The cresent dolorous and grievous position of the Assyrians, the First Christian People who embraced Christianity, makes it incumbent on me Spiritually, as the Head of the Assyrian Church of the East, to broadcast, alas, a desponding appeal to all the Christian Churches to come to the aid of the Assyrians in Iraq who, for certain reasons coupled with religious frenzy on the part of, the Iraq government, have been persecuted by that government during the month of August 1933, unfortunately under the eyes of the Greatest Christian Empire in the world.

This is one of the darkest hours in the history of the Assyrian Church and People.

The Assyrians, due to their inevitable entry into the world conflict of 1914/18, lost their original homes in Turkey and their fighting qualities and faithfulness were utilized by the British authorities, for the last eighteen years in the hope that the latter would reciprocate by redeeming faithfully the promises made to the Assyrians for a home in which they could develop and prosper on Christian lines and teachings.

The Anglo-lraq relations which saw many changes were finally defined in the Anglo-lraq Treaty of June 30, 1930 which deliberately neglected the interests of the Assyrians thus leaving them homeless and destitute as the British Government undertook to support unconditionally since 1929 the addmission of the Iraq to the League of Nations in 1932 without making adequate provisions for the safeguarding of the Assyrian interests as was originally undertaken.

Ever since 1930, we have been making representations to the League of Nations in which we expressed in no uncertain terms our apprehensions for the future. The Permanent Mandates Commission did not only feel but shared our fears, but Sir Francis Humphrys formerly British High Commissioner and now Ambassador, undertook on behalf of His Government to "shoulder the moral responsibility should Iraq prove herself unworthy of the confidence placed in her". Vis-a-vis this eminent declaration the League of Nations was compelled to be silenced before the British announcement and satisfied itself with "Paper guarantees" for the safeguarding of the lives and properties of the Iraq Minorities. We protested and said that neither the "British moral responsibilitity" nor the "Paper guarantees" are sufficient to protect us once the fanatic Iraq government is let loose and I, in accordance with the unanimous opinion of the Assyrian People, definitely stressed the point in my appeal of September 1931 addressed to tire League of Nations that. "If the mandate is lifted without effective guarantees for our protection in tire future, our extermination would follow".

Only nine months have elapsed since the lifting of the mandate when our fears based on experience and facts have been substantiated by a wholesale massacre of the Assyrians in the Mosul Liwa and by persecution of others in other parts of Iraq.

After a strong opposition from the Iraq government and with no one to defend our point of view, it was decide to appoint a settlement expert in an advisory capacity with no executive power. Being a paid servant of the Iraq government, it was natural that he would pursue the policy of the Iraq government which aimed at the destruction in due course, of Our Faith, Language, traditions, customs and usages and Our existence as a Race. The Iraq government in order to render this one-eyed settlement futile, instigated and encouraged the fanatic Muslim elements against the Assyrians. An extensive press campaign hroughout Iraq passed unchallenged for five months and thus it prepared the public opinion for a Holy War. It was now the universal belief of the Arabs that the war was between the Crescent and the Cross. This was finally put in operation in August 1933. Hundreds of thousands of Arabs volunteered to fight a handful of "unbelievers" and "infidels".

Men, women and children were massacred wholesale most barbarously by rifle, revolver and machine gun fire. Groups of Assyrians were tied up with ropes and shot down by the regular an irregular troops of the Iraq army. The Ministers of Interior and Defence and other high officials were a few miles away from the massacre zone. Priests were killed and their bodies mutilated. Assyrian women were violated and killed. Priests and Assyrian young men were killed instantly after refusing forced conversion to Muhammadanism. The rapacious Arabs who were armed and instigated by the Arab officials received their instructions from the central authorities carried away the cattle and belongins of the Assyrians with impunity. Holy books were destroyed and Assyrian villages set on fire. Assyrian children whilst hanging on to their parents who were being driven to the butcheries were shot dead. Pregnant women had their wombs cut and their babies destroyed.

These atrocious acts were carried out by the military and civil authorities of the Iraq government. Certain irregular Kurds were also encouraged and armed by the Iraq government to join in plundering of the Assyrians but the action of such Kurds should not convey the impression that the enlightened Kurds favoured the actions of their compatriots.

The British flying officers could do no more than take photographs from the air while those in the service of the Iraq government were prevented from visiting the massacre zones.

The names of the Assyrian Martyrs are in my possession which I will make known in due course. Only those acquainted with the atrocities of 1894/96 and 1915 will realize the ferocity with which the outrageous acts were carried out against my people in this twentieth century.

Under the circumstances I appeal to every Christian Church and Institution to use all the influence at their command to make known these facts and support whole heartedly the case of my People before their respective governments and the League of Nations.

I shold like to emphasize the fact that I am not making this appeal for Christian support just be-cause we are Christians but because we have been definitely persecuted for being such. The Christian Teachings, Justice and Humanity make me feel confident that the support which I am most earnesty seeking would be forthcoming.

The Assyrian case is now being considered by the League of Nations and I beg for any support that you can give in the matter for which the Assyrian Church and People would be cordially grateful.

Should you require any additional details of the massacres or regarding the case in general, I should be glad to furnish you with such details.

Finally, I pray the Almighty God to crown your efforts on behalf of my martyred People with success.