On May 6th, 2015 in the Library of Congress, Washington DC, USA, the designated National Postal Operator of the Republic of Armenia HayPost CJSC cancelled a stamp on the theme of “The centennial of the Armenian Genocide: Henry Morgenthau” and a stamped souvenir sheet on the theme of “The centennial of the Armenian Genocide: American Committee for Relief in the Near East”.
The cancellation was carried out by the Chief of Staff of the President of the Republic of Armenia Mr. Vigen Sargsyan, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Armenia to the United States of America Mr. Tigran Sargsyan and the Commercial Development Director of HayPost CJSC Mrs. Narine Seferyan.
The President of the Republic of Armenia Mr. Serzh Sargsyan and His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, were present at the solemn cancellation.
Henry Morgenthau was the Ambassador of the US to Turkey in 1915-16. After the start of the First World War, he also represented the interests of Great Britain, France, Russia, Italy and Belgium in the Ottoman Empire.
Morgenthau’s articles and books are reliable testimonies about the Armenian Genocide. He has rejected the Turkish hypothesis of deportations of the Armenians in military needs, and showed that the aim of the Young Turkish leaders was the absolute annihilation of the Armenian nation.
The American Committee for Relief in the Near East was founded in 1915 with the initiatives of Henry Morgenthau to help the vulnerable people of Middle East affected in the war (Armenians, Greeks, Assyrians, etc.) with food, clothing and medicine.
Responding to Ambassador Morgenthau’s call that the people of Middle East urgently need help, a special committee was formed which received the assistance of the American officials including President Woodrow Wilson. With the help of the US Embassy in Constantinople, the Committee could transfer money and clothing to the needy people. The humanitarian aid was distributed by the consuls and missionaries in the regions. The aid was approximately 117 million US dollars. Thanks to the Committee for Relief, 132.000 Armenian orphans were saved.
The souvenir sheet has the donation poster of the American Committee for Relief in the Near East “Lest they perish” with the background of Armenian orphans thanking the US.