Coll 28/112A ‘Persia. Tabriz – Monthly despatches of internal situation in Azerbaijan & misc. reports.’ [‎30r] (60/1237)

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(588A 89/A-7/45)
British Consulate-General,
Tabriz.
October 22nd. # 1945.
Sir,
I have the honour to inform you that I received a visit this
morning from Qasim Agha Ilkhani The paramount chief of certain tribes in south west Iran. Zadeh, the son of Bayazid Agha, one of
the principal chiefs of the Dehboukri tribe of Kurds who live in the
neighbourhood of Bukan. '
®* *asim Agha said he had called to give me an account of his
visit to Baku on September 17th., which was reported to you by Mr.
/■ Tabri 2 . teleg i' *■*o• 77 of October th. The visit seems to
ZJ? h ■ • arrangef^y^fHe ':., . i t uthorities ith rather more mystery-
*' u mongering than might have been thought necessary. Qasim Agha said
that he was asked to call on the Soviet Town commandant at Mianduab,
Bi cute nan,, Kamaz Alioff, and was asked by him if he were prepared to
go soin.ethirig the nature of •v.hich could nit at present be revealed.
QasiiU, a • no doubt knew what was In the wind, said he was ready, and
was then iold to go to Tabriz, taking only one suitcase and there
present himself at the Russian Consulate-General.
3. On his arrival at Tabriz, Qasim saw the Soviet Town Commandant
who tolo him to be at Tabriz Railway Station at 3 p.m. that night,
but did not tell him his destination or the object of the journey.
&hen he reached the station he was taken straight to a railway
carriage in which he found seven other Kurdish chiefs, including
Qazi Mohamad from Mahabad, Hamza Agha of the Mamish tribe, Nuri Beg
of tne Begzadehs and two Shikkak chieftains from Western Azerbaijan.
He learned then that the destination was Baku. The journey was
performed without change of trains, and on arrival at Baku the party
of ~i t ,ht were taken straight away by waiting cars to a village outside
the city. They were accompanied ay Soviet officers, treated very
courteously and lodged and entertained in great comfort. The evening
after their arrival they were taken into Baku to a building which
ui&sim Agha believes to have been the offices or residence of the
President of the Soviet Republic of Az. xbai^an, and there were received
by Baghiroff, the President of the Republic, and some forty other
Soviet officials and military officera*
4. The theme of Baghiroff*s conversation was Kurdish independence,
and according to Qasim Agha, he put the issue plainly and concisely,
sjAying, in effects "If you want independence and are willing to work
vdth the Azerbaijan Democratic Party to achieve it, we promise to suopen
you; on the other hand, if you do not want independence and are oreparei
to do nothing about it you must not look to us for any kind of
assistance.'' fne chiefs replied that of course they wanted independenci
and were glad to accept Russian support.
5. The K u rdish Party stayed three nights in Baku, but saw the
President only once. They were not taken into the city to look round,
but were given a general view of it from the Public Garden, which
happened to empty of Soviet citizens at the time. On the fourth day
they were given seats in a special t;. ain - a more comfortable one tt ar
'>hat which had brought them from Tabriz - and wort brought str ight
back to Tabriz again.
Sir R.'*. Bullard, K.G.B. , K.C.M.G., G.I.B.,
H.m. Ambassador,
Tehran.