Although the safety of American citizens in the Ottoman Empire , mostly Christian missionaries and Jews , loomed large early in his ambassadorship , Morgenthau said that he was most preoccupied by the Armenian Question . After the outbreak of war in 1914 , the U.S. remained neutral , so the American Embassy – and by extension Morgenthau – additionally represented many of the Allies ' interests in Constantinople ( Istanbul ) , since they had withdrawn their diplomatic missions due to the hostilities . As Ottoman authorities began the Armenian Genocide in 1914 – 1915 , the American consuls residing in different parts of the Empire flooded Morgenthau 's desk with reports nearly every hour , documenting the massacres and deportation marches taking place . Faced with the accumulating evidence , he officially informed the U.S. government of the activities of the Ottoman government and asked Washington to intervene
Armenian Genocide
Armenian Genocide
Henry Morgenthau Sr.