In the Ottoman Empire, there are still people with national aspirations and national potential. In the northeastern part of Asia Minor bordering Russia, there are six provinces in which the vast majority of the population are Armenians.
Since the times of Herodotus, this part of Asia has been called Armenia. Today’s Armenians are the direct descendants of the people who inhabited the country three thousand years ago. Their origin is so ancient that their roots are lost in the centuries, shrouded in mist and legends. The cuneiform texts on the rocky hills of Van, the largest Armenian city, are still preserved. These cuneiforms allowed some scholars, although only a few, to identify the Armenian race with the biblical Hittites.
Only one thing is known about Armenians: for centuries, they have been the most civilized and hardworking people in the eastern part of the Ottoman Empire. Descending from the mountains, they settled on many possessions of the Sultan and made up a large percentage of the population of large cities. They are known for their hard work and intelligence, they have always led an honest and orderly life.
They were so superior to the Turks intellectually and morally that a large share of the Turkish industry and business eventually fell into their hands. Together with the Greeks, Armenians constitute the economic power of the empire. These people became Christians in the 4th century and follow the Armenian Church, the oldest of the existing Christian churches.
Henry Morgenthau, “The Story of Ambassador Morgenthau”
