Coll 28/112A ‘Persia. Tabriz – Monthly despatches of internal situation in Azerbaijan & misc. reports.’ [‎275r] (552/1237)

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221. Oeneral Situation,
tinues to preysil in fell
notes are tbe simmeri^ig labour unresft
incidents, but even Jab&jJ^rituqt
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of) slrost conplete cnln c
Azerbaijan. Tbe only jar
fl
ing
in Tabriz and T'urdish
even tJbjgL^abOWr^rittiation is much better at the
moment of writing, possibly WOTrrno Soviet influence being
used cn the side of paoiflostion. If this is the correct
explanation, and there is some reason to think: so, it is an
encourr ging sign for the future. A more helpful attitude on
the part of the Hassians also seems to be visible in ^ezaieh,
where there is a marked return of general confidence.
222. Local Officials. Ur. M. Muaavi, the Director of Public
Health, hrs resigned. The department’s employees are owed
considerable arrears of salary and, led by Birya of the Workers
Council, told him to the accompaniment of various threats
that if he could not help them he h d better go.
Mr. Thomas Allan, formerly of the Bread and Cereals
section of the Mill spa ugh Mission, hr.s returned to Tabriz from
Tehran to take over the Supply Department. The Director of
Finance has informed the Supply Department in a circular letter
that in future its officials will take their orders from Mr.
^llen and not act without his knowledge. Mr. vllen has a >oviet
permit for a two months stay. He is accompanied as his as
sistant by Mr. Wilum Hansen who was previously in charge of
Government transport here.
22b. Tabriz Deputies. It is satisfactory to note a consider
able diminution of interest in the fete of the Soviet nominees
and that the agitation on their behalf h s almost ceased. At
a meeting organized by the Anti-Fascifct Party outside the
Public Garden on August IBth to ventilate this and related
grievances no more than 150 -200 people -ere present and even
they were apathetic.
224. Russian Affairs, ^he Red Army Garden Party is believed
to have resulted in the collection of about Rls.l,500,000,
but the final figure is not yet known. The Red Army was not
the only one to profit, for the local alters at supper
Cstla.700 per head md drinks in proportion) failed to account
for Up. 30,000 - 4^,000 of the money they had received. An
American auction br ught in large sums, Rls. 90,000, for
example, for a Red Star in gold and Rls.60,000 for a bottle of
champagne. The successful auctioneer was no other than
Bazourg Ibrahimi, an accomplice of General Muqaddom in the
sugar scaxidals, who recently went into hiding until the warrant
issued for his arrest had been withdrawn. He also made a highly
laudatory speech about the Red Army to an audience which, apart
presumably from the Russians, all knew that he had previously
been an equally fervent Nazi. The Governor-General has been
much criticised for lending himself as an instrument of extort
ion by selling flowers, etc. This was consider# hirhly de
rogatory to his dignity. It is also of interest to note that
tickets for this festivity for which buyers had had to nay
comparatively large sums were resold on the streets at Rls.20
to 30.
The Russians h&ve considerably tightened up their control
of Persian travellers and vehicles on the Tabriz-Tehran road.
Not only must Persians now produce their identity cards, but
they are often questioned as to the purpose and destination of
their journey, and some h ve even been turned back. Vehicles
are also being examined to see whether they are using stolen
Lend-Lease tyres or other parts and many such have been con
fiscated. Owners of private transport are now chary of using
this road.
The commissar of police of the 7th di trict*recently
obliged a cafe proprietor to give up his premises on the pretext
that the Russians anted them for a propaganda shop. Instead,
/however