Coll 28/112B Persia. Tabriz. Monthly dispatches of internal situation in Azerbaijan, & misc: reports.’ [‎128r] (256/451)

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tension, the
h as it was,
hern.
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Peopled Array were sent fi*om Tabriz, and Jritt'
affaires eeras to have blown over, leavinp the position
with Kurds and Azerbaijanis sharing thejplace between j
127 • Ardehil. Shortly before they left Tor Tehran, the Oovemor-
0enera 1, AiI %abistary and General panahian vivsited Ardebil. ^ Their
purpose, it is believed, was to try to compose differences which had
become acute between the local Democrat Authorities and the ^ahsevan
chiefs. If so they seer to have been unsuccessful, for about the 25th.
August there began to circulate persistent rumours that the "hahsevens
h*d occupied the town and that they were supported by Sultan Zulftaari
\ k > long held out against the Democrats in the len.jan region earlier in
the year. It was even reported that an ambush for the Governor-General
and his companions had been laid by the Ghahsevans, but that it mis
carried because of a change in the time-table. Troops and Pida’is are
believed to have been despatched from Tabriz and Garab.
The Shahsevans have undoubtedly no love for the Democrats, but
it was fairly certain, last year at any rate, that they were poorly
armed, and, unless they have received substantial aid from outside the
province it is unlikely that they eould even defend themselves against
a concentration of Pi da* is, let alone occupy Ardebil. Tribal restless
ness may ecibarrass the Democrat Administration and may even cause it to
lose some of its officials (it is possible that Sadig Dadar was killed
by the ^hahsevana) but it can never be a serious threat to the stabil
ity of tlia regime here* the Russians did not go to all the trouble of
the December revolution to see it reversed by a few reactionary herds
men chiefs. General Glinsky, the Soviet Commandant in Azerbaijan, it
should be remembered, was particularly interested in disarming the
shahsevans last August.
128. Armenian Affairs. Dnigration to Soviet Armenia continued
during August, and Ae quota of 4,500 from Azerbaijan should have been
nearly completed by the end of the month. Inevitably, stories of
racketeering are rife* many of the emigrants are urban workers and .small
tradespeople who have no desire to labour on the land in Russia. They
thought to secure their allocation to the town of Driven by bribing the
Committee here* the bribes vrere taken, but on arrival in Soviet Amnnenia
they were allocated to the country just the same. Ihere was vague talk
of some investigation of the affair, but considering the experience and;
astuteness of the type of Doviet citizen employed in such affairs here
an investigation is not likely to get very far. 'frieir fellow Armenians
in the retail t^ade seem also to have made a very good thing out of
supplying the unsophisticated villagers from Western Azerbaijan as
they passed through Tabriz. The emigrants were not allowed to shop in
Tabriz town, and at the only establishment where they could buy - near
the station - profits of 200 and 300 percent on clothes and boots are
said to have been made.
129. Foreign Officials. Colonel Sexton, the United States military
Attach^ and his assistant, Captain Gogarin, visited Tabriz by road on
August 15th., travelling via Astara and Ardebil. They left for Tehran
via Fianeh and Zenjan on august 19th.
Mr* Itobert Bossow, Secretary of the United States .embassy at
Tehran and formerly United States Vice-Consul here, stayed in Tabriz
between August 17th. and 24th.
British Consulate-General,
J.K.Viell.
Acting Consul-General.
Tabriz.
August 31st., 1946