Ministry of Defense Secret and Personal
Department of Correspondences
Office of Correspondences
Code received from Mahmut Kâmil Pasha, Commander of the 3rd
Army, dated June 19, 1915.
The cities of Erzurum, Trabzon, Van, Bitlis, Elazığ, Diyarbakır, and Sivas are the regions of war in the east. As the war campaign is carried out in this region, the supplies needed for the army are provided from those cities. The Armenians living in Erzurum, Van, and Bitlis have shown their real faces by deserting and joining the enemy forces, massacring the people on the roads by forming gangs, pillaging and plundering the depots. It has become evident that by the discovery of the weapons, bombs, and explosives the Armenians in Sivas, Diyarbakır, and Elazığ have been pursuing the same aim. This situation has been further proved by the events occurred in Karahisar later. I believe that the presence of those villains in the regions where our army provides its supplies pose a great threat to the army’s provision channels jeopardize the security of the army. Army encounters a great danger when it sends some of its supply forces and additional forces to fight with the enemies within the region at a time when it engages in a heavy clash with the enemy. Under the light of these circumstances, and to prevent worsening consequences of the events, I here by request the relocating of the Armenians living in the cities mentioned above in Aleppo and Mosul, and help for immediate issuing of the due orders to be given by the army to the governors, and their approvals for the task.