Samuel A. Weems (December 12, 1936 – January 25, 2003) was an Armenian genocide denialist, the writer of the book Armenia: The Secrets of a "Christian" Terrorist State,[1] and a disbarred lawyer[2][3][4] from Hazen, Arkansas.
He was disbarred while holding the office of prosecuting attorney for mixing his clients' money with his own. A year later he was convicted of arson and conspiring to defraud an insurance firm, but was not immediately removed from the office, despite the disbarment decision.[2] He unsuccessfully ran for the position of mayor of the very small town of Hazen in 1994 and 1998.[5][non-primary source needed]
He made various controversial remarks such as "the Armenians have never been known as truth tellers" and "the number one export of Armenia is terrorism". Weems' book Armenia: The Secrets of a "Christian" Terrorist State[1] was condemned by the Armenian Assembly of America as "outrageous and racist anti-Armenian propaganda".[6] The book was subsequently published in Azerbaijani[7] and Turkish.[8]
In March 2002, Weems visited Turkey on the occasion of the 81st anniversary of the assassination of Talaat Pasha, one of the perpetrators of the Armenian genocide, and, in numerous interviews with news agencies as well as in the universities of Istanbul and Ankara, spoke on the "Armenian issue" and alleged a smear campaign against Turkey in Europe and the United States. He also made arrangements for the printing of his book in Turkish.[9] He appears in Sari Gelin, a documentary denying the Armenian genocide that was sponsored by the Ankara Chamber of Commerce. His second book about the Armenische Legion, alleging an Armenian anti-Jewish conspiracy, was almost complete and ready for printing before he died.[9] An obituary, published by Assembly of Turkish American Associations in their newspaper The Turkish Times, stated that "Weems loved Turkey, was a great admirer of Atatürk and was devoted to Turkish causes, and despite many threats to his life, he worked relentlessly to let the people know the truth about the Armenian issue."[9][third-party source needed]
Weems died of a heart attack on January 25, 2003, and was survived by his Turkish wife, Gülnur, and a son.[9] He continues to be best known for his advocacy of, and contribution to, the denial of the Armenian genocide.[9][better source needed]
References
edit- ^ a b Weems, Samuel (2002). Armenia: The Secrets of a "Christian" Terrorist State. Hazen, AR: St. John Press. ISBN 9780971921238.
- ^ a b 98-801 Archived August 9, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Arkansas Legal Ethics". Retrieved April 6, 2015.
- ^ "EX PARTE SAM WEEMS - Laserfiche WebLink". Retrieved April 6, 2015.
- ^ 99-010 Archived September 30, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Assembly Exposes Latest Attempt at Genocide Denial – Discredited Author of Soon-To-Be-Published 'Armenia: The Great Deception' Sinks Denier Category to New Low" (Press release). Armenian Assembly of America. February 8, 2002. Archived from the original on July 10, 2004. Retrieved April 6, 2015.
- ^ Weems, Samuel A. (2004). Ermänistan: Terrorçu 'Xristian' Ölkänin Gizlinläri [Armenia: The Secrets of a "Christian" Terrorist State] (in Azerbaijani). Translated by Agayev, Zeydulla. Baku: OKA. OCLC 961097967.
- ^ Weems, Samuel A. (2006). Ermenistan: Terörist 'Hıristiyan' Devletin Sırları [Armenia: The Secrets of a "Christian" Terrorist State] (in Turkish). Translated by Adıgüzel, Hüseyin. İleri Yayınları. ISBN 9789756288825.
- ^ a b c d e Oktay, Yuksel (February 2003). "Samuel Weems Passed Away". The Turkish Times. Vol. 14, no. 315. Assembly of Turkish American Associations. ISSN 1043-0164. Archived from the original on April 25, 2003.