ABSTRACT
The British officals in north Persia had long been concerned about the activities of the Persian communists and the possibility of their alliance with the liberal nationalists. As we have seen, the Assistant Political Officer at Resht, C.A.Butters, had kept tabs on Bolshevik activities in Gilan and particularly on contacts between the communists coming from Baku and Kuchik Khan. He sent regular reports to Major C.J.Edmonds, Political Officer with Norperforce, at Kasvin. Other British agents in north-west Persia also regularly reported to Major Edmonds, who in turn, kept the Legation informed of political developments in the area. Towards the end of March 1920, the reports of growing Bolshevik agitation in Tabriz drew the attention of Edmonds towards Azerbaijan. In Tabriz the communists had managed to recruit more than 800 members and were in contact with the party headquarters at Baku. They had formed an alliance with the Social Democratic Party, led by Ghulam Hussain Rezazada. They also enjoyed the active support of the German Consul at Tabriz, Kurt Wustrow, who was known for his anti-British campaign in Fars during the First World War.1 It seems that the communists even hoped to join forces with the Tabriz branch of the liberal-nationalist Democrat Party, led by a highly popular figure, Shaykh Muhammed Khiyabani.2 Khiyabani, like most leading Democrats, had long been branded as an “extremist” by the British officials. Edmonds was therefore alarmed when he learned that Khiyabani’s supporters had taken control of Tabriz and set up an autonomous local government on April 9.
