The great fire : one American's mission to rescue victims of the 20th century's first genocide

The harrowing story of a Methodist Minister and a principled American naval officer who helped rescue more than 250,000 refugees during the genocide of Armenian and Greek Christians—a tale of bravery, morality, and politics, published to coincide with the genocide's centennial. The year was 1922: World War I had just come to a close, the Ottoman Empire was in decline, and Asa Jennings, a YMCA worker from upstate New York, had just arrived in the quiet coastal city of Smyrna to teach sports to boys. Several hundred miles to the east in Turkey's interior, tensions between Greeks and Turks had boiled over into deadly violence. Mustapha Kemal, now known as Ataturk, and his Muslim army soon advanced into Smyrna, a Christian city, where a half a million terrified Greek and Armenian refugees had fled in a desperate attempt to escape his troops. Turkish soldiers proceeded to burn the city and rape and kill countless Christian refugees. Unwilling to leave with the other American civilians and determined to get Armenians and Greeks out of the doomed city, Jennings worked tirelessly to feed and transport the thousands of people gathered at the city's Quay. With the help of the brilliant naval officer and Kentucky gentleman Halsey Powell, and a handful of others, Jennings commandeered a fleet of unoccupied Greek ships and was able to evacuate a quarter million innocent people—an amazing humanitarian act that has been lost to history, until now. Before the horrible events in Turkey were complete, Jennings had helped rescue a million people. By turns harrowing and inspiring, The Great Fire uses eyewitness accounts, documents, and survivor narratives to bring this episode—extraordinary for its brutality as well as its heroism—to life. Relates The True Story Of Asa Jennings, A Ymca Minister From Upstate New York Who Arrived In Smyrna (now Izmir) In 1922 To Teach Sports To Boys, But Instead Found Himself Working Tirelessly To Help Rescue More Than 250,000 Refugees During The Genocide Of Armenian And Greek Christians. End Of An Empire -- An Innocent Arrives -- The Great Offensive -- George Horton, Poet-consul -- Garabed Hatcherian -- Admiral Bristol, American Potentate -- Washington Responds -- Jennings's Suggestion -- Theodora -- An American Destroyer Arrives -- The View From Nif -- Back In Constantinople -- Captain Hepburn's Dilemma -- Garabed Hatcherian -- Noureddin Pasha -- Fire Breaks Out -- All Boats Over -- Morning After -- Garabed Hatcherian -- Oil, War, And The Protection Of Minorities -- Bristol's Resistance -- Halsey Powell -- Theodora -- Days Of Despair -- We Are Celebrating Smyrna -- Jennings And The Hand Of God -- Garabed Hatcherian -- Washington Feels Pressure -- Jennings Negotiates With A Prime Minister -- The Evacuation Begins -- The Rhodes Letter Resurfaces -- Revolution -- British Assistance -- After Smyrna. Lou Ureneck. Includes Bibliographical References (pages [399]-466) And Index. The Great Fire is the thrilling story of a Methodist Minister and a principled American naval officer who rescued tens of thousands refugees during the Turkish genocide of Armenian and Greek Christians a tale of bravery, morality, and politics, published to coincide with the genocides centennial. The modern eras first genocide swept Turkey in the early 20th century. The final episode was the burning of Smyrna, a rich, sophisticated and multicultural city on Turkeys Aegean coast. The fire created an enormous humanitarian crisis. The worlds great powers refused to intervene on behalf of the citys residents who, after surviving the fire, were being raped and killed by the Turkish army. Asa K. Jennings, a minister from upstate New York, stepped forward with an audacious plan. It required the cooperation of the U.S. Navy, which he got through a brave officer, Lt. Commander Halsey Powell, a Kentucky native and hero of WWI. By turns harrowing and inspiring, The Great Fire uses eyewitness accounts, documents, and survivor narratives to bring this episodeextraordinary for its brutality as well as its heroismto life. Relates the true story of Asa Jennings, a YMCA worker from upstate New York who arrived in Smyrna to teach sports to boys, but instead worked tirelessly to help rescue more than 250,000 refugees during the genocide of Armenian and Greek Christians