What Hitler "said" about the events of 1915 in Ottoman Empire

According to a number of pro-Armenian authors, in his speech, talking about the upcoming war with Poland and the likely negative reaction from other states, Hitler dropped the phrase "who now remembers the massacres of the Armenians?" According to the Armenian side, this is what inspired Hitler, carrying out the genocide of the Jews. 

For example, the new film by Diana Angelson, which tells the Armenian version of the 1915 events in the Ottoman Empire, "Armenia, My Love" (will premiere in April 2016) begins with these "phrases of Hitler". The filmmakers do not mind that the "historical fact" that they give at the very beginning of the film was found fake back in 1945.

A large number of historians, writers and journalists, one-sidedly perceiving and interpreting the events of 1915 in the Ottoman Empire, managed to use this "fact" in their scientific works. By that, giving it a certain authenticity. Among them, an expert on the history of genocides, known for his pro-Armenian position Israel Charny, American historian of the Armenian origin Richard Hovannisian, professor of the University of Arkansas, a genocide scholar Samuel Totten and others. The reader may wonder, why, in some sections, I list the scholars who write or conduct research on this topic. I do it in order to show the reader that the long-term experience of scientific activity, research and analysis, all sorts of regalia of the scientific world does not always contribute to an objective and impartial assessment. 

If these crafty falsifications, which have been exposed back in 1945, managed to creep into the works of these scholars, what is there to say about the media and journalists?

In 2009, this quote was also used by a group of genocide researchers in their letter to US President Barack Obama, concerning the so-called Armenian genocide. 

I want to note that it is an American journalist who has played a big role in the birth of this "fact", with the filing of which, false words of Hitler began their journey in the works of historians, articles of journalists, and on the walls of museums. 

It is about an American journalist, Louis Lochner *. In 1942 he published his book "What about Germany?", there, for the first time, appear the words of Hitler supposedly said about the events of 1915, related to the Armenians. Later, on November 24, 1945, Hitler's words were mentioned in one of the publications («Nazi Germany's Road to War») in the newspaper «Times of London». 

This issue was also considered by the Nuremberg Tribunal. The Tribunal had three documents, setting forth Hitler's speech from August 22, 1939. The words about Armenians were present only in one document, namely in that, which was provided by Louis Lochner. Having examined the material, the court concluded that the document provided by Louis Lochner is a distorted version, uniting two of Hitler's speeches (on the day Hitler gave two speeches on similar topics). The Court decided not to consider the document provided by Lochner as evidence for the prosecution. Two other documents, as opposed to the one provided by Lochner, were from German archives, and their authenticity has not caused doubts. 

In addition, some people who were present at those meetings were interviewed; however, none of them remembered anything like that. Neither anything of this kind was mentioned in postwar memoirs of German military personnel, present that day at Obersalzberg.    

Australian author Alan Whiticker believes that these distortions were deliberately allowed, aiming to cause a backlash against Hitler in different countries of the world. 1 

Heath W. Lowry, professor at Princeton University and author of many books about the Ottoman Empire and modern Turkey, conducted a study of this topic. He, too, was unable to establish the authenticity of this phrase. 

By the way, Professor Lowry also received death threats from Armenian nationalist groups, due to his position on the so-called "Armenian genocide". 

Tom Segev, an Israeli historian and journalist, who tends to be characterized by his pro-Armenian position, in his article from October 2007 for the influential Israeli newspaper “Haaretz”, addressing the issue of Hitler's words about Armenians, characterizes their origin as questionable. 2

If we analyze the text, we can understand that the phrase about the Armenians does not fit into the general context, in addition, supporters of the authenticity of Hitler's words, claiming that Hitler was inspired by the "Armenian genocide" and carried out the genocide of the Jews, also forget to emphasize that in these speeches he never mentioned Jews. The scientists also forget to emphasize the fact that in the period, when these speeches were delivered, the Nazis basically laid emphasis on the forced immigration of Jews, rather than on their physical extermination. The immigration of 350 to 400 thousand Jews from Germany and its controlled countries (Austria, Czechoslovakia) was the result of this policy (between 1933 and 1939). The monstrous and final decision on the detailed program of mass extermination of Jews was made in January 1942, during the Wannsee Conference **. Moreover, noteworthy is the fact that Hitler did not mention Armenians in any of his other speeches, either before or after 1939. Even despite the fact that many prominent figures of the Armenian Diaspora collaborated with the Nazis and served his regime. Also in the German military memoirs there are no mentions of Hitler's speeches or statements about Armenians.

However, I want to give full consideration to given episode. Let us suppose that Hitler mentioned Armenians in his Obersalzberg speech.  Should the words of a man, guilty of horrible, unimaginable crimes and the death of millions, considered as the truth of last resort?  Isn’t it too much of honor to Hitler, engraving his words on the walls of museums? It seems that his other statements may have the same status? Did Adolf Hitler have an idea about the events in the Ottoman Empire? Judging by his speeches and expressed thought, his ideas about historical events were, to put it mildly, very peculiar. I think, serious historians and researchers should not derive the "facts" from Hitler's legacy. Some historians are fond of quoting out of context phrases of famous people, but quoting phrases of bloody tyrant, authenticity of which is highly questionable, is the height of incompetence. 

Ali Hajizade, political analyst, head of the project “The Great Middle East”

[1] Alan Whiticker, «Speeches that Reshaped the World», New Holland Publishers, Australia, 2009.

[2] Tom Segev, Haaretz, «Mozart and the Armenian genocide», October 18, 2007

*Louis Lochner – the head of the Berlin bureau of Associated Press during the World War II,  after the declaration of war with US, he was interned by the German authorities, in 1942, was returned to the United States, on his return from Germany published a book "What about Germany?"

**Wannsee Conference - a meeting of representatives of the ministries and authorities of Germany. Held on January 20, 1942 at the Villa "Marlier" in Berlin. The meeting decided on ways and means of implementing of the "Final Solution to the Jewish question" - namely, the program of genocide of the Jewish people.