LOS ANGELES’TE 1982’DE ŞEHİT EDİLEN TÜRK DİPLOMATININ ERMENİ VE TÜRK HATIRATINDAKİ KARŞILAŞTIRMALI YERİ
“COMPARATIVE PLACE OF THE MARTYRDOM IN 1982 OF THE TURKISH DIPLOMAT IN LOS ANGELES IN ARMENIAN AND TURKISH MEMOIRS.”

Summary/Abstract: Angeles, Mr. Kemal Arikan, was shot at close range in his car when he stopped for red traffic lights on his way to work, on January 28, 1982, by Armenian terrorists who had planned and even rehearsed the assassination weeks ahead of time. The echoes of this tragic murder were, as expected, heard all over the world. The reactions shown by the Armenian community in general were drastically around the world, but especially in the United States of America and Turkey. The memoirs indicate that the reactions of the Armenian community in America to this wanton murder were drastically different than those shown by the Turks in America as well as by the members of the general public who are neither Armenians nor Turks. Arikan’s life was justified since Arikan was a genocide denier. Turks were in deep shock and profound sorrow, and with the exception of a few reactions, generally seemed to have remained in a silent, submissive mode. The reactions of the third group, i.e. the American public at large, differed from both the Armenians and the Turks. Most in public who were neither Turks nor Armenians were condemning the terrorists unconditionally and were emphasizing the necessity in a civilized country of solving problems through dialogue, not violence. It was observed that some in public, who were deemed to be under the influence of the Armenian narrative, exhibited reactions similar to those of the Armenians. The importance of memoirs becomes self evident at this point, as the reactions of various communities are recorded moment by moment. This way, a snapshot of an era is taken by the help of memoirs and this data, important from many aspects, is made available in the form of primary sources, to the benefit of the researchers in History, Sociology, and other disciplines.

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