Historians agree that, one hundred years ago, 1.5 million Armenians were massacred by Turks under the Ottoman Empire. Before he was President of the United States, Barack Obama not only described the atrocities as “genocide” but also promised to do so when he took office. Today, however, when he observes the anniversary of the mass killings, he will again avoid using the word.

When April 24th arrives each year, the White House issues a statement about the event and this has consistently not had “genocide” within its text. Always in the document, however, is a statement from the President saying that he has “consistently” voiced his view of what happened “and my view has not changed.”

On the other hand, as a U.S. Senator, Obama signed a letter to then-President George W. Bush,  beseeching him to describe the killings as genocide. He also supported a resolution two years later intended to recognize the bloodshed as genocide. In the six years he has been President, Obama has not used the word “genocide,” leaving President Reagan as the only President to have done so.

The Republic of Turkey is a fellow member in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and important ally to the U.S. in the Middle East and use of the word “genocide” by the President would alienate that nation. Formally, the country has said that the slaughters were not genocide for varying reasons. These include the position that they were not deliberate nor systematic. At other times, Turkey has stated that the killings were internecine, having been committed by “Armenian gangs.”  The country has also said that the deaths were not killings at all, but due to starvation.