Barton, James L. (James Levi), 1855-1936

The Reverend James L. Barton wrote extensively about the philosophical and theological problems with Islam, and served as the Foreign Secretary of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions. Some of his essays, which provide great insights into the beliefs of Islam and Christianity, are featured on this site. Reverend Barton is most famous for his documentation of the atrocities and genocide of the Armenians at the hands of the Ottoman Turks.

In the fall of 1917, James Barton asked American missionaries, who were leaving the Ottoman Empire for the United States, to write signed statements concerning their observations. Twenty-one eyewitness accounts were collected in 1917-18 for an American Presidential commission investigating various aspects of World War I, including the Armenian Genocide. The materials included very graphic descriptions of what went on in various regions of the Ottoman Empire between 1915 and 1917.

Additional References:

Articles by James L. Barton

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