Inventory of the John Amar Shishmanian papers
Finding aid prepared by Rita Morin
Hoover Institution Library and Archives
© 1998, 2011
434 Galvez Mall
Stanford University
Stanford, CA 94305-6003
hoover-library-archives@stanford.edu
Title: John Amar Shishmanian papers
Date (inclusive): 1879-1946
Collection Number: 41003
Contributing Institution: Hoover Institution Library and Archives
Language of Material: In English, French and Armenian
Physical Description:
1 manuscript box, 2 oversize boxes, 1 envelope
(3.2 Linear Feet)
Abstract: Correspondence, printed matter, photographs, and memorabilia relating to the Armenian-Turkish conflict at the end of World
War I, and to the Armenian question at the Paris Peace Conference.
Creator:
Paris Peace Conference (Date of meeting or treaty signing: 1919-1920)
Creator:
Shishmanian, John Amar, 1882-1945
Physical Location: Hoover Institution Library & Archives
Access
The collection is open for research; materials must be requested in advance via our reservation system. If there are audiovisual
or digital media material in the collection, they must be reformatted before providing access.
Use
For copyright status, please contact the Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
Acquisition Information
Acquired by the Hoover Institution Library & Archives in 1941.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], John Amar Shishmanian papers, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
Biographical Note
John Shishmanian was born in 1882 in Lexington, Kentucky, to George N. and Lucy McClelland Shishmanian. Shishmanian grew up
in Constantinople, where his father worked as a missionary. He graduated from Robert College and returned to the United States
to attend university. Shishmanian graduated from the University of Kentucky in 1903, then studied law at the University of
Virginia from 1903 to 1906 and registered at Stanford University in the fall of 1910.
Preceding the entrance of the United States into World War I, Shishmanian went to France as a member of the American ambulance
field service. He then enlisted in the French Army and rose to the rank of second lieutenant, the highest rank possible for
a non-citizen. Following action at the Battle of Verdun, Shishmanian and other French officers were sent to Cyprus to prepare
Armenian volunteers for the French Armenian Legion, later known as the Légion Arménienne.
The Légion Arménienne served along the Eastern front in Palestine, Syria, and Cilicia in southeastern Anatolia. For his actions
in the Palestine campaign, Shishmanian was awarded the Croix de Guerre medal. In June of 1920, with his term of service completed
and the disbandment of the Légion Arménienne, Shishmanian was asked by the French to remain in Adana, Turkey, for three months,
from June 10 to September 10, 1920. Shishmanian's task was to organize local Armenian volunteers to defend Adana from attacks
by Kemalist rebels.
Despite his success in Adana, Shishmanian was placed under arrest by the French on September 22, 1920, and expelled from Cilicia.
It is unclear whether this was due to Shishmanian's refusal to follow an order or the changing policies of the French in the
region. Shishmanian's freedom was eventually secured through the interventions of his parents and Jouett Shouse, then undersecretary
of the U.S. Treasury. Shishmanian returned to the United States and lived the remainder of his life in Fresno, California.
In recognition of these Armenian volunteers, the French government gave certain assurances to the Délégation Nationale Arménienne
based on an Allied victory. In particular, the Cilicia region would become an autonomous Armenian republic under French protection.
At the conclusion of the war, the peace treaty terms defined at the Paris Peace Conference did not create an autonomous Armenian
republic, and control of the region was ceded to the new Republic of Turkey.
Scope and Content of Collection
The papers are comprised of correspondence, documents, printed matter, and photographs related to Shishmanian's service in
the French Army during World War I, the Armenian-Turkish conflict, and the Armenian question at the Paris Peace Conference.
The correspondence focuses on Shishmanian's service in the French army, including a handwritten letter from Viscount Allenby,
the commander-in-chief of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force, and a letter of thanks from Boghus Nubar, chairman of the Armenian
National Assembly. In addition there is the correspondence of Georgia Cutler, sister of Leland W. Cutler a trustee of Stanford
University and President of the Board.
Translations of the original documents are sometimes available.
The majority of the 130 photographs document Shishmanian's time as an officer in the Légion Arménienne during World War I.
There are also photographs of his time in France prior to enlisting in the French army, notable Armenians, and photos obtained
from the Kaloustian family depicting Armenians living along the Euphrates river. Additionally there is a photograph of Lucy
McClelland Shishmanian in 1879 and one of John Shishmanian in 1944.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
World War, 1914-1918 -- Peace
Armenian massacres, 1915-1923
Armenia (Republic) -- History
Correspondence
1917-1946, undated
box 1, folder 1-2
General correspondence
1917-1934
Scope and Contents note
In English, French, Armenian and Turkish.
box 1, folder 3-4
Georgia Cutler correspondence
1941-1946
Scope and Contents note
Includes authorized statements from Shishmanian to Cutler.
Documents
1919-1920, circa 1918, undated
box 1, folder 5
Military related papers
1919-1920
Scope and Contents note
In English, French, and Armenian.
box 1, folder 6
Délégation Nationale Arménienne
1920
Scope and Contents note
In English and French.
box 1, folder 7
Memorandum to the Ottoman delegation
1919
box 1, folder 8
Notes
1920
Scope and Contents note
In English and French.
box 1, folder 9
Maps
circa 1918
Scope and Contents note
In English, French, and Armenian. Drawn by Shishmanian.
box 1, folder 10
Armenian folksong
undated
box 1, folder 11
The Last Dance,
undated
Scope and Contents note
Written by Minas Tcheraz and translated into English by Shishmanian for the Armenian Mirror-Spectator newspaper.
Printed Material
1919-1943, undated
Scope and Contents note
In English and Armenian.
box 1, folder 13
"The Armenian Question Before the Peace Conference,"
1919
box 1, folder 15
Bulletins and pamphlets
1942-1943, undated
box 1, folder 16
Clippings
1919-1943, undated
Scope and Contents note
Arranged alphabetically and thereunder chronologically.
box 2
Newspapers
1919-1934
Scope and Contents note
In English and Armenian. Arranged chronologically.
box 2
USSR in Construction, magazine
1932
Photographs
1879-1944
1879-1944
box 3
Pre-World War I photographs along with ones taken in France, Cyprus and Palestine
1879-1944
Scope and Contents note
Formerly located in Envelope A
box 3
Photographs taken in Palestine and Syria
1918-1921
Scope and Contents note
Formerly located in Envelope B(1)
box 3
Photographs taken in Adana, Syria and Egypt
1919-1920
Scope and Contents note
Formerly located in Envelope B(2)
envelope mC
Photographs of notable Armenians, along with photographs of Musa Dagh commemoration at Suez, Egypt
1920, undated
