Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1921-09-19
CRISIS IS REACHED
IN ARMENIA; HELP
VITAL To SAL AT|0N
President of 'tthe Cabinet" Tells
of Needs of His
People.

Erivau, Soviet Republic of Armenia,
Sept. 18.-(By The Associated Press).
Paxton Hibben, a representative OF
the Near East relief, has just had an
interview with the soviet president of
Armenia in which he says that the feel
ing toward Americans for their help
was something deeper than gratitude.
Mr.. Hibben explains that the presi-
dent is really the president Of the
Revcoma, a double abbreviation OF
Revolutionary Committee" and that
this committee corresponds to what
would be called in most other countries,
1.-The cabinet"
The. Armenian president came into
an office where Mr.. Hibben was talk
ing with two members of the cabinet.
The relief agent describes the incident
thus:
Informal Entry.
''The door opened in the casual way
that people have of butting in and out
of anybody's office and breaking into
anybodys conversatin in this communist
land and common soldier entered in
the 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 bull
let head He pulled up a chair and
sat down, his elbows on the table,
listening.
What do you want to ask the pres
ident" asked one of the ministers.
waving his hand at the man dressed
distinction of any kind on him. We
made very little progress until l asked
him about the American relief work
in Armenia; then he opened up bit. !"
Mr.. Hibben quotes the Armenian pres
ident as saying:
You Americans must have heard
so much about the sufferings of Ar
menia that / can quite understand that
you should say to yourselves: What's
the matter with these Arm enians that
they are always starving to death z
The only trouble is that you cannot IN
derstand because in the United States
you do not know what has been going
on out here in Transcaucasia. nor what
has taken place in Armenia itself since
1914 It has all been just one disaster
after another, in a succession so hide
Gus that it is almost unbelievable.
Review Of Calamities.
The president reviewed the chapters
Of Armenia's tale OF woe-the world
war, Turkish and Russian invasions
and Armenia's war with Georgia. The
final Turkish horror. he said, was
only in April last, four months ago.
He went on:
TN all these seven years from 1914:
there has not been one moment OF
peace or security for anybody; Not
chance to get on our feet. Every
thing destroyed, pillaged, burned.
Everybody homeless. Everybody starv-
ing. A regular hell.
There's free Armenia, today. And
when everything's said and done, there
will be a free Armenia. 1t has cost
great many lives, and an Incredible deal
of suffering. But it's worth it.
But ali through this struggle we
Armenians felt that we could count.
and we did count. on your Americans
You alone were disinterested in your
relief work. You didn't mix in politics
and you didn't try to exploit US.
More Than Grateful.
Gust to say that we are grateful is
nothing, What we feel about it is, of
course. something deeper than mere
gratitude. It is hard to say what it is
that we feel. But you go out among
the Armenian people-you, an American
and you will find that to them you
are something different from other
men. Whatever you want OF them, you
can have--to the last man OF them. You
don't need a passport or credentials or
anything else. You are an American.
That's enough. ~,
We've only had peace in this coun-
try four months, now. we are work.ng
orr heads of, all of us, to try to put the
country on its feet aagin. But you
cannot undo the terrible damage of
seven years of destruction in seven
months. We need help now more than
we ever have, for it's now or never
can't swing it alone. We have to have
help from Somewhere. In a year, if no
new disaster hits US, we should be all
right. But until then-well, you
Americans have been the only real
friends we have ever had.
NnaENK KILLS ONE.