Operation Nemesis: The Assassination Plot that Avenged the Armenian Genocide, стр. 56
The Times never returned to the theory, outlined only days after Tehlirian’s arrest in March, that he might be a member of a revolutionary organization. There is no further mention of skepticism on the part of the authorities. The writer does not return to the loose threads the Times itself had tugged on earlier, such as Tehlirian’s Paris passport and visa stamped in Geneva or the large amount of money he had in his possession.
If the authorities themselves had had any such suspicions, they were never raised in court. The ARF was not mentioned once during the proceedings. Tehlirian was never asked if he was a member of a revolutionary group or an assassination squad or even if he had received assistance from others. Vague references were made to the money that had been found on him after his arrest, his visit to Geneva, his knowledge of political events. Nothing more was ever asked of him in court.
Having been acquitted,20 Tehlirian was set free in early June 1921. The Turkish expatriates living in Berlin were outraged. The Turkish nationalist newspaper Yeni Gun eulogized Talat: “Our great patriot has died for his country.… We salute his fresh tomb and bow low to kiss his eyes. Talat was a political giant. Talat was a genius. History will prove his immense stature and will make of him a martyr and an apostle.… Talat will remain the greatest man that Turkey has produced.”21 Talat’s widow, Hayriye Talat Bafrali, requested an appeal but was refused. The acquittal stood.
In hindsight, given the new barbarity that would soon blanket Europe, defense attorney Adolf von Gordon’s last words at the trial are ironic: “I should be far from passing a final judgment on Talat the man. What can be said objectively I said at the start. But I do wish to state one more thing: like many of his comrades, he certainly worked for the extermination of the Armenian people in order to create a purely pan-Turkish state; he certainly here used means that seem intolerable to us Europeans.”
PART III
CHAPTER NINE The Work Continues
Our organization had no extermination plan. It inflicted punishment on individuals who had been tried in absentia and found guilty of mass murder.
—Arshavir Shiragian
Within three years of its founding, the Nemesis conspiracy located and killed seven high-level Ittihadists and their confederates (Djemal Azmi, Said Halim Pasha, Khan Javanshir, Djemal Pasha, Khan Khoyski, Behaeddin Shakir, and Talat Pasha). At least ten armed assassins carried out the executions. (In addition to Tehlirian, the list includes Bedros Der Boghosian, Stepan Dzaghigian, Yervant Fundukian, Haroutiun Haroutiunian, Artashes Kevorkian, Misak Kirakosyan, Arshavir Shiragian, Misak Torlakian, and Aram Yerganian.) Another dozen lookouts, spies, and organizers assisted. In addition, diplomats and other behind-the-scenes personnel provided intelligence and funds. The Nemesis conspiracy operated in seven countries across three continents.
Tehlirian was deported to Turkey after his acquittal in order to prevent any “further investigations which otherwise would have been realized similar to those against Young Turk leaders in absentia.” The twenty-five-year-old assassin was sent to Turkey via Serbia, where “Tehlirian could escape.”1 Jacques Derogy, who had access to secret ARF archives, reports that Tehlirian then traveled to Manchester, England, with Bishop Krikoris Balakian (one of the star witnesses at the trial), making it almost impossible for Turkish agents to find him. A few months later, Tehlirian crossed the Atlantic for a victory lap of Armenian communities in the United States. Everywhere he went, grateful Tashnags embraced him and kissed his hands. Small babies were placed in his arms, as if physical contact with this saint would bless their lives.2
Though Nemesis had more “work” to do in Europe, Armen Garo and Shahan Natali decided to retire their champion. The operation had succeeded beyond their wildest hopes. All over the world Tehlirian was now hailed as a sympathetic hero even by non-Armenians. To quote the Philadelphia Inquirer: “The verdict of the Berlin jury which acquitted the slayer of Talaat Pasha must be approved and even applauded as an act of substantial justice.”3 The Tashnag conspirators saw no reason to disturb that image. Preserving the myth of the lone gunman was also a pragmatic decision. The leadership couldn’t risk Tehlirian’s getting caught in another assassination attempt. Such an arrest would undermine his story and endanger other agents in the field. The effectiveness of Nemesis depended on the greater truth remaining hidden.
Within a year of his acquittal, Tehlirian returned to Serbia, where he married Anahid. In 1924 the young couple, accompanied by Anahid’s sister Araxie, traveled to Paris for a vacation. Photos reveal a relaxed and happy man, apparently at peace with himself. Soghomon could finally rest. He had honored his family and killed “the monster.” Despite the fact that Tehlirian had answered in the negative when Judge Lehmberg asked if he felt that he had participated in an act of revenge, he had found a kind of resolution, and he could now go on and live his life.
Tehlirian settled in Valjevo, Serbia, joining his father and uncles in their wholesale coffee business. He changed his name to Soghomon Melikian and fathered two children with Anahid. Protected by the Serbian Christian community, Tehlirian enrolled in the local gun club, where he would occasionally take target practice with the chief of police. Here his mild manner manifested itself. Though Tehlirian was reputed to be a very good shot, he refused to join hunting parties. He could not kill another living thing.
After World War II, Turkish agents continued their search for Tehlirian in Marshal Tito’s Yugoslavia, forcing him to emigrate to Morocco with Anahid and his two sons, Shahen and Zaven. Perhaps because of rising antipathy toward non-Muslims in Islamic countries in the mid-fifties, the Tehlirians did not linger in Morocco. With a final move to San Francisco in 1957, Tehlirian lived out the rest of his days peacefully as “Saro Melikian,” working for George Mardikian, a successful Armenian entrepreneur who had “come over” in 1922. Mardikian was the nephew of an important Armenian revolutionary who had fought with Generals Antranig and Drastamat Kanayan, better known as General Dro. Awarded the Medal of Honor by President Harry Truman after World War II, George Mardikian was happy to sponsor and protect “the Armenian eagle.”
Despite Tehlirian’s retirement, the “work” continued. Within weeks of his acquittal, the Nemesis commandos resumed their hunt and by late summer 1921 were in full pursuit of former Ittihad leaders in Rome. Six or seven men, utilizing only a minimal but sufficient support structure, hung out in coffee shops and tracked the likes of Dr. Nazim and Enver Pasha, both of whom continued to prove elusive. Shahan Natali crisscrossed Europe, as Aaron Sachaklian in Syracuse, New York, continued to collect and disperse funds, all the while maintaining the absolute secrecy that ensured the survival of Nemesis.4
With the success of the Berlin operation, Tashnag leaders in Boston and Constantinople lobbied their superiors to continue the work of Nemesis on several fronts simultaneously. The Special Fund had been fattened with contributions to Tehlirian’s defense. These donations included money from some of the most conservative leaders in the Armenian diaspora, like Boghos Nubar, founder of the Armenian General Benevolent Union, a very non-Tashnag operation. Nubar was at the time living in Paris, where he and Avedis Aharonian jockeyed for participation at the peace conference. He also had known these CUP leaders personally, yet apparently had no reservations about sponsoring their demise.