American Minute - Dec. 28 - Woodrow Wilson & Armenia

American Minute
with
Bill Federer

Armenia was the first nation to become Christian, with its capitol of
Ani called the "city of a 1,001 churches."

Muslim Turks began invading in the 11th century, making Christian
second-class citizens called "dhimmi" and forcing boys to convert and
serve the Muslim army as "Janissaries."

When the Ottoman Empire declined in the 1800's, Greeks, Serbs and
Romanians won independence, but Armenians were trapped by Sultan
Abdul Hamid, who killed 100,000.

During World War I, "Young Turks" murdered over a million men, women
and children in a jihad, marching them into the desert without water,
throwing them off cliffs or burning them alive.

Armenian cities of Kharpert, Van and Ani were leveled.

Russia came to their aid till the Bolshevik revolution began.

Armenia's pleas at the Paris Peace Conference led President Wilson in
a failed effort to make Armenia a U.S. protectorate.

Woodrow Wilson, who was born DECEMBER 28, 1856, told Congress, May
24, 1920:

"The Senate Committee on Foreign Relations has established the truth
of the reported massacres and other atrocities from which the
Armenian people have suffered...

Sympathy for Armenia among our people has sprung from untainted
consciences, pure Christian faith and an earnest desire to see
Christian people everywhere succored in their time of suffering."