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also points out that the German public, despite the presence of German missionaries in the areawitnessing the massacres, is most probably unaware of the events due to the government’scensorship of missionary’s reports and letters. 200The Swedish passivity in response to the reported atrocities was criticised by Editor G. H. vonKock, who not only criticised the Government, but the Church as well:It is with sorrow one notes that, since the initial knowledge of the issue, yet has none or at leastvery little been done to assist the Christian Armenians and Syrians who in Asia Minor have beenmurdered in hundred thousands by Turks and Kurds. In the presence of this unpleasant religiouswar, about which testimonies have started to come from impartial missionaries and Americanrelief expeditions and which has also been depicted in a heartbreaking manner in Swedishnewspapers, not even the Swedish Church has come with a call for help and support. Sometimes itfeels that we, here in Sweden, have been paralysed in the face of all misery which now prevails andincreases constantly in the world. 201Kock captured the essence of the bystander, paralysed by the incredible nature of the news aboutthe annihilation, but also criticising the Swedish Church for its lack of action. Otherwise, 1916was the year when the annihilation had had its toll and there were not many Armenians left to kill.The change would come during the following year, when an Entente victory might haveencouraged a more critical stance towards Germany and its allied Turkey.2.1.3 1917In his dispatch on January 5, Anckarsvärd made an important observation in regard to Germaninfluence in Turkey in regard to the impending risk for Turkish surrender:The situation would have been different if Turkey had followed the advice of the Central Powersin letting them organise the question of provisioning etc…Even worse than this is, however, theextermination [utrotandet] of Armenians, which, perhaps, could have been prevented if Germanadvisers had in time received authority over the civilian administration as the German officersactually practise over army and navy. 202On January 14, 1917, Anckarsvärd sent a dispatch regarding the deportation decision of theOttoman Greeks. The US Ambassador had been trying to stop the deportation by stressing tothe Porte the kind of impression “a repetition of the Armenian persecutions, but this time againstthe Greeks, would give in the entire civilised world.” He ended the report by asserting thefollowing:What above all appears as an unnecessary cruelty is that the deportation is not limited to the menalone, but is extended likewise to women and children. This is supposedly done in order to mucheasier be able to confiscate the property of the deported. 203200 DN, August 15, 1916.201 DN, August 30, 1916.202 RA, UD, nr. 9, January 5, 1917.203 RA, UD, nr. 14, January 14, 1917.46