Behiç Erkin, Turkish colonel and politician, Turkish Minister of Environment and Urban Planning (b. 1876)
Behiç Erkin (1876 in Constantinople, Ottoman Empire – November 11, 1961, in Istanbul, Turkey) was a Turkish career officer, Armenian genocide perpetrator, first director (1920–1926) of the Turkish State Railways, nationalized under his auspices, statesman and diplomat of the Turkish Republic. He was Minister of Public Works, 1926–1928, and deputy for three terms; and an ambassador. He served as Turkey's ambassador to Budapest between 1928–1939, and to Paris and Vichy between August 1939-August 1943.
Although it has been claimed that Erkin rescued 20,000 Jews during the Holocaust, these claims are unsubstantiated. The film Turkish Passport was criticized for "attempts to whitewash a perpetrator of the Armenian genocide by painting him as a rescuer in the Holocaust".
1961Nov, 11
Behiç Erkin
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Events on 1961
- 8Jan
Charles de Gaulle
In France a referendum supports Charles de Gaulle's policies in Algeria. - 16Apr
Fidel Castro
In a nationally broadcast speech, Cuban leader Fidel Castro declares that he is a Marxist-Leninist and that Cuba is going to adopt Communism. - 1May
Fidel Castro
The Prime Minister of Cuba, Fidel Castro, proclaims Cuba a socialist nation and abolishes elections. - 25Jul
NATO
In a speech John F. Kennedy emphasizes that any attack on Berlin is an attack on NATO. - 10Aug
Agent Orange
First use in Vietnam War of the Agent Orange by the U.S. Army.