Diana Agabeg Apcar

Diana Agabeg Apcar, Republic of Armenia Consul to Japan (1920)

Transcribing an interview for my book about the Armenian Genocide, I learned about a woman named Apcar. The interviewee could not remember her first name, so I Googled ‘Apcar’ and found the story of Diana Agabeg Apcar. She was the Republic of Armenia’s Consul to Japan in 1920. And, she saved my grandfather’s friends’ lives. In fact, according to the Armenian Studies page on the California State University at Fresno’s website:

Diana Agabeg Apcar was the first woman to serve in a diplomatic capacity. This appointment allowed Apcar to provide assistance to hundreds of refugees fleeing Turkish and Russian oppression. She helped the refugees by providing economic assistance and shelter.

During this time, Apcar interviewed Armenian refugees about the experiences faced while living under and escaping Turkish and Russian oppression. She recorded their accounts and used their stories as inspiration for the book, From the Book of One Thousand Tales: Stories of Armenia and Its People, 1892-1922.

Read more about Diana Agabeg Apcar here (and click the link above to see excerpts from her book, available on Amazon.com).