Dear President Bush,

I am writing, in the year of the 90th anniversary of the Armenian
Genocide, to call upon you to adopt a new approach to our nation's
policies on the proper recognition, official commemoration, and
contemporary implications of the first genocide of the 20th Century.

The time has come for you to break with a short-sighted policy of
complicity in Turkey's morally-bankrupt campaign of genocide denial, an
ill-advised policy that has compromised our American values and, for
far too long, significantly hindered the advancement of U.S. interests in
this strategically vital region. In this spirit, I urge you to take the
following steps:

* Consistent with your February 2000 campaign promise, speak with
moral clarity and historical accuracy about the Armenian Genocide by properly
describing this atrocity as a "genocide" in your annual April 24th
statement.

* Abandon the policy of opposing legislative and other initiatives -
in Congress, at the state level, and by municipal governments - to
recognize and commemorate the Armenian Genocide.

* End all forms of official U.S. complicity in Turkey's campaign of
genocide denial, and use the full moral standing and geopolitical
influence of the White House to press Turkey to acknowledge this crime,
accept its responsibilities, and come to terms with the Armenian
nation.

* Completely disassociate the U.S. government from destructive
attempts to promote an artificial reconciliation - one without truth and justice
between the Armenian people and Turkey. These efforts have, to date,
been little more than thinly disguised efforts, first to derail progress
toward universal international recognition of the Armenian Genocide, and then
to help Turkey avoid the consequences of this crime. The only sound basis
for improved Armenian-Turkish relations remains Turkey's open
acknowledgement of its genocidal crime and full acceptance of its
responsibilities to the Armenian nation.

Mr. President, I look to you for moral clarity and principled
leadership in each of these areas. I will, in the coming weeks, be especially
careful in watching your Administration's response to the historically
accurate description of the Armenian Genocide by the U.S. Ambassador to
Armenia, John Marshall Evans. If history has taught us anything, it is
that those who speak the truth should be encouraged, not silenced.

Sincerely,

Your Name