Dear Governor Pataki,

As an American of Hellenic descent, I would like to thank you for the Proclamation that recognized the Genocide of the Hellenic populatons in Asia minor. Recognition of the horrors endured by Greek Orthodox Christians has been slow in coming, but your proclamation has ensured that America cares for justice, and universal recognition of the Hellenic Genocide will eventually come about throughout the free world. It is appropriate that this Proclamation recognized the extermination of the Greek Orthodox population at a time when America is fighting its own war against terrorism, fanaticism, and mass murder.

During the First World War, the leaders of the crumbling Ottoman Empire (known as Young Turks) proceeded to systematically massacre, deport, and ethnically cleanse the Hellenic populaitons of Asia Minor. In 1919, there was hope that Hellenism in its
ancient homelands would be revived. Tragically, an ultranationalist movement under the auspices of Mustapha Kemal, incited by racial and religious fanaticism, proceeded to destroy Hellenic civilization in Asia Minor by the end of 1922.

One of Mustapha Kemal's Generals, the notorious Noureddin Pasha wrote that Turks should kill, "four or five Greeks" each. The beloved Archbishop Chrysostomos of Smyrna who fought for the rights of his flock was slaughtered by a fanatical mob
after having been released by Noureddin Pasha. The Archbishop was canonized as a Saint in 1992 by the Orthodox Church of Greece.

Those of us who are of Greek ancestry and Orthodox faith commemorate numerous Saints on our Church Calendar who met martyrdom at the hands of fanatical men who were the ideological forerunners of Osama Bin Laden. That fanaticism and hatred has produced further crimes against humanity on American soil pains us immensely. It is my belief that this daring Proclamation which has extended recognition to the death and suffering of so many innocent lives is an appropriate response to the enemies of freedom- those who endorse terrorism, censorship, and historical revisionism.

The extermination of the Hellenic populations of Asia Minor have been documented by prominent American officials. American Consul General to Smyrna George Horton wrote a pair of letters to the State Department detailing the atrocities of Kemal and his cohorts. Furthermore, his book "The Blight of Asia" (1926) leaves no doubt as to what happened to the Greek and Armenian populations of Asia Minor.

The American Ambassador to Constantinople during the First World War, Henry Morgenthau documented the facts about the Armenian Genocide. In his book, "I Was Sent to Athens" (1929) Ambassador Morgenthau affirms that Turkish war crimes were carried out against the Hellenic population. Ambassador Morgenthau subsequently was involved in helping to resettle and provide shelter for over 1,000,000 Greeks from Asia Minor who were ethnically cleansed upon the orders of Turkish leader Mustapha Kemal.

In our own day, remnants of the ferocious hatred of eighty years ago survive in Turkey. The Greek Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarchate under his holiness Patriarch Bartholomeos I has been bombed or attacked by arsonists four times over the last several years. There have been individual murders of Greeks in present day Turkey, and the Patriarchal school of Theology known as "Halki", has been ordered closed by Turkish authorities.

As an American of Hellenic descent and Greek Orthodox faith, these events affirm the necessity of opposing all forms of terrorism and censorship that tries to undermine historical truth. During the 1950's, Hellenism was again ferociously subjected to ethnic cleaning by Turkish leaders when anti-Greek pogroms were instigated against Greek Orthodox Christians.

These events have been affirmed by Helsinki Watch in its 1992 publication, "Denying Human Rights and Ethnic Identity: the Greek of Turkey". Further documentation of how Greeks have been terrorized in Turkey have been published and recounted by Leonidas Koumakis in his firsthand account, "The Miracle", and by Greek Journalist Dimitrios Kaloumenos in his, "The Crucifixion of Christianity".

Most recently, Thea Halo's, "Not Even My Name" has brought attention to the Hellenic Genocide of Asia Minor. Detailed historical accounts regarding the dreadful slaughter of the Greeks include Edward Hale Bierstadt's, "The Great Betrayal", and Marjorie Housepian's, "Smyrna 1922: the Destruction of a City".

Governor, your gesture is appreciated for its great significence, and because of your appreciation for historical truth. I am very much encouraged by this Proclamation which is so clear and unconditional in its support for human rights. Thank You.

Sincerely,

Theodore G. Karakostas