Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1921-09-19
ARMENIANS ARE
VERY GRATEFUL
FOR j. 6. HELP
President Says Americans
Alone Were DiSintereSted
In Relief Work; and Didn't
Mix In Politics.
tBy The Associated Press.,

(By The Associated Press.)
s. Erivan, Soviet Republic of Ar
menia, Sept. 1S.-PaXton Hibben, a
representative of the Near East re-
lief, has just had an interview
with the soviet president Of Ar
menia in which the president told
him that the feeling OF tho Ar
menians toward Americans for
their help was something deeper
than gratitude"
Mr.. Hibben explains that the
president is really the president OF
the revcoma, double abbreviation
of Revolutionary committee" and
that this committee corresponds to
what would be called in most other
countries, "the cabinet"
The Armenian president came
into an office where Mr.. Hibben
was talking with two members of
the cabinet. The relief agent de-
scribes the incident thus:
A Soldier Enters.
"The door opened in the casual
way that people have Of butting in
and out of anybody's office and
breaking into anybody's CONVERSE
ton in this communisttc land and
a common soldier entered in the
cotton khaki, high black boots and
shirt outside his pants. His head
was shaven like that of any soldier
OF the Red guard, 1t was what
writer's call a bullet head lie
pulled up chair and sat down. his
elbows on the table, listening.
"'What do you want to ask the
PRESIDENT asked one of the min
listers, waving his hand at the man
dressed as a common soldier, with
out mark of distinction of any kind
on him. We made very little prog
ress until | asked him about the
American relief work in Armenia;
then he opened up a bit" Mr.. Hib-
ben quotes the Armenian president
as saying:
One Disaster After Another.
"You Americans must have
heard so much about the sufferlngs
of Armenia that can quite under
stand that you should say to your
selves: What's the matter with
these Armenians that they are al
ways starving to death?' The only
trouble is that you cannot under
stand because in the United States
you do not know what has been
going on out here In Transcaucasia
nor what has taken place IN Ar
menia itself since 1914. 1t has all
been just one disaster after another
in a succession so hideous that II is
almost unbelievable"
The president reviewed the CHAP
ters of Armenia's tale of woe-the
world war. Turkish and Russian
invasions and Armenia's war with
Georgia, The final Turkish hor-
ror. he said. was only in April last,
five months ago. He went on:
''In all these seven years from
1914. there has not been one mo-
ment of peace or security for any
body. Not a chance to get on our
feet. Everything destroyed. Dill
LACED, burned. Everybody home
less. Everybody starving. A regu-
lar hell.
"There's a free Armenia today:
And when everythings said ana
done, there will be free Armenia
1t has cost a great many lives and
an Incredible deal of suffering. But
it's worth 1t,
a Counted on America.
"Rut all through this struggle
we Armenians felt that we couia
count, and we did count, on you
Americans. You alone were dlslh-
terested in your relief work. You
didn't mix in politics and you dldht
try to exploit US.
"Just to say that we are grateful
is nothing. What we feel about II
81 of course, something deeper
than mere gratitude. It is hard TO
saw what 1t is that we feel. But
Won 20 out among the Armenian
neople-you, an American-and
Won will find that to them you are
something different from other
men. Whatever you want OF them.
won can haye-to the last man OF
them. You don't need a passport
or credentials or anything else.
You are an American. Thats
Need Help Now. -,
"We've only had peace in TINS
country five months, now. we are
working our heads off, all or us,
to try to put the country on its rect
again, But you cannot undo the
terrible damage of seven years OF
destruction in five months. wei
need help now more than we ever
have. for it's now or never with us.
We've got our chance-but we can
swing it alone. We have 10 nave
help from somewhere. In year,
IL no new disaster hits us, we shouid
be all right. But until them, wen,
YOU Americans have been the only
real friends we have ever hau'