Minutes before the House was to vote on a measure condemning the mass killings of Armenians in Turkey 85 years ago as genocide, J. Dennis Hastert, the speaker, withdrew the resolution tonight, citing President Clinton’s warnings that a vote could harm national security and hurt relations with Turkey, a NATO ally.

In a telephone call late Wednesday and in a letter today, Mr. Clinton urged Mr. Hastert to withdraw the measure, saying it could inflame tensions in the Middle East, embolden President Saddam Hussein of Iraq and interfere with American efforts to stabilize the Balkans.

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A spokesman for the Turkish Embassy, Namik Tan, praised Mr. Hastert’s decision, saying, ”This is what should have happened.”

So did the White House, which marshaled an all-out campaign to kill the measure, enlisting the president’s top foreign and military advisers, the joint chiefs of staff and various national security experts.

Now it remains to be seen whether history is indeed doomed to repeat itself.