Operation Nemesis: The Assassination Plot that Avenged the Armenian Genocide by Eric BogosianMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
The Year 1915 was the year of the great Genocide against the Christians who were living in the Ottoman Empire. Three groups in particular were affected: The Armenians, the Assyrians, and the Greeks. Since the Armenians lost 1.5 million of their people to the Genocide carried out by the Turks, the Armenian Revolution Federation decided to cary out justice against those who planned the Genocide, the Young Turks.
THe book starts out by the author, Eric Boghosian, telling about the experience of growing up in AMerica and hearing stories that his grandfather told him about life for an Armenian under the Turks and about the Genocide. Mr. Boghosian thinking himself and American gets a bit uncomfortable .
None the less Mr. Boghosian delves into Armenian, Turkish and World History. THe brief sketch of Armenian history gives one a taste of such warriors as Vartan Mamikom who fought to preserve Christianity among the Armenians or Mesrop Mashtots who invented the Armenian alphabet. In 301 the Nation adapted Christianity. THe Turks on the other hand came from an area near Mongolia. First the Seljuks took over and then the Ottomans. THe Turkish sultans loved to live lavishly and often had several wives whgo were slaves. THe oldest son was next in line for succession. The other sons we're killed or sequester in another part of the castle. THe world itself is important to learn about as many nations besides the Turks engaged in killing off large amounts of people. Most notable would be the European powers who colonized different parts of the third world. THe invention of weapons like guns and howitzers made killing lots of people really easy.
THe major thrust of the book focuses on Soghomon Telirian and how he planned and succeeded in Killing Talat Bey. Talat Bey was the interior minister at the time and was the leader of the Triumviarate. The other two young Turks were Enver Pasha, and Dejedved Bey. Soghomon Telirian was considered to be a young physics student studying in Berlin, who had happened to be very shaken by what he saw during the Genocide and about how his family was killed. The truth is that the ARF cobbled together a team to take out the young Turks. Soghomans real story is that he left Trueky before the Genocide and lived with his father and brother in Servbia. When World War 1 rolled out he joined the ARF as a medic but also saw action in Turkey. When he got to his village he saw that it had been all wiped out. THe images of death haunted him. He had to take action. When he caught he told the whole Genocide story. He was declared innocent and allowed to go free.
Eric Bohosian does an excellent job of giving the reader the behjjiod the scenes look at the politics of what went on during that time andd the3 background of the people who carried out operation nemesis. THe images of what the Armenians had to endure are haunting. This book is a must read for anyone studying that period of time.
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