The governmental decree of May, 1915, was ex post facto, for already the deportations from Cilicia and massacres in the eastern provinces had begun. On May 24, 1915, the Entente nations delivered an indictment to the Ottoman government: "Such massacres have taken place from mid-April at Erzurum, Terdjan, Eghine, Bitlis, Moush, Sasoun, Zeytoun, and in all of Cilicia. The inhabitants of approximately a hundred villages in the vicinity of Van all have been killed and the Armenian quarter of Van besieged by Kurds. At the same time, the Ottoman government has acted ruthlessly against the defenceless Armenian population of Constantinople. In view of this new crime of Turkey against humanity and civilisation, the Allied Governments make known publicly to the Sublime Porte that they will hold all the members of the Turkish government as well as those officials who have participated in these massacres, personally responsible." 56
In reply, the Ottoman government denied the charges. Preventive measures were aimed only at insurgents, revolutionaries, and agents of the Entente. As for the deportations from the war zone, these were necessary by considerations of national defence. Ottoman communiqués issued throughout the 1915 reiterated claims of the inculpability of Turkey and the treachery of the Armenians. 57 Perhaps more realistically, Ahmed Rustem, former ambassador to Washington, insisted that the state could not sacrifice its preservation to the sentiment of humanity, especially since the laws of humanity were suspended during wartime. 58
When reports of massacre reached Henry Morgenthau, the American Ambassador to Constantinople, he tried to mitigate the suffering of the Armenians. Enver and Talaat initially denied the validity of the news, but finally Talaat admitted that action against the Armenians stemmed from a carefully planned policy of Ittihad ve Terakki. He accused the Armenians of enriching themselves at the expense of the Turks, aspiring to establish a separate state, and actively assisting the enemies of the Empire. He concluded: "It is no use for you to argue, we have already disposed of three quarters of the Armenians; there are none at all left in Bitlis, Van, and Erzurum. the hatred between the Turks and the Armenians is now so intense that we have got to finish with them. I we don't they will plan their revenge." 59
Ottoman officials seemed surprised that Morgenthau, a Jew, should concern himself with the problems of Christians. In response to one the Ambassador's appeals, Enver answered, "…in time of war, we cannot investigate and negotiate. We must act promptly and with determination." He added that the deportations, thoroughly legitimate and justifiable, had been ordered by decision of the entire cabinet. 60
Within a year, attempts to intercede were of little practical value, for few Armenians remained in their native provinces. Whereas most Armenians of Cilicia and western Anatolia perished along the deportation routes or after reaching the Syrian desert, the majority in the eastern provinces were massacred outright, and thus spared the prolonged agony. 61 The only major exception was Van. Among the government's initial measures was the segregation of the Ottoman Armenian soldiers, who were serving on several fronts. Forced to relinquish their weapons, these men were driven into special military labour battalions, assertedly created to facilitate communication and transportation. The disarmed soldiers were then slaughtered. 62
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