A meeting organized in Cairo to promote the repatriation program (AGBU arch./ Cairo).
TROUBLE COOPERATING; THE CHALLENGE FACING THE AGBU
The announcement of the “repatriation” campaign led tens of thousands of Armenians to volunteer for, and then prepare to make, the fateful voyage that was to take them to the “motherland.” For many, the idea of starting a new life in Armenia was an obsession, a last hope, the promise that they could surmount the serious economic and political problems as well as the problems of identity besetting countless Armenians in the diaspora.
However, the practical organization of the repatriation was by no means on a level with the enthusiasm and hopes it raised in those who chose to make the move. After investing more than one million dollars in this operation, the AGBU’s head office began to receive letters and telegrams from its various chapters worldwide. They evoked untold mishaps as well as errors committed both by the committees responsible for carrying out the “repatriation” and the Soviet Armenian representatives charged with overseeing operations. Although these letters was rarely accusatory in tone–the AGBU and its chapters remained firm advocates of the “repatriation” scheme–the disappointment they reflect is ... Read all
Repatriates being welcomed to Yerevan on arrival (Collection Edward L. Melkonian).
A repatriate in the Dilijan sanatorium: propaganda photograph used to promote the “nerkaght” (Arch. B. Nubar/Paris).
“Repatriation”and AGBU’s Cooperation with Soviet Armenia