Rupen Janbazian
Over the years, the story of Operation Nemesis, the clandestine plot
to assassinate the chief architects of the Armenian Genocide, had been
told with a certain cloud of mystery and ambiguity hanging over it.
While the topic had been discussed and written about in parts, authors
were generally hesitant to present an all-encompassing understanding of
the often-ignored, true story of Nemesis. Moreover, nearly a century
after the project was carried out, the topic continues to remain
somewhat taboo in the Armenian community.
Renowned actor, novelist, and playwright Eric Bogosian first heard
about the assassination of Talaat Pasha about two decades ago. According
to Bogosian, the story struck him as “wishful thinking,” which was far
from the truth—an Armenian urban legend, of sorts. After some research
and investigation, though, Bogosian quickly realized that not only had
the assassination taken place, but that it was part of a much more
complicated history of secrecy.
Bogosian thought Tehlirian’s story would make a good film, so he
decided to dedicate a few months to writing the screenplay. The few
months would snowball into more than seven years of meticulous research
and study. The result: Operation Nemesis: The Assassination Plot That Avenged the Armenian Genocide, a 384-page, in-depth history of the conspiracy.
Published in April by Little, Brown and Company, Bogosian’s book aims
to go “beyond simply telling the story of this cadre of Armenian
assassins by setting the killings in the context of Ottoman and Armenian
history.” And it holds true to this promise.
In part one of the three-part book, Bogosian brilliantly paints a
thorough picture of Armenian history, with a particular focus on the
Armenians of the Ottoman Empire before and during the Armenian Genocide.
By drawing on a number of academic and non-academic sources, including
several primary sources, such as newspaper articles, memoirs, and
letters from the time, Bogosian provides his reader a concise, yet
wide-ranging historical context for the operation.
While some may feel that Bogosian dedicates too much of the book to
historical background, it seems to be a wise decision on the part of the
author, as most readers do not have a sufficient understanding of
Armenian history.
In part two of the book, Bogosian details the origins of Nemesis, the
story of the assassination of Talaat Pasha, and gives insight into its
immediate aftermath. Bogosian does this fiercely, sparing little detail.
By employing Tehlirian as his protagonist, he vividly describes the
inner-workings of the covert operation, while giving readers an intimate
look into a young survivor’s post-traumatic inner world.
Bogosian’s description of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation’s
(ARF) role as the parent organization of Operation Nemesis is refreshing
and crucial, considering it is often ignored or discussed in passing in
other English-language works examining the operation. Bogosian openly
writes about how the ARF aimed to exploit the assassination
strategically to bring international attention to the Armenian Genocide,
a reality rarely written about in the past.
Finally, Bogosian brings in a completely ignored facet of the Nemesis
story: international intelligence in the context of the plot. Bogosian
provides much evidence, for example, that British Intelligence at the
time knew exactly where Talaat Pasha was, while in hiding in Berlin.
While part two of the book is captivating to read, it is also
straightforward and balanced. Bogosian is careful not to follow the
traditional typecast of heroizing Tehlirian (and later, his
co-conspirators). Instead, he is able to provide a sober description of
the operation in an in-depth and well-explained context.
Many critics, especially those from the Armenian community, will be
quick to point to Bogosian’s overuse of the term “assassin” to
characterize Tehlirian and his fellow collaborators, and may accuse him
of trying to downplay their significance in history. However, Bogosian’s
choice to characterize them as such can be considered fair, considering
the word “assassin” is defined as “a murderer of an important person in
a surprise attack for political or religious reasons.” And that’s
exactly what Tehlirian and the rest of the gang were.
In his conclusion, Bogosian points out that the members of Operation
Nemesis saw themselves as “holy warriors” carrying out more of a
spiritual, rather than strictly political, calling to exact “some
fraction of justice” for the destruction of a nation.
Bogosian closes off his masterpiece with the hopes that more serious
scholarship examines the “memories we are losing” and the “history we’ve
lost,” including the story of Operation Nemesis. What he ignores,
however, is the fact that he himself has made a substantial and lasting
contribution to the history of Operation Nemesis.
Bogosian’s Operation Nemesis is the result of painstaking
and thorough investigation and research. Not only does he offer a
comprehensive historical account of the plot, but also successfully
changes the traditional narrative on one of the most important and most
ignored aspects of post-genocide Armenian history.
"The Armenian Weekly," May 27, 2015
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