Where are the victims? Let's save the survivors (1918)

This map was illustrated by Ethel Franklin Betts for the American Committee for Near East Relief. It was part of a campaign carried out between 1918 and 1920 to raise £30 million to help combat the effects of the Armenian genocide at the hands of the Ottoman Empire.

The map uses multiple propaganda and persuasion strategies to more easily reach the average American:

• In red, in the centre, the text reads «Were the victims are”, mainly in the Middle East.
• In black, on the left, the text reads “Save the survivors”. Below, the figure of 3.95 million people suffering from famine is cited.
• In black and red, at the top left, is the number of Christians living in the region (8.15 million), in direct reference to the Armenians in danger, and to this is added the figure of one million dead in the massacre.

The campaign was a success, and by 1920 all the money had been raised. Ten years later, the organisation published a report stating that thanks to this campaign, the lives of at least one million people had been saved.

Sources

• Save the Survivors – Cornell University