On Wednesday, the Museum of Jewish Heritage: A Living Memorial to the Holocaust held a program commemorating the 90th anniversary of the Armenian genocide. A focus of the evening was on Henry Morgenthau (1856-1946), American ambassador to the Ottoman Empire between 1913 and 1916, who had an up-close view of the genocide and helped rescue many Armenians.

The speaker was historian Ara Sarafian, who compiled “United States Diplomacy on the Bosphorus: The Diaries of Ambassador Morgenthau” (Taderon Press). He gave a slide show before being interviewed by Gabriel Sanders, the features editor of the Forward newspaper, which co-sponsored the evening.

“It is hard to imagine a subject that so underscores the power of history to move and to motivate than the Armenian genocide,” said the museum’s director, David Marwell, in his introduction that evening. “Those who are unaware of the ongoing, passionate, and politicized debate about this nine-decade sold history will be surprised, no doubt, that the program we hold this evening has been the object of an attempt to pressure and influence the museum.” He said that the museum’s chairman, Robert Morgenthau, and he had received letters from the consul general of Turkey in New York earlier in the month, expressing disappointment that the museum planned to hold an event that, as the consul described it, would be “defamatory to Turkey and likely to impede efforts to promote reconciliation between Turks and Armenians.”

Mr. Marwell said, “Let me be clear. I understand why the consul general wrote to me. It is an indication of how real and raw this history is, and I mean no offense to the Turkish government in raising this issue this evening.”

He continued, “It may not need to be said, but let me say it anyway: At its root, history is not a matter of opinion. To be sure, our libraries are full of books that interpret history differently, that offer wide-ranging explanations for the causes, and differing accounts for the effects of historical events. In many ways, these differences can be defining. But it is the job of the historian and the well-informed citizen to try to understand what happened – the how it happened and why it happened can be argued and debated. But what happened needs to be become part of a common currency – a shared vocabulary. What happened is not a matter of opinion.”

He said that Mr. Sarafian had published volumes that gave access to the raw material of history: a complete edition of Ambassador Morgenthau’s diary and a compilation of official U.S. records on the Armenian genocide from 1915 to 1917. “His mission was not to interpret these records but rather to place them at our disposal for our own clear reading.” Mr. Marwell called for “complete and open access to all records that bear on this tragic history.”

During his talk, Mr. Sarafian discussed the detailed reports that Morgenthau received from American officials stationed around the Ottoman Empire. Speaking of the deportations and mass killings, Mr. Sarafian said, “To empty 2,000 villages takes time.”

In attendance was Robert Morgenthau, Manhattan district attorney and grandson of Henry Morgenthau; Louise Simone, chairman of the Armenian General Benevolent Union; attorney Judah Gribetz; and Gagik Karagheuzian, who is making a documentary film about Mr. Sarafian.

The Knickerbocker afterward talked to Mr. Morgenthau, who said Mr. Sarafian’s work was important and added, “We can’t keep records like this buried forever.” Audience member Jack Eber described Henry Morgenthau as a “whistle-blower.” He said overseas ambassadors can easily “sit on their behinds” but Morgenthau “did something.”

Also in the audience was an assistant district attorney, Peter Kougasian, whose grandmother was a survivor of the Armenian genocide. He said the program made him consider how to teach young people about genocide, adding that one way is by looking through the eyes of a humanitarian and asking, “What does a man of courage do in the face of untold horror?”

Mr. Morgenthau recalled the time his grandfather advised him, “You should go into public service now,” and not wait until his 50s as he had done.