مجموعة ٢٨/١١٢أ "بلاد فارس. تبريز - رسائل شهرية عن الوضع الداخلي في أذربيجان وتقارير متنوعة." [و‎‎٦‎٠‎١] (١٢٣٧/١٢٠٤)

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THIS DOCUMENT IS THE PROPERTY OF HIS BRITANNIC MAJESTY’S GOVtRNM^TXT
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PERSIA.
CONFIDENTIAL.
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January 10, 1942.
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Copy No
Sir R. Bullard to Mr. Eden.—(Received January 10, 1942.)
(No. 202.)
HIS Majesty’s representative presents his compliments to His Majesty’s
Principal Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and has the honour to transmit
herewith a copy of a despatch. No. 51 of 30th November, 1941, from His Majesty’s
Consul at Tabriz, reporting the internal situation at Tabriz.
Tehran. December 10, 1941.
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Enclosure.
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CX/V
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Consul Cook to Sir R. Bullard.
(No. 51. Confidential.)
Sir, Tabriz, November 30, 1941.
I HAVE the honour to inform you that the situation at Tabriz and in
Azerbaijan continues to be outwardly quiet, although it is obvious that potential
disturbance and discontent lie not far from the surface. The soothing and in
parts misleading article published by the Minister of the Interior in the Tehran
press on his return from this province probably shows his disquiet, while the
Governor-General and the chief of gendarmerie have been absent together for
over a week in the capital at a time when the local situation is certainly no easier.
2. Possibly the attention given to the Azerbaijanis and their problems in
the Tehran and Istanbul press, after years of neglect and oppression, has helped
to fan their smouldering grievances. It is dilficult to describe any political
movement as yet, but there are undoubtedly private meetings and discussions,
threats are known to be uttered against the Tehran officials here, whom nobody
imagines to be much changed from the corrupt and inefficient gang they were
before (with the possible exception of the chief of police), stories of Turcophile
parties are heard, accusations of Bolshevik machinations are put forward,
Armenian intrigues are blamed and dire vengeance foretold. Over all hangs the
question of how long the new and unloved Shah will last, and even more how long
before the all-powerful German armies will arrive—with or without Turkish
compliance or assistance—in the Caucasus and so bring better order here.
3. There are still minor incidents in the countryside, but it is difficult to
know their seriousness or extent, since both Soviet and Persian authorities when
questioned flatly deny them—unless they reflect wholly on the other party. The
bandit Husseni Ghuli has not come in for pardon, as foretold to me by the
Governor-General over a fortnight ago; the Russian general hinted to me then
that his forces were shortly going to deal decisively with the man, but I am
confidentially informed that he was parleying with Soviet officers in Miandoab
one day last week. At Ahar, on the road to Ardebil, the newly-installed
gendarmerie had their rifles taken away by a party of hectoring Russian officers
(who spoke Azerbaijan Turkish), but when I spoke to General Novikoff about
this apparent disregard of the agreement signed only recently in Tehran he
vigorously denied the possibility of the affair, and I am left to surmise that it
must have been Russo-Armenian officers acting without the knowledge cr
authority of their superiors, or else Persian adventurers in search of rifles and
wearing Russian uniforms. A fight was repoted ten days ago at the entrance to
Tabriz between Armenian peasants and the gendarmes collecting taxes, in which
[25 29]-—
ENCLOSE IN WEEKLY LETTER
RECd.POL. ” * Pt.|
No. 6 7 FEE 1942
31 JAN 942 ;
FROM SECRETARY, EXTERNAL DEPT.,
INDIA OFFICE
INDIA OFFICE