Alexandropol of 1918-1920 in the Documents of the U.S. Department of State

and the National Archives of Armenia

Abstract of Papers

Records of the U.S. Department of State in common with papers of the National Archives of Armenia point out three main problems of Alexandropol’s social life in 1918-1920. They are the reconstruction of Alexandropol after the devastating invasion and Turkish evacuation of December 26, 1918. The problems that concern military training and self-defense, as well as the issues of relief for refugees from the Western Armenia and Kars Oblast. The first task demanded an urgent reconstruction of the city terminal and depot together with the railway line to Sarikamish. A great transit highway Trebizond - Erzerum - Kars - Alexandropol had been inspected too. The second problem included a necessity to equip and maintain 6-7 thousand military force, which lacked bread, shoes, uniforms and ammunition, but kept its will to defend the country. And the third issue concerned 68 thousand extremely exhausted refugees, concentrated in the city of 35 thousand local population. Alexandropol became one of the six main centers of relief in Transcaucasia (with Batum, Tiflis, Kars, Erevan, Karaklis) and one of the four main centers in the Near East (the others were Beirut, Constantinople and Tabriz).

According to the U.S. President to-be and Director General of the Allied Relief H.Hoover correspondence of March 19, discovered at the Armenian National Archives, the state agency of the American Food Administration had confirmed the double ration per day for Armenian refugees; it resolved to pay half of the cost of all transactions which were to be put as goods credit and were shipped by the U.S. navy.

The first consignments of relief emerged in April, 1919. On May 15 the American Relief Administration has brought its loads of wheat and flour. In October, 1919, thousands of children and women participated in public works. //-110  The railway traffic had become regular, duty-free from November 3 and was controlled by the American charitable Near East Relief. The refugees from the Kazachi Post (accomodated from September 4, 1919), Poligon (from October, 1919) and Severski Post (from November) repaired buildings and roads, produced textile and clothes for the Army and orphans. The latter ones had transferred under the State auspice.

The next 1920 brought an inauguration of the State University on January 31; a Bolshevik rebellion on May 10-22; Alexandropol had become a residence of the Director general of the Caucasus branch, Near East Relief, E.Yarrow on August 1; then a new war with Turkey had exploded on September 22. It brought the combats under the city walls on November 5. The Prime Minister H.Ohanjanian had appealed to President W. Wilson and the U.S. High Commissioner in Constantinople M.Bristol for protection. The Armenian Plenipotentiary G.Pastrmajian discussed the fate of the city with the State Secretary B.Colby on November 11. The high official and his Consul C.Mozer responded that the U.S. afforded provisions, but did not bind by military obligations. //-111