Coll 28/112A ‘Persia. Tabriz – Monthly despatches of internal situation in Azerbaijan & misc. reports.’ [‎377r] (756/1237)

ilG
amassca 2,000,000 rials ir: zhe very short time he wac in charge of
t ae Oepartmeno • let, notv.i tas uandih^^iot oriety of his conduct, he
has since received a lucrative Governinent appointment in Tehran,
uiome oi the subordinate officials of the Department appointed by
Tehran are also well-known peculators, Shahbandi head of Supply
department at Rezaieh being the most outstanding figure in this
category, or. i»iajidzad6h complains that in other directions too
isnot receiving proper support from Tehran, he cannot, for example,
obtain tyres for his inspectors' cars; sacks indented for have not
been supplied: necessary credits nave not been provided.
r , iiie best nope that Dr. xuajidzadeh seemed to hold out for
i^hran was tnat it might eventually be furnished with wneat from
mianen. he has already sent Inspectors there to estimate the local
requirements and when this nas been done the surplus will be made
available. There is a curious persistence, however, about the
suggestion maae by every official with whom the matter nas been
discussed, that if the Government does not succeed in ettiru all it
requires at the controlled price, there is plenty more°to be°had
(quantities up to 20,000 tons and more are mentioned) in the open
a ?? xl0t ^elp but oonoluda tftat the needs of Tehran have
ie real noId on Azerbaijan sympathies and are a very secondarv
consideration as compared with local pockets. I have also the
impression tnat although the Russians profess anxiety to co-operate
wioii the Iranian authorities in the collection of grain their
interest hardly extends beyond the requirements of their own zone
anu that lor the rest they consider it is for the central government
loseli to display a livelier initiative.
i hear,on the authority of the Iraqi Consul, tnat some are
•xpressing tne opinion that dr. ..dllspaugh will have to become a
j-ersian in nis outlook and methods, or fail in his mission.
a24- government. The crop of rumours about a new Covernor-
ueneral has uiainisned. It is now being suggested that there is no
urgency m making the appointiaent at, the acting Governor-General
Auuul Azim Ahmadl, is favourably considered by the Russians. He
speaks Russian well and is certainly not the man to oppose them, or
anyone elec with authority, orertly. I found him extremely friendly
I wn.nri°h lle ? V°“ !li f’ ? ut 80 “ e " hat t0 ° anxious to say what he thought
i would be wishing to hear.
xne view is being canvassed in certain quarters that General
Muquadaam is likely to return if he succeeds in imposing the condit-
lon that Rezaien snould again be included in his district. He left
lor xehran on November 20th and, so far as is known, is still there.
mure is a report that one Rarzanen, an official of the
ministry of tne Interior, is to be appointed Farmandar at Tabriz, the
post nitnerto held by the acting Governor-General•
A police officer named Rayib Sarhang Xuraj Amin, arrived on
Rovemoer 22nd on a tour of inspection.
22o. Loeaj, politics. The report that Saadullah Azudi, an inspector
oi tne ministry of tne Interior, will shortly be arriving at Tabriz
to supervise the elections is causing an increase of activity among
local political parties. There are more than 500 canditates for the
nine seats in Tabriz itself and over 2,000 for the twenty one seats
of tne whole province.
..TT^ 0 '- ; - >cc f rlt '> f ’ A well-kn°wn local tough, a Persian moslern
xoimeriy living in ihe boviet Union and recently employed as head of
a Russian convoy, was shot dead on December 1st by a Russian officer
±n tne Dale Tars, the town's leading restaurant. It appears that the
Russian oflicer with lour soldiers entered the cafe and requested the
vuciim to accompany them, apparently for examination. He first
relused to surrender nis revolver and then sT&zed the officer by the
ciiuu, ..Hereupon he was shot dead, xeaceloving citizens show no
sorrow lor his fate as he belonged to a particularly lawless element.
/Further cases