Despite the order to deport «all Armenians without exception» Armenians in some regions as well as a few Armenian families were spared <…> The main reason for the expulsion of Edirne was geopolitical: as the city was on the European border, any drastic movement could easily be observed by foreigners. Alarge number of foreigners also resided in Istanbul, the capital. For the case of Izmir, the deciding factor was the governor Rahmi Bey within the CUP and his belief that the removal of the Armenians would be the death sentence for the commerce of the city.