with Jewish American groups at least 100 times – 32 times specifically to discuss Armenian Genocide legislation or Armenian American concerns.
Neusner is well-known to Jewish American leaders, having served as President Bush's liaison to the U.S. Jewish community from 2002 through 2005, in addition to his capacity as Special Assistant to the President for Economic Speechwriting. Neusner's DOJ filings indicate that he was hired by the "Embassy of the Republic of Turkey through DiNovo Strategies and Fleishman Hilliard." DiNovo Strategies partner Jay Footlik served as Clinton Administration liaison to Jewish Americans and to European and Mediterranean groups, including the Armenian American community.
According to the Foreign Agent Registration Act, a firm must register within ten days of agreeing to become an agent and before performing any activities for the foreign entity. It is unclear why Neusner Communications' filings were submitted over one-year after it began lobbying for Turkey, a lapse that may represent a violation of U.S. DOJ registration guidelines. FARA also mandates that all communications from public relations firms must conspicuously cite any connection to a foreign government. Copies of email communications submitted by Neusner Communications to the U.S. DOJ make no reference to his firm's representation of the Turkish Government.
Neusner Communications, Inc. is one of four public relations firms currently representing the Government of Turkey, including DLA Piper, Fleishman Hilliard, and the Gephardt Group, who together receive over $3 million a year for their services. Neusner Communications is currently paid $8,500 a month by the Embassy of the Republic of Turkey. Leading the campaign to clean up Turkey's image in the United States are former House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt and House Majority Leader Dick Armey. Former House Appropriations Committee Chairman Bob Livingston ended his eight- year, $13 million lobbying stint with Turkey earlier this year, after which he picked up a lucrative $2.4 million contract with Libya.
Neusner Communications filings are available on the ANCA website.
Neusner Communications FARA Registration:
http://www.anca.org/assets/pdf/fara/Neusner_Registration_0908.pdf
Neusner Communications Supplemental Report – 09/07-02/08:
http://www.anca.org/assets/pdf/fara/Neusner_Supplemental_0308.pdf
Neusner Communications Supplemental Report – 03/08-09/08:
http://www.anca.org/assets/pdf/fara/Neusner_Supplemental_0908.pdf
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Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Communications Director
Armenian National Committee of America
1711 N Street NW
Washington, DC 20036
Tel: (202) 775-1918
Fax: (202) 775-5648
E-mail: anca@anca.org
Internet: www.anca.org
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ANCA: Turkey Hires Lobby Firm to Sway Jewish American Groups
ANC Responds to Watertown Town Councilor’s Remarks in Boston Globe
Armenian National Committee of Massachusetts
47 Nichols Avenue
Watertown MA 02472
617-926-1918
ancem@Hotmail.com
Press Release
October 20, 2008
Contact: 617-347-2833
ANC Responds to Watertown Town Councilor’s Remarks in Boston Globe
After Council President says he is comfortable with ADL assurances
Watertown, MA –The Armenian National Committee of Massachusetts has asked Watertown Town Council President Clyde Younger to clarify his remarks in the Boston Globe suggesting that he is “comfortable with assurances from the Anti-Defamation League's national leader, Abraham H. Foxman, that the organization recognizes the Armenian genocide."
In a Sunday, October 19, 2008 article, entitled, “ADL fight appears over,” the Boston Globe reported that Younger has had a “change of heart” after receiving an October 3 letter from national ADL director Abraham Foxman.
The ANC letter to Mr. Younger is below.
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Dear Chairman Younger:
We were shocked to discover in today's Boston Globe that you now feel "comfortable with assurances from the Anti-Defamation League's national leader, Abraham H. Foxman, that the organization recognizes the Armenian genocide." And imagine our surprise when we read that the “ADL fight appears over!” It was particularly disappointing that this was the way by which the Armenian community first learned of the letter you received from Mr. Foxman addressing an alleged change in the ADL’s policy regarding the Armenian Genocide.
http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/regional_editions/globe_west/west
/2008/10/adl_statement_o.html
Would you please share this letter with us, as we have not found any evidence of a new ADL position anywhere in the public arena?
As you agreed at the September 23, 2008 Watertown Town Council meeting, the ADL's August 2008 statement, as well as its August 2007 statement, do not qualify as an unambiguous acknowledgement of the Armenian Genocide.
A careful reading of the ADL’s insincere August 22, 2008 letter, which was buried deeply on its web site and has since been removed, reveals that the ADL states only that is has “referred” to genocide; it is by no means an unequivocal acknowledgment of the Armenian Genocide. Rather, it reads, “ADL has never denied the tragic and painful events perpetrated by the Ottoman Empire against the Armenians, and we have referred to those massacres and atrocities as genocide.” Moreover, this letter provocatively accuses those who are working to end genocide denial of “demonization.”
This letter apparently refers to the only other public - and now infamous - ADL statement of August 21, 2007, which read, “the consequences” of the Turkish massacres and atrocities were “tantamount to genocide.” That statement was clearly not an acknowledgment of the Armenian Genocide.
As you know, the ADL carefully crafted its August 2007 statement to contravene the international legal definition of genocide. The phrasing circumvents the “intent” required by the 1948 United Nations Genocide Convention by suggesting that Armenians died simply as a “consequence” of World War I conditions and not from a planned program of extermination — which just happens to be Turkey’s position.
Judging the August 21, 2007 statement inadequate, Massachusetts cities and towns, the Massachusetts Municipal Association, human rights commissions, the Jewish community, and the Armenian community called on the ADL to issue an unambiguous affirmation of the Armenian Genocide at its national meeting in early November 2007. The ADL refused to do so, releasing instead a dismissive one-sentence statement reaffirming the ADL’s national policy that read, “The National Commission of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today, at its annual meeting, decided to take no further action on the issue of the Armenian genocide.”
As you also know, The Massachusetts Municipal Association and 12 of the 13 Massachusetts communities that dissociated from the ADL’s No Place for Hate program did so after the ADL’s August 2008 statement, judging it unacceptable.
The ADL not only has refused to explicitly acknowledge the Armenian Genocide, but has for several years actively lobbied on behalf of the Turkish government to deny the Armenian Genocide and to prevent passage of a Congressional resolution formally recognizing the Armenian Genocide. It continues to publicly voice opposition to a
Congressional resolution.
Although nation-states have national security and realpolitik considerations when formulating policy, a human rights organization simply cannot put politics above universal rights. Yet this is exactly what the ADL does whenever a human rights issue conflicts with the perceived interests of the state of Israel.
Mr. Foxman has admitted as much. In an interview with the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, published October 24, 2007, he explained his reasoning regarding the Armenian Genocide:
“It was also very clear to me that after the United States the most important ally Israel has is Turkey. It’s a country that not only has promised to provide Israel with water until moshiach comes, but it’s a country that permits Israel’s pilots to do maneuvers over its land. And, so, to me, it was very clear that there are two moral issues, but one trumps the other. And it was clear to me that I cannot save one Armenian human being, not one. But if I do what the Armenians want me to do, I will put in jeopardy the lives of Turkish Jews and Israeli Jews.”
The ADL continues to engage in other forms of genocide denial as well. It has, for instance, repeatedly endorsed Turkey’s proposal for a joint commission of Turkish and Armenian scholars “to investigate what happened in the past.”
In June 2008, the internationally respected anti-hate group Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) issued an extensive intelligence report documenting Turkey’s campaign of genocide denial (http://www.splcenter.org/intel/intelreport/article.jsp?aid=935), and condemned such calls for a “historian’s commission.” The SPLC pointed out that “a lie isn’t the other side of any story. It’s just a lie.” The report quoted Torben Jorgensen of the Danish Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies as saying, “When it comes to the historical reality of the Armenian genocide, there is no ‘Armenian’ or ‘Turkish’ side of the question, any more than there is a ‘Jewish’ or ‘German’ side of the historical reality of the Holocaust. There is a scientific side and an unscientific side – acknowledgement or denial.”
Human rights are universal and they must be respected and protected for all people. Discrimination against any person or group on the basis of race, gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs or disability must never be tolerated. And historical truths must be upheld.
We would welcome a sincere, unambiguous acknowledgment of the Armenian Genocide by the Anti-Defamation League. Rather, what we have observed is an organization engaged in a double game: issuing disingenuous statements that do not actually recognize the Armenian Genocide but are crafted in such a way as to mislead the public, while continuing to engage in genocide denial by promoting Turkey’s agenda with regard to a historical commission and Congressional recognition of the Armenian Genocide.
We would appreciate the opportunity to discuss this with you at your earliest convenience.
Sincerely,
Sharistan Melkonian
Armenian National Committee of Massachusetts
47 Nichols Avenue
Watertown MA 02472
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Blue Cross Blue Shield Defies Watertown Town Council Unanimous Call to Cut Ties with Controversial ADL Program
Armenian National Committee of Massachusetts
47 Nichols Avenue
Watertown MA 02472
617-926-1918
ancem@Hotmail.com
For Immediate Release
October 1, 2008
Contact: 617-347-2833
Blue Cross Blue Shield Defies Watertown Town Council Unanimous Call to Cut Ties with Controversial ADL Program
-- Disregards Armenian American Community Concerns
WATERTOWN, MA –Despite a unanimous vote by Watertown officials last week and hundreds of letters from Massachusetts residents, Blue Cross Blue Shield Massachusetts (BCBSMA) announced its plans to support the Anti-Defamation League’s “No Place for Hate” program, despite that groups ongoing opposition to Armenian Genocide recognition, reported the Armenian National Committee of Massachusetts (ANC-MA)
BCBSMA’s intentions were revealed on September 26th in what appeared to be form letters sent to individuals and organizations, who had expressed concerns about the healthcare giant’s dubious affiliation. “It had been our understanding that the ADL recognized the terrible events perpetrated against the Armenian people between 1915 and 1923 as genocide,” read the BCBSMA’s email. “Therefore, in response to the letters and emails we received, and because Blue Cross Blue Shield firmly believes there should be no ambiguity on this issue, senior executives met directly with representatives of the ADL to ask for clarification. At that meeting, our CEO asked the ADL leaders about the organization’s “official” position. He was assured that the ADL unequivocally recognizes the killing of more than one and a half million Armenians as genocide.”
The ADL’s promises rang hollow to the Watertown Town Council and the ANC MA. BCBSMA Senior Vice President for Public, Government and Regulatory Affairs Jay Curley, during his presentation to the Watertown Town Council last week, admitted that the ADL’s assurances were only verbal and that his organization was “disappointed” with the tone and tenor of the communication from ADL leader Abe Foxman. For more information on the Watertown decision read: http://www.anca.org/press_releases/press_releases.php?prid=1595
In July of this year, Foxman had traveled to Turkey to smooth over relations with the Turkish government by reiterating the ADL’s opposition to Armenian Genocide legislation in the U.S. Congress. According to a July 4th article by Herb Keinon in the Jerusalem Post, Foxman urged President Gul and Prime Minister Erdogan to strengthen relations with Armenia today, in hopes that “it will place the historical issue in the background and be much easier to deal with.” Foxman went on to lecture the Armenian American community on genocide recognition efforts, stating that pressure to use "certain words they want us to use is not going to help one Armenian."
“Foxman’s verbal assertions to the BCBSMA fly in the face of his statements in Turkey just three months ago, where he dared not properly characterize the Armenian Genocide as ‘genocide’, lauded the ADL’s opposition to Congressional legislation on the issue, and went so far as to advise the unrepentant perpetrators of Genocide on how to sweep history under the rug,” stated Ara Nazarian of the ANC MA. “The Watertown Town Council and Massachusetts Municipalities Authority saw through Foxman’s charade. We expect the BCBSMA to do so as well.”
On September 29th, the ANC MA responded to the BCBSMA’s letter, stating: “We are very disappointed that Blue Cross Blue Shield has decided to turn a blind eye to what is clearly genocide denial by the Anti-Defamation League.”
“The Armenian community has struggled against genocide denial for ninety-three years. The entire community is united in its determination to see justice prevail in this matter.”
The complete text of the ANC MA letter to BCBSMA is provided below.
For more information visit
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Complete Text of ANC MA letter to BCBSMA:
September 29, 2008
We are very disappointed that Blue Cross Blue Shield has decided to turn a blind eye to what is clearly genocide denial by the Anti-Defamation League.
Even assuming you were given assurances by the New England Regional ADL that the organization acknowledges the Armenian Genocide, these comments were made privately and verbally and, as such, are not official and have no standing in the public arena. In addition, the verbal assurances differ greatly from the only two official public statements the ADL has made in this regard.
Furthermore, what the NE ADL asserts is simply not pertinent to the issue. No Place for Hate is a registered trademark of, and is owned and operated by, the national ADL.
It is true that the New England regional tried to persuade the national ADL to issue an unequivocal statement recognizing the Armenian Genocide at its national meeting last November. They failed. The entire organization determined to let stand the August 2007 statement - which, as you know, does not meet international standards for genocide recognition - as its official position on the Armenian Genocide.
The Boston Globe reported that New England leaders were satisfied with the outcome, quoting regional board chair James Rudolph as saying, "I feel comfortable with it."
Nothing has changed since that time.
The Armenian community has struggled against genocide denial for ninety-three years. The entire community is united in its determination to see justice prevail in this matter. We are saddened that Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts has chosen to side with a genocide denier and not with human rights.
Sincerely,
Sharistan Melkonian
Armenian National Committee of Massachusetts
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