Coll 28/112A ‘Persia. Tabriz – Monthly despatches of internal situation in Azerbaijan & misc. reports.’ [‎341r] (684/1237)

i 0 .
ir leader Bullard
arrived in Tabriz by car on February 28th and left on March 3rd for
Tehran, a night being spent in each ^ireoti^ the recently opened
military staging post at Zenjan. ^MMarnansoor nvty ^jguiy. •mvu.vur’^t^rnmttmamu^
General Situation . The international situation, the Kasravi
^ct and the local elections have divided the attention of the
population almost equally. Ankara radio is being listened to
nightly by all who possess receivers and Tabrizis are anxiously
speculating how developments in Turkey may affect their personal
security and business. That the war is not yet over has also been
emphasised for them by Mr. Churchill’s declaration that he is unable
to guarantee the end for this year. This even caused pleasure to
merchants holding stocks of imported goods and led to some stiffening
of prices. Those numerous persons who harbour pro-German sympathies
also gained comfort from his statement that the Germans still have
300 divisions in the field. There is continued misgiving about
Russian intentions towards Azerbaijan: and some of those who thought
that they could regard Great Britain as an effective guarantor of the
Tehran Declaration point to our inability to save Poland, for whom
we went to war, from the clutches of the Russian bear. It is argued
that now the war has retreated from the Caucasus the Russians need
fewer troops in Azerbaijan and apprehension is likewise caused by
further arrivals of officers families.
Public security remains generally satisfactory, apart from
some tribal unrest between Shahpur and Rezaieh to which reference is
made below. Bread in plenty and better conditions of employment have
warded off any repetition of the proletarian demonstrations of last
winter and comparatively mild end open weather has helped the health
and well-being of the population. Prospects for next season’s crops-
are so far good, though the onset of premature springlike weather is
causing some preoccupation.
b0. Local Officials . The newly-appointed Governor-General, Mehdi
Badvar, has not yet arrived. He is said to be waiting for the
Government to place a car at his disposal.
51 . Tabriz Elections . Polling actually started on Darch 2nd, the
sole polling station at Tabriz being at the Governorate-General.
Tudeh Iran claims that the facilities at this station so pot allow
many more than 500 citizens to vote daily. Thus, if the elections
are to last for three weeks, not more than 11,500 persons will be
able to vote out of the total of 30,000 electors in Tabriz. The
scales would thus be weighted against the town where the majority of
the party’s adherents reside. The same party is also complaining
that no proper arrangements have been made for the workpeople to vote.
The polling station closes at the same time as the factorxes and ior
tfce reason already stated Friday gives an insufficient opportunity.
The scene outside the Governorate presented some animation on the
first Friday. A crowd of 3-4,000 had gathered - some aa idle specta
tors, some to buy and sell votes and some to see that they were not
double-crossed by their supporters.
Azudi, the Ministry of the Interior inspector, was recalled to
Tehran before the start of the election and actually left Tabriz on
March 1st. It is known that complaints had been made against him,
including that of undue subservience to the Russians, but the exact
cause of his recall is not known. The Russians have continued to
exert pressure. In reply to their demand for the election of four
candidates - Pishivari, Ipekchian, Mashinohi and Musavi - the
Electoral Committee apparently told them that their candidates were
practically unknown people, especially in the villages. Ihe Russian
attitude to this retort seems at first to have been that it was up
to the Electoral Committee to find a way of securing their election.
Subsequently, however, they produced a complete list of nicie names,
m*.