The Harbord Mission Reports on Armenia, 1919,

in the U.S.Department of State Archives

In June and August of 1919 the Paris Peace Conference discussed a lot of problems related to the Ottoman politics and the U.S. mandate for Western Armenia. European powers, namely Grerat Britain and France did not reject a possibility to establish the vast American zone of influence, encompassing Eastern and Western Armenia, Cilicia, as well as Constantinople with the Straits.

The U.S. President Woodrow Wilson assented that his country should allot regiments and money to establish a new semi-independent unit of multiethnic pattern. Besides, he always mentioned that his point of view would pass the Senate Committee debates. And though we do know that American administration, not to mention European lleaders, had all the necessary information at its disposal, the U.S. Pressident was inclined to send a military finding mission to make a report as to a possibility of American mandates and their material needs. If W.Wilson preferred Major General James Harbord as possible Governor, then the chief of the Allied relief in Europe and the U.S. president-to-be Herbert C.Hoover stressed that any kind of U.S. relief should be separated from repatriation or political matters. He had his own candidate, Colonel William N.Haskell, who should become the Allied representative in Armenia.

If we go into details, then during the last week of June, 1919 W.Wilson envisaged that his nominee would live in Yerevan and thus would give advice to the local Governmenton administrative issues, dealing with repatriation and relief matters both in Eastern and Western Armenia. H.Hoover did composed a scheme along these lines and confirmed //-423  J.Harbord's candidacy.¹ On June 28, the Supreme Council of the Paris Peace conference narrowed this plan. It appointed a Commissioner with full authority for the Republic of Armenia exclusively.² In the evening, British secretary of the Conference mentioned additional "difficulty in giving effect to the decision;"³ and H.Hoover made a next move on June 30, 1919. now, with Western Armenia beyond their reach, he proposed to divide relief, with his own nominee Colonel W.N.Haskell, from the matters of repatriation.

The American delegation consented; and international Council of Five at Paris appointed J.Harbord's rival on July 5, 1919, as a Commissioner, limited by the matters of reliefand confined by the borders of the Republic of Armenia.⁴ When comparing the two persons, we confess, that Major General J.Harbord was of heavier political weight and less manageable y H.Hoover, than a fresh Commossioner W.Haskell.

This collision ended with with a decision to send J.Harbord on a business trip from Adana, through Mardin, Kharberd, Diarbekir (Amid), Sebastia, Karin-Erzerum,⁵ to Erevan, Tiflis, Baku and Batum. His experts would concentrate on measures necessary to prevent massacre of Armenians, on geographical and administrative features.⁶ They would report on refugees, in common with general military and economic problems.⁷ The American delegation declared that the General was sent to investigate conditions "and to report as to the total number of troops which would be required to repatriate the Armenian population and keep the country in order."⁸ It mentioned the inevitable and "involuntary" peace of propaganda, but totally omitted any reference to an American mandate. //-424 ...

Notes

1. Papers Relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States, 1919. The Paris Peace Conference, in 12 vols., vol.VI, Wash., US GPO, 1946, p.744 (following: Papers Relating); H.Morgenthau. All in a Life-Time. NY, Garden City, 1922, p.337-338.

2. Papers Relating, vol.VI, p.741.

3. Ibid., vol.VI, p.756.

4. Ibid., vol.VII, p.28.

5. Native Karin-Erzrum (Artsn/Arzn ar-Rum - Arzrum/Erzrum by the Armenian linguistic origin) had been an outpost of Western Armenia and a place where the Headquarters of the occupation forces of the Kemalists was located.

6. See Document 10 of this piblication.

7. Papers Relating, vol.VII, p.43.

8. Ibid., vol.XI, Wash., GPO, 1945, p.264. //-165 ...