"تاريخ الحرب الكبرى استنادًا إلى وثائق رسمية: العمليات في بلاد فارس ١٩١٤-١٩١٩" [و‎‎١‎٤‎٧] (٥٦٦/٢٩٨)

THE RUSSIAN DEBACLE
255
a wireless message to the world demanding an immediate
armistice as a prelude to peace negotiations. To maintain
themselves in power, and incidentally to carry out the wishes
of their German paymasters, they then set themselves delibe
rately to destroy the efficiency of the various Russian military
forces.
The Russian troops in the Caucasus and in North-West and The Caucasus;
West Persia still retained their positions ; but they were no
longer receiving either pay or food regularly, and their con
sequent lack of discipline and loss of moral rendered them of
such little fighting value that by the middle of October all
that we could hope for was that they would not evacuate Persia
nor leave the roads into that country open to the enemy.*
In Trans-Caucasia, where the disintegrating effects of the
revolution appeared to have brought about no striking develop
ment, the Tartars, though really pro-Turk and antagonistic to
the Armenians, agreed to act with them and the Georgians in
"proclaiming, on the 20th September, an independent federal
republic. By thus avoiding the question of complete inde
pendence—which the uncertainty regarding the future also
rendered advisable—the leaders of these three races managed
for a time to preserve an outward form of unity. At the
beginning of November, General 4 Offley Shore, the British
military agent in the Caucasus, reported that the Russians
intended their forces to retain their line there for the winter.
But, a few days later, he telegraphed that anarchy was spreading
and that, owing to the Bolsheviks having obtained control of
the railway at Baku, the supply difficulties, already great, had
become much worse. On the 23rd November he further
reported that the Russians could no longer be relied on in any
way and that it was extremely doubtful if they could keep
their army in position throughout the winter. Moreover, the
soldiers’ committees on the spot were selling arms, ammunition,
clothing and military stores of all kinds to the local races and
to Persians, Kurds and others, the Russian officers being power
less to prevent it. If Armenian and Georgian troops were to
be formed to replace the Russians, he considered that the
question ought to be seriously taken in hand at once.
In Mesopotamia, General Maude hoped to be ready by the Enemy
end of September to meet the expected enemy offensive, which intentions;
could hardly commence till well on in October. It was learnt
that early in September the Persian Government received
* H.M. Government did their best to obviate this by supplying Baratoff
with considerable sums of money.