Coll 28/112B Persia. Tabriz. Monthly dispatches of internal situation in Azerbaijan, & misc: reports.’ [‎94r] (188/451)

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Jabrlz Diary for 1946,
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160. It will be remembered that November closed with the Provincial
Council in Tabriz telegraphing to the Prime Minister to the effect that no
Central Government troops were needed for security in Azerbaijan during the
elections, and that should these come disorder would, without a doubt, ensue#
The Prime Minister, replying on Pec^mber 1st, said that the Council was not
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competent to decide vibether or not the troops should come. This was a matter
for the Central Government and the Azerbaijan Democrats need be under no
illusion* a force would be sent and the Provincial Government would be res
ponsible for the consequences if they tried to bar the way.
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161. The fear which had been chilling the hearts of Pishevari and his
colleagues increased. Clearly the situation was desperate. They had no
adequate force of well-trained soldiers to hurl against the Persian army and
the Azerbaijan Fidais and conscripts were read/ to throw in their hands at
the first determined opposition they encountered, for they had come to the
conclusion that the *150 million people behind them' 1 (October Diary, para
graph 149) were too far behind. 1
The Azerbaijan Democrats saw that military aid from Pussia, in so
far as soldiery was concerned, was apparently not to be expected. True,
quantities of rifles and ammunition were coming through nightly from that
country by truck, but what the Democrats sorely needed were a few thousand
soldiers who were prepared to fight. In a last desperate effort to save
himself, Pishevari freely handed out to anybo<fy who would take them the wea
pons which Moscow supplied. These were taken up with alacrity by all and
sundry to be used not for the purpose of protecting the Party leaders but for
their own purposes as soon as the Democrat organisation had broken down.
168. Cn December 4th Pishevari announced that Central Government troops
had already "invaded* Azerbaijan and attacked the Democrat forces, but this
report was false and was promptly denied by the Prime Minister. Meanwhile
preparations for the elections in the Province were initiated, hut on Decem
ber 8th the Governor-General received a telegram from the Prime Minister
instructing him to await the arrival of the security troops. A supervisory
/ committee