File 1341/1921 Pt 1 'Khorassan Intelligence Summaries 1921-1922' [‎517v] (682/1080)

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Five thousand poods of wheat have been purchased in Lutfabad by the
Bolsheviks and sent to AskhabacL
The following troop movement is reported to have passed Artik :
Westwards .—July 17th and 18th, 150 Russians and Qirgiz, 10 detraining at
Artik.
July 19th to 21st, 790 Muslim troops in various groups and detachments,
1 machine gun.
July 23rd. 94 wagon loads of Russian troops, stated by observer to belong
to an Orenburg division and to number 5,000. It is unlikely though
that more than 20 men per vehicle would be carried at this time of
year. These troops were said to be going to Resht.
Eastwards.r-Jvly 18th to 21st, 395 mixed troops, 6 wagon loads of horses.,
Archangan. No information of importance. The correspo-ndent retails
travellers’ accounts of cleavage among the Bolsheviks, that is,
Russian Bolsheviks, on account of which a more active disunion
is expected. The Mussulmans and Turkmen are w atching the situa-
tion and wuuld be aw-Bolshevik in politics.
Khakislar.—No information of importance.
Persian SaraJelis. July 20th to 26.—(?) Thirty infantry and 20 mounted
men with one machine gun arrived in Russian Sarakhs from Tejen
* on 20th July and after a day’s rest, left for Ak-Robat and Chakmak'
via Pul-i-Khatum This detachment is thought to be intended to
cope with Afghan raiders who have recently looted two flocks of
sheep.
(p.) The Bolsheviks have brought some cloth to Russian Sarakhs for barter
with the Turkmen for wheat. This cloth was forcibly seized from
merchants two years ago and the Turkmen are made to accept it
in lieu of their wheat, whether they want it or not. These people
are so tired of their Bolshevik masters that they would welcome
any expedient to be rid of them, or would emigrate to any country
to get away from them.
{Hi) The frontier is still closed. Although Persians arc not allowed to cross
into Russian territory, Bolsheviks come freely to Persian Sarakhs.
184. —Trans-Fronttee.
There has been a great falling off in the number of arrivals from Russia
recently. The diminution is ascribable to the great heat, to frontier restrictions,
and to cholera and plague quarantine. The immediate result, of course, is a
reduction in the volume of general information available.
Askhabad. July 22nd. — There is a story that an employe in the Askhabad
Bank, an Armenian, has recently stolen 22 pounds of gold bullion besides silver
and disappeared. There has been a great hue and cry, even the frontier posts
having their garrisons expanded in order to provide more patrols to catch the
delinquent should he seek asylum in Persia.
{ii) The troop ration is now~ 12 ounces of black bread per diem with dried
fish from Krasnovodsk and some sort of soup. Others on the ration list get only
8 ounces of black bread. Bread is purchasable with difficulty and costs 800 to
1,000 roubles a pound.
(Hi) A certain number of shoes made in Tashkent of Bokharan red leather
has been issued to the troops.
(iv) The Siksia party has its representatives in Askhabad. The leaders are
Khanlar Beg, Taqi Bakhsh Alizadaov, a son-in-law of the first named, and Zahir,
son of Muhammad Meshedi Rasul The last three were previously in Merv as
members of the same organization. The Bolsheviks are the directors of the move
ment.