Armenians in british intelligence during world war I: a case study of thomas mugerditchian

The role of Armenians in British intelligence has been largely neglected by historians of World War I. My thesis will explore the multifaceted identities of Armenian dragomans, vice-consuls, and intelligence officers in British service through the careers of Thomas Mugerditchian, Thomas Boyajian, and Arshak Safrastian. These Armenian agents inhabited a unique middle-ground between the East and the West as Christians living in an Islamic Empire. They manipulated their identities to navigate both European and Ottoman circles, making them effective as intelligence officers. Before World War I, Armenian dragomans and vice-consuls were important intermediaries between British consulates in the Ottoman Empire and local populations. When the Ottoman Empire joined the war on the side of the Central Powers, Armenian agents remained important to the British Empire as intelligence officers and translators. My thesis will explore the role of Armenian agents in the British war effort and how their service affected their complex identities, both how they perceived themselves and the extent to which different levels of the British government accepted them.