File 1341/1921 Pt 1 'Khorassan Intelligence Summaries 1921-1922' [‎357r] (361/1080)

We said this in March and April 1916 but we did not fully appraise th e
question in all its aspects nor how our economics would stand in the market s
* of the world.
The political situation in the spring of 1921 showed us that retreat to the
position of State Capitalism was unavoidable—the change from attack to siege.
“ Izvestia,” published at Tashkent, November 16th, 1921.
UNDER THE HEEL OF ENGLAND.
The situation in Persian Azerbaijan.
According to the information in Persian papers disorder and anarchy have
not stopped in Persian Azerbaijan. So far the Local Government has been
unable to go into the question of tranquilizing the country, The warlike tribes
of Kurds and Shahsawans are carrying on a struggle with the representatives of
the Governor-General of Azerbaijan, Mukhbir-us-Saltaneh, and the people are
living in conditions of constant rapine and pillage. The paper “ Satara-i-Iran”
publishes in its 53rd number the following information from Tabriz, the
capital of Persian Azerbaijan :—
“ Despite the fact that upwards of half a million of tomans 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value. have been sent
from Tehran to Tabriz and that the local revenues are entirely at the disposal
of the Governor-General, nevertheless, regardless of the regular and auxiliary
troops with him, Mukhbir-us-Saltaneh has not instituted order in the country.
It is evident he is not going to be any more successful in the future in this
respect. Azerbaijan’s public opinion is hostile to him. As a result of his activi
ties there is an insufficiency of products in Azerbaijan, the Kurd leader Smitko
occupies the whole area between Khoi and Sauj Bulak, and the Kurds are
behaving licentiously in Salmas, Urmia, and other places. Some thousand
villages in the Tabriz region have been seized and their inhabitants slaughtered.
Detachments of Shahsawanis attack even the outskirts of the town and seize
the mails and kafilas.
Even in such a state of affairs does Mukhbir-us-Saltaneh send to Tehran
without fail mendacious reports of the successful fruition of his task—the
pacification of the country.
This is the situation in Azerbaijan. We think it incumbent on us to
acquaint all our countrymen with it.”
English Service.
The members of the so-called Southern Police (South Persian Rifles ?
Trans.) dismissed by the English with arms in their hands are continuing
their lawlessness, according to information in the “ Ittahad ” (September
26th) the principal town of the provinces of Ears. Shiraz, has suffered exceed
ingly from undisciplined mercenaries. One of the quarters of the town has
been burnt down and telegraphic communication with the centre interrupted.
About the note on Tsarist Debts.
The Note of the Soviet Republic regarding the acknowledgment of Tsarist
pre-war debts is evidently destined to play the part of a bone round which the
Entente dogs are ready to turn and tear each other to pieces. According
to the papers the French usurers are sceptical wth regard to this Note. Briand
demands solid economic and political guarantees. In what form the French
Bourse conceives these political and economic guarantees is unknown to us
but it is quite safe to prophesy that the appetite of the French sharks will not
be distinguished by reluctance to strip Russia to the last thread, to strip her
like Germany has been stripped—that is the aim of the French.