HARRY J. PSOMIADES. FRIDTJOF NANSEN AND THE GREEK REFUGEE CRISIS

FRIDTJOF NANSEN AND THE GREEK REFUGEE CRISIS
1922-1924

HARRY J. PSOMIADES

Final book by the late Professor Harry J. Psomiades released by The Asia Minor and Pontos Hellenic Research Center, Chicago:

Fridtjof Nansen and the Greek Refugee Crisis 1922-1924: A Study on the Politics of International Humanitarian Intervention and the Greek-Turkish Obligatory Population Exchange Agreement, by Harry J. Psomiades.

160p. ISBN: 978-1-4507-9241-7. $25.00.

The latter was a dashing Norwegian adventurer and explorer and Nobel Prize winner, who was a central figure in international humanitarian work through his associations with the League of Nations and the International Red Cross.

This captivating story, covering Greece's defeat by Turkish forces led by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk during the 1919-1922 Anatolian campaign, raises questions that are of central relevance today: What is the role of international organizations and civil society in helping civilians following periods of war and mass atrocities? Is a compulsory population exchange based on religion or ethnicity a painful but necessary instrument to support the peace after a war? Are we moving toward a United Europe that can sustain multiculturalism, or is the "clash of civilizations" an inevitable element of the future? Is history the product of chance, or is it best explained by the decisions of wise statesmen or the actions and omissions of populist politicians? The reader of this fine volume will be provoked to consider these and many other difficult questions.

George Mavropoulos, who helped coordinate the project for the Research Center, stated, "The book appears on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the birth of Dr. Fridtjof Nansen, High Commissioner for refugees of the League of Nations. Ceremonies were held in New York and Athens, where a commemorative bust was unveiled, and both English and Greek language editions of the book released."


As the book went to press, Prof. Psomiades passed away in New York City. Over the years, Psomiades provided highly valued guidance and inspiration to the Pontian Greek Society of Chicago, whose members laid the groundwork for the creation of the Research Center. We encourage people to read this book about one of the most painful, yet formative periods of our history, as a tribute to the life's work of one of the most prominent Greek American scholars in our nation's history.

It is our hope that the publication of this book will contribute to the overall knowledge and understanding of a dark page in history that is often overlooked to the detriment of a future where human beings are free from the threat of suffering, expulsion and mass killings.
The Asia Minor and Pontos Hellenic Research Center is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded to research, preserve, and disseminate information concerning the history of the expulsion of the Greeks from their ancestral homelands in 1923-first by the Young Turks, and later by the nationalist successors, led by Mustafa Kemal "Ataturk."

The Center is charged with several core objectives:
 The Collection, Organization, Preservation, and Publication of Historical Documents
 The Support and Presentation of Original Research
 Collaboration with Historians, Experts, and other Organizations

For more information about purchasing this book, please contact the AMPHRC by email at gmavropoulos@hotmail.com , phone 630-303-4361 or visit www.pontiangreeks.org.

THE ASIA MINOR AND PONTOS HELLENIC RESEARCH CENTER
P.O. Box 6127
Bloomingdale, IL 60108-6127
Tel: 630-303-4361, email: gmavropoulos@hotmail.com