The Library of Congress: Where American and Armenian History Come Alive

By Tamar Anna Alexanian

When I was applying for the Leo Sarkisian Internship back in February, the blurb at the top of the application said the following: “During the eight-week Washington, D.C. program, interns live at the ANCA Hovig Saghdejian Capital Gateway House, located a short distance from the ANCA National Headquarters. The participants work on a wide variety of projects based on their individual interests, while gaining hands-on experience within the American political system. A bi-weekly lecture series features guest lecturers including Members of Congress, ambassadors, and Armenian-American leaders.”

The ANCA Leo Sarkisian Interns with Dr. Levon Avdoyan, the Armenian and Georgian area specialist at the Library of Congress.

It was this last part—the bi-weekly lecture series—that I was most excited about. Ever since my first AYF-YOARF Junior Seminar 10 years ago, I have walked into lectures armed with pencil and paper. I have been, and still continue to be, inspired by “educationals,” lectures, and lecturers. Reading that we would have a bi-weekly lecture series during our eight weeks in Washington, D.C. was great news.

Since I arrived in D.C., I have had the privilege of learning from a variety of successful and knowledgeable individuals. Aram Hamparian, the executive director of the ANCA, gave a talk to us on our first day in the office. Yeghisapet Chouldjian, the communication director at the ANCA, spoke to us about the importance of public relations, the use of media, and how to write a press release. We have met—and taken pictures with—countless Congressmen and Congresswomen, including Reps. Schiff, Sherman, and Pallone. We have been to Capitol Hill and witnessed a variety of hearings and events, including a Senate Foreign Relations Committee nomination hearing for the U.S. ambassador to Turkey, a POLITICO lunch with former Vice-President Dick Cheney, a briefing on Cyprus, and a State Department briefing on Syria. But, out of all of our lectures, my favorite was that given by Dr. Levon Avdoyan, the Armenian and Georgian area specialist at the Library of Congress.

I will admit that I was partial to his lecture from the beginning because it was in the Library of Congress. Even though Congressional meeting rooms are beautiful, not much can compare with the Tiffany glass on the ceiling in the main reading room, or the imported marble slabs that have been carved to make the Library of Congress what it is. As an avid reader, I could have spent the entire day alternating between exploring the building and finding the perfect reading spot.

With this backdrop, Avdoyan told us about the work that he carries out at the Library of Congress. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the longest running lecture series at the Library of Congress is the Armenian lecture series. Avdoyan mentioned this after telling us that the Armenian collection has more than 44,000 items, including manuscripts, books, dictionaries, and maps. But what I found most remarkable was that he had discovered a note between then-U.S. Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire Henry Morgenthau and the architect of the Armenian Genocide, Talaat Pasha, dated April 24, 1915. The note was an exchange between these two men, about dining together that evening. Avdoyan explained that the discovery of this note is a strong counterargument to those that claim that Talaat Pasha and Morgenthau were not close enough for the latter to know valid or intimate information about Talaat or the Ottoman Empire during that time. When Avdoyan told us this story, he had a glimmer in his eyes, his arms were flailing about expressively, and we were awestruck and staring. This small and seemingly insignificant note is important to our history; even more interesting was that Avdoyan was able to find this note within the thousands of items in the Library of Congress and to give it context and meaning.

Being in the Library of Congress and meeting with Avdoyan was incredible for a variety of reasons: the architecture and artwork were breathtaking, I got an official library card, and Avdoyan’s personal tour was more than I could have hoped for. The Library of Congress reminded me of a few things, too: it reminded me, once again, that there are Armenians everywhere, doing incredible and important work; it reminded me that history—American and Armenian—can and does come alive; and it reminded to me that no matter where I end up in the future—working on Capitol Hill or working at a library—I can always use my passion and my work to help the Cause, and to give back to my people.

Tamar Anna Alexanian is part of the ANCA Leo Sarkisian Internship Class of 2014 and Vanderbilt Class of 2016.