Coll 28/112A ‘Persia. Tabriz – Monthly despatches of internal situation in Azerbaijan & misc. reports.’ [‎224r] (450/1237)

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telocrram which was sent to the chah and the Majlis; 1) the new
oaoinet irrust be composed or liberals and honest men who will
repair the errors of the late government; g) 3a f ld and his
colleagues must be brought to justice; 3) Seyyid 2ie rmist be
expelled from Iran; 4) town and provincial councils must be
established, as provided for in the constitution; 5) Iff no
reply i© received to these demands the people of Aserbsijaa will
consider themselves free to t et us they think best* Birya sooka
again on November £.4th. to a meeting in the Citadel Garden. He
was seconded by Akhundov, one of the leaders of the « oncers*
^ion {3hurai uttahidai lyal&ti A?:erb8l jsn) f and by a less ^ell
known orator named fedagan. f Ilie speeches followed thef ami liar
pattern of en attack: on the reactionaries at Tehran and on >eyyid
£ia, with a demand that the oil concession be granted to Hussia
at once. Among the persons singled out for individual attack,
bos ides Sayat and his ministers, were the 1‘t© oomrysncli nt of the
Third (Tabriz) division, hartip Khosrovani, and Khalil lahiiai.
Fahimi was at one time Governor-General in Tabriz, endit would
appear that the local Todeh leaders interpret his staying here
for a few days on his way back to Tehran as bein^ for 4 purposes
hostile to them. They demand that he be told to le^vc the town
at once. Some of the attack fell also on Fahimi’s host in Tabriz,
Doctor Kizishgepour, *m old gossip, who, ou side his professional
activities at any ri te, is not very dangerous to anyone.
A third meeting, also ad reaped by Birya, was held on
November £7th. in th© premises of the orkers* Union. Again
Fahimi mis attacked, a number of alleged misdeeds during his
Governor-Genereiahir being raked up against him.
On November 28th. the Tudeh Party issued c notice
cd&rccsed to *a 11 Peasants, orkers, Liberals and nlightened
People*, san©uneing,after a prefatory condemnation of the Gov
ernment , that a monster meeting would be held on the 18th of
Azar (December 1st), for the nuroos© of setting up councils or
oomrittees (.Injuman) in the towns and villages to k^ep a vetch
on the Government *s actions and prevent the execution of measures
contrary to the interests of the peasants and workers of izerbei-
jtm. 'here is good reason to believe that Russian army lorries
ere being despatched to villages in the direction ofAsarshahr,
Maraud and other p&rts to ^briag in peasants to attend the mooting.
It is said that villagers are being induced to come into Tabriz
by a promise that piece goods and sugar will be distributed to
them. While the real purpose of th© me ting is to make a show
of popul r support for th© grant of th© oil concession, the
Tudeh leaders are not emphasising this in their campaign to
secure attendance, but ©re trying to interest the peasants by
talking about dispossessing th© landlords. The country people’s
indifference to the oil question Is only matched by their ignor
ance of whet it involves. An informant recently arrived from the
country told of one peasant who, when urged by a Tudeh party
member to go to Tabriz for the ’oil business’, replied;”011? I
buy my oil at the shop in our village*.
4 ^
313. Tabriz resa . Hussein Gull Katibi, th© editor of the news
paper ’Feriyad’ (Diary No.18, paragraph 285) who was arrested
and interned by the Soviet authorities about a ye*r ago, and who,
since his return to Tabriz, has been eagerly ae king reconciliat
ion with the Russians and with the Tudeh Party, now rivals the
’Kharvar-i-Nov* in th© vigour of Ma curoort for the Russian
demand and in the vehemence of hie attacks on th© Tehran ’re
actionaries’. ’Khervar-i-Nov* iself (edited by ! hhraud Turcbi)
has lately shown a certain restraint; it printed the names of the
ministers in Bayet’s cabinet without comment, and in mentioning
Fahii’s arrival in Tabriz gave him his rrop r title of respect.
The Bezaieh newspaper ’Kelvea* has also come out strongly
for the Hussions and eg©!net th® new Government, but it may be
recalled that when H.'M. Consul-General was in Rexel eh in Dept ember,
the editor took th© opportunity to explain that not too much
attention should be paid to his editorial oolicy, es he ©imply
wrote whet he was told.
Hussein Tabriz! Fishakgi, the editor of the recently
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