Coll 28/112A ‘Persia. Tabriz – Monthly despatches of internal situation in Azerbaijan & misc. reports.’ [‎533r] (1068/1237)

4
^stisie, f%B ind&M it wa*. Umjor toLaron, attaebod to this post **
vice Consul Bant Imstoaci, learing ,ieptomber 11 tb tend returning on
the l4th« Tb© roaulta of hio Tisit are inoorporetod In retiarka
about th* Kurds uad the wheat at tuition.
40. Turde. kt. Uahnu. on Ooptamber 4th and for several days thereafter
aoj^t, ofnot all, of the Kurdish loaders of iouth-Eestera Azerbaijan
aT \Northern Kurdiatan were aaaeinbled. The occasion was the marriage
of the oons of Kcra Aiui ugha, chief of the Danish, but the
'^ussientt used It to obtain a general undertaking that
1) The Kurds will regain loyal friende of the misaiiiaa.
2} They would loot no ©ore.
3) They would organ!ae themselves for mutual assistance against
any attacks.
In jcy opinion, 'ussi^n policy towards the Kurds is being modified.
In the early suumer when the Turks seerad to them to be making
threatening gestures, the Kussi&ns had but ono object, to strengthen
their military position by cultivating the Kurds and keeping the
iPersians weak. Latterly they seem to have realised the need to
restore order, and to curb Kurdish insolence towards the Persians in
general aj&d to put a truce to the feuds between tribes; all this
they would like to do without forfeiting Kurdish friendship.
Two super-chiefs elected at Ushnu have tried already to give
effect to this policy. Ttatr Khan of the fhikak Has tried to persuade
Kurds west of the lake to stay in their mountains and leave the
villagers in the plnin elone. The other super-chief is K*r* Aini
of the Hemiah and he is presumed to be responsible for an effort
to stop the quarrels which have kept the Itohabad-Kisuducb nreo in a
&tete of alarm. Ka&futHaahid went, about the 18th September, with
200 horsemen of ISehabad to attempt a reconciliation between All
. gbe Amir Assad, Chief of Lehboukri, Abdullah, Chief of the t'angura,
and Kara Aini’s own Mamlsh. Be had no success, nor is any permanent
success to be expected for any part of the Kuselan plan. nothing
short of the steps of i*?ustapha Kernel and leza ehah will bring the
Kurds into step with modern times. I expect there are still some
of my countrymen who cherish romantic ideas of the Kurds s« sturdy*
hospitable mount?*lasers. It It e false picture today; rather are
they lary, &1seared &nd dirty, thieves ^nd liars, reedy to sell any
thing for money and hopelessly divided among tbemaelvea. But their
greatest cri&e is that they are setting their faces ag Inst history,
and tskaa aa a whole, they don’t know it.
A few of tha chiefs do appear to recognise that by their present 4
viour tha Kurds ore nilscing an opportunity to show they can use
freedom, and inviting stem reaction sooner or later. ?om* have
threaten^ that they would resign, n&i abandon their fellows to their
fate. (They are of oourse men of meana by now, these chiefs). Th©
Chief of tha ’iangur has been experimenting with this threat, but his
people still continue to have a whale of a tirse in and around Mnhftbad,
They are in two main groups ^nd so have divided Uahabad between th<ap
into an uprer and * lower town. They have established their own
Customs Bouse, and levy dues on the considerable quantities of goods
coming in from Iraq in p&ymnt for grain, butter, etc., and the bales ol
toxtllso arrive in Trjbriz with their stamp on them. They also levy
toll on goods going the other way - e.g. on every tin of
paraffin *tta, 2. Froa the town they demand presents when a marriage
t^kss place amoagst thorn, collecting a few tomsnn from each house. An
official report shown to me related how ten years go ease© langurs
sold 104 miacals of gold at His. ZO a aisoal to siom v ha bad merehants.
The vendors now demand the difference between that price, and the ^ric©
tod^y, which they put at His. 300 *» miscal. And there is rauch more
in the aa^e strain.
40, Morale . Until mld-Gcptembcr the local population was entirely
oonvirtc^afhut the Oerra an would be her© before winter. Row they* ere
beginning to be leas certein. ?-tember luth a urkiah oomr ontator,
brof-deesting from ^Ankara, said that th© aenoans had now no hop© of
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