Coll 28/112A ‘Persia. Tabriz – Monthly despatches of internal situation in Azerbaijan & misc. reports.’ [‎36r] (72/1237)

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local authorltiea no doubt would restore order If they could
traoly di^poa© of sufficient forcee. Ik replied that they had
efficient iorceoc wt-at they neoded voa eouik adailnietmtiI told
to* toAsnikh txmt X >.et: anxioca to ascertain thi truth of tht situation
in Miaath and th& region of Ardebil since the Anglo-Irani an Oil
GOKCp&ny had coasiderable ttocke in thoae placea which might be
end angered in auy fighting* Alter telling m to find out the truth
of the < ituation from the locsl authorities, i4r. Krasnilch aesui^ed
me that the soviet Vice-doneul tn ArJtbil, for instance, wo-ld give
every assistance in hie power to the representative of the British
Company there should the latter a&A for it. I thanked ala and said
1 should be ^rateful for any rea*miring information he might be
afc>lc to about the situation# X also salted niia if he could
have *siy telegraa# to you sent oy the Soviet Military line. He said
he v oula enquire, uattr ©ember of the Uoviet Oonaulate-Oeaerd
telephoned to atiy that there was no Soviet to liter/ line to Telirrji •
10 # a public meat lag of the Democratic Party wae aivartised for
Sunday t.veaing, November 13th., und th^ town full o* ruaoure
about the intention of the Party to tak. over Government offices that
ill tilt - run ours niich, ia vi%#v of what was voliafcly reported to have
happened in Sarah and to cash, it was not possible wholly to discount,
"fho K-peakeru at the luecting stressed the Party f c intention to maintain
law and order, tncy at tempted to rv assure thu ?nerchcntfi, and declared
thrt -he i-'srty would only retort to force if it were first attacked
by the military. All tne epeechec, however, repeated the Party*a
intention to go ahead ilth thb electiou^ for the fcajlis ,nu for the
Provincial Council. The mrty had previ rasly called on the besaar
merchant, and other shop-huopers to close their shops and sttead the
meeting. &aut shops were closed, cut very few or the merchant class
attended the meeting, i’hc crowd niLabt?rsd between one thousand aid
.i if teen h..uured. Chiefly factory An East India Company trading post. workers and •••is ants# fa.- ,y ..rev.
cold, and it begun to snow before the meeting enaed, ind the crowd
had all dispersed by about half past five in the evening# .’he p ersian
authorities had anticipated trouble, but the meeting was perfectly
orderly#
II* At the time of writing fobriis ia juiet# There hap been no
lighting in the town, or In any of the villages round about, as for as
I tM aware# uhe new a of street f i hti.-g in Tabriz givon, o- from a
Persian source, in the B.Bto# news in to 4 :li ..U today is untrue. I am
inclined to think that the ferocity uni scale of the fighting in the
villageo and auisller towns has been exaggeratedt I cstnnot Imagine the
g^udaxme posts putting up much ru si stance against armed uebs, and it
soeias fairly certain that th^ Party laembers in the villnges are well
armed. There are nusierou© circumstantial reports of the distribution
of Persian army rifle« by Party officials to uu porters of the Party
<among thw peaiu-ntfe. *±l the tame time* the present movement ih owe
signs of having been carefully planned. Th« tiwn« f>ot*od are those
wnich wOiu4M4 4 /iUi .11 oomnu&icationu between labris and the rect of Persia,
the ittaC'Cs on the -genuarwc oosts were all pretty well
a iaul "# >Uv. 0 Uii •
12 # Prom my conversation vita the Persim Oomaandftnt, a do not
anticipate that the Persian military forces hert vdll put up nuoh
resistance if the Party, or the An.jucian which it proposes to elect,
a no aid decide to take over the adninii»tr*tion of the province.
General Durakkuhoui tellu mu that ue will rcaifat to the last
cartridge, but In the a-rae breath declares (quite rightly) that he
cannot fight against the Ked .n'uiy# Judging from the one or two
previous instances of civil broils in this town within ny experience.