NBC Radio of San Francisco: Voice of Armenia
Original airdate: June 24, 1945
Producers: NBC Radio Producer Ethel Bell & ANC Chairman Souren Saroyan
Voices: Lou Tobin (narrator), George Mardikian (speech), Souren Saroyan (speech), Armenian National Chorus with Nevarthe Jivelekian (choral director)

At the end of World War I, the United States and other Allied Powers signed the Treaty of Sèvres, promising Armenians the return of part of their historic homeland, known as "Wilsonian Armenia," from the defeated Ottoman Empire. But Armenians would soon be betrayed. The Americans and the international community had little interest in supporting the newly independent nation when Turkey invaded. As their diaspora population continued to grow in the aftermath of the Armenian Genocide, Armenians across the world remembered these injustices.

It’s 1945. The United Nations Conference on International Organization is being held San Fransisco. During the conference, the Armenian National Committee distributes “A Memorandum Relating to the Armenian Question,” which advocated for the return of the Armenian lands. (The United Nations Conference on International Organization was a convention of delegates from 50 Allied nations. At this convention, delegates rewrote the Dumbarton Oaks agreements of the previous year and created the United Nations Charter.)

The pamphlet gained support in the US and coverage by printed media, particularly by The San Francisco Examiner, backed by William Randolph Hearst. For the last week of the conference, celebrity chef George Mardikian and attorney Souren Saroyan, having already been involved in broadcasting and radio, collaborated to produce a radio program specifically for the ears of the international community. This is the recording presented here, which was digitized from an acetate disc in the collection of the Armenian Museum, and it is being presented here on the web perhaps for the first time ever.

The radio broadcast argued for the recognition of Wilsonian Armenia, while also sharing Armenian culture with the listeners, including music featuring the Armenian National Chorus directed by Nevarthe Jivelekian.

Produced by NBC Radio and the Armenian National Committee of America, Mardikian and Saroyan were joined by Dr. Alec Alechanian of New York, Martin Kaprielian of San Francisco, and Manoug Hampar of Fresno.

By the time of the conference, George Mardikian was considered to be “America’s first celebrity chef” and he volunteered to cater the entire UN conference for free. In an article for Life magazine, Mardikian said, “At times it was exhausting…I’d go home, and my throat was dry because I talked so much. I tell them all about Armenia.”

Founding of the ANCHA in 1945

Following this rare radio broadcast, Mardikian and Saroyan would join forces with Brigadier General Haig Shekerjian and establish ANCHA (American National Committee to Aid Homeless Armenians). They would enlist hundreds of volunteers throughout America and succeed in a massive relocation program.

In 1952 Saroyan appeared before the U.S. President's Commission on Immigration and Naturalization. His testimony in part reads, "(ANCHA) was organized in San Francisco in 1945 after we had been advised of the presence of approximately 4,500 persons of Armenian descent in the Stuttgart area of Germany and Bavaria and Italy...this active committee organized local committees...for the purpose of executing assurances, finding jobs and [housing] and the organization was successful in resettling approximately 3,900 of the 4,500 displaced persons."

Through their tireless efforts, ANCHA was responsible for enabling over 25,000 Armenians to safely emigrate to the US by the 1980s.

A Side Note About Nishkian Music Store

While Souren Saroyan was a pioneer in law, his wife Neoma Nishkian Saroyan has an interesting connection to historic sound recordings and Armenian revolutionaries. Her grandfather Hagop Nishkian was a member of the Protectors of the Fatherland, one of the first Armenian freedom fighting groups from Erzurum.

Her father Kalem H. Nishkian was known as a pioneer of the phonograph industry for opening the Nishkian Music Store in Fresno at the turn of the century. When her father died unexpectedly in 1925, Neoma ran the music shop successfully for another decade and sold it in 1935.

May this rare sound recording celebrate the dedicated, valiant, and righteous efforts by Armenian advocates who refused to stop fighting for justice and human rights. Or in simpler terms, as Souren Saroyan once stated, "It's important for me to do something for the Armenian people.”

A special thanks to the SJS Charitable Trust for their generous support of our work to digitize and share our collection of 78 rpm records.