Coll 28/112A ‘Persia. Tabriz – Monthly despatches of internal situation in Azerbaijan & misc. reports.’ [‎608r] (1218/1237)

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9. On the other hand, M. Agoronoff, in a conversation last week with me,
said that the situation in Azerbaijan was not at all reassuring, and that an extia-
ordinary amount of activity by Turkish agents was going on in that area. 1 his
may be so, as it would be the easiest task for such agents to work among a popula-
^hon so closely connected with the Turks, especially if the local inhabitants
suspected Russian intrigue among their hereditary enemies the Kurds nearby. As
I see it, part of this uneasy atmosphere arises from the mutual distrust ol
Angora and Moscow reflected at the perimeter; the Turks think that Russia
intends to stay in Northern Persia now for good, and the Russians think that
sooner or later Turkey will betray us and let the enemy through. The other factor
is that the over-guileful Kurds may be playing for support in both camps, visiting
both sides and giving whatever “information” is best suited to set Turks,
Russians and Persians by the ears, and to increase their own chances of being left
alone in the Kurdish areas without effective control from either. I have heard
that the Kurds in Sauj Bulagh, on whom I reported last week, have told the
Persian authorities bluntly that they can quite well continue to run their own
show, and do not want the gendarmes back among them.
10. Sarkang Saif, the chief of police here, tells me that a good many of the
undesirable “ refugee ” elements from Soviet Russia, who used to be segregated
in various country districts and not allowed to come to Tabriz, have managed
during the recent confusion to slip into the underworld of this town and to
migrate to Tehran. Some of the Armenians among them are known to have gone
to Isfahan to join the large Armenian community at Julfa, where they will sooner
or later give trouble to the police.
11. Trade still languishes, although I hear in reliable quarters that a lot
of money is returning to the town from Tehran. Undoubtedly, some of the
merchants here are not interested in trade at present, but only in holding stocks
against firmly-expected future shortages. I have already reported how this
complicates the sugar problem, even when supplies are plentiful, and another
instance is that of the cheap Russian textiles, which have just been brought in
duty-free. It seems that the Soviet agents here wished to benefit the poorer classes
by cutting out the usual middlemen (who made such scandalous fortunes under
the German clearing schemes), and selling to smaller merchants. They reckoned,
however, without Persian greed and lack of principle if they really cherished
such ideas. The middlemen were ready to offer an immediate profit of 2,000 rials
per bale to the small men, and then consign the goods to their private warehouses
for holding, instead of any nonsense of selling cheap to the poor, whom they are
as ready to deprive of bread as of clothing, as I reported in September last.
More than 1,000 bales of textiles have been dealt with in this way.
12. There have been no cases of Soviet officers entering and robbing private
houses during the last fortnight. Perhaps the departure of the Russo-Armenian
regiments is responsible for this improvement, or else Major-General Novikoff’s
promise to me to deal most severely with any new offenders. The local police
tried to arrest a suspicious looking group of civilians the other night, and when
the latter ran away fired at them, killing one of them in the street outside the
Turkish Consulate. Since then no burglaries have been reported for several days.
13. On the 7th November, the Soviet anniversary of the Revolution, no
military parade was held as planned. Major-General Novikoff gave a small
cocktail-party at his residence in the evening, followed by a special performance
at the local theatre by the Baku Operatic Company. The Minister of the United
States and Mrs. Dreyfus were present, with the military attache from Tehran
and the United State's Air Attache from Angora. Next day the Red Army gave
a kind of cavalry gymkhana display, to which the leading Persian officials and
residents were invited. Major-General Novikoff arrived somewhat late, escorted
by four ballet-girls from the opera, and his lady A.D.C., who occupied the seats
of honour on each side of him. As a special mark of favour I was invited
half-way through the performance to sit between two of the charmers. The
Russian riding was good, but the horses distinctly poor.
I have, &e.
F. A. G. COOK.