Memo per a Telegraph Message from Tehran

Top Secret

Memo

per a telegraph message from Tehran

Moscow; copy to Tabriz [and] Baku

I am sending written proposals of the Iranian government to settle the Azerbaijani problem:

“As a result of talks between representatives of the government and Azerbaijan and also taking into consideration the 7 points of the declaration of 22 April adopted by the named representatives, and as a result of an exchange of opinions, an agreement has been reached that will serve as clarifications and additions to adopt and carry out the points below:

1. As regards Point 1 of the declaration an agreement has been reached so that the following phrase has been added: “The Chief of the Finance Department is also nominated on proposal of the provincial enjumen [council] and is approved by the government”.

2. Whereas it is indicated in Point 2 of the declaration that the governor-general is appointed by the government with consent of the provincial enjumen, in order to achieve this principle an agreement has been reached that the Ministry of Internal Affairs presents one of several candidates recommended by the provincial enjumen for the post of governor-general for the approval of the government.

3. In view of the recent changes which have taken place in Azerbaijan the government recognizes the present organization elected and known under the name of the Azerbaijani National Majlis as the provincial enjumen of Azerbaijan.

After the elections to the 15^th Convocation of the Majlis and the ratification of a new law about provincial and district enjumens which will be presented by the government, elections will immediately begin for a new provincial enjumen of Azerbaijan on the basis of the approved law.

4. To determine the fate of the local forces and their command which, as a result of changes and the movement in Azerbaijan have been brought up to strength using reservists [voyennoobyazanyye], an agreement has been reached that a commission is to be created locally comprised of representatives of the government and the provincial enjumen of Azerbaijan which should present for approval ways to solve this problem as soon as possible.

5. As regards the financial situation of Azerbaijan an agreement has been reached that 75% of the income of Azerbaijan would be designated for local needs and 25% sent to the Center for general expenses of all Iran.

Note: 1) Expenses and income of postal and telegraph institutions, customs, railroads, and the steamship line on Lake Urmia are excepted.

This income and expenses as a whole are considered to be exclusively in the competence of the government with only the reservation that the telegrams of district and provincial enjumens and also state institutions of Azerbaijan will be sent free of charge.

2) The construction and repair of the main highways has been entrusted to the government.  Restoration and repair of secondary and local roads is to made the responsibility of the Azerbaijani provincial enjumen.

6. The government has agreed to begin a continuation of the railroad from Mianeh to Tabriz as soon as possible and finish it in the shortest possible time.

It stands to reason that in carrying out this measure Azerbaijani workers and specialists will preferably be used.

7. Volunteer forces which are maintained in Azerbaijan besides reservists under the name of fedai are being turned into a gendarmerie.

In determining the structure of these forces and also the appointment of the command staff an agreement has been reached about the creation on site of a commission of representatives of the government of His Excellency Qavam-os-Saltaneh and the provincial enjumen of Azerbaijan, which will present a resolution of the problem for approval as soon as possible.

8. As regards lands distributed among peasants as a result of the democratic movement in Azerbaijan, as it affects the “khalise” state lands the government, inasmuch as in principle it agrees with the distribution of the “khalis” lands among the peasants throughout Iran, does not see a conflict [protivorechiye] in this matter and a corresponding law in this regard will be presented for the Majlis’ ratification at the first opportunity.

As regards other lands distributed among the peasants as a result of the latest changes in Azerbaijan, an agreement has been reached that in order to compensate the losses of the landowners or to replace their estates a commission has been set up of representatives of the government and the provincial enjumen of Azerbaijan, which should present a resolution of the problem for approval.

9. The government is obligated, upon the opening the 15^th Majlis, to present to it an election law based on the principle of freedom and democracy - that is, ensuring general, secret, direct, proportional, and equal suffrage, extended also to women - and request its quick ratification.

With the objective of increasing the number of representatives of Azerbaijan and other regions of the country proportionate to their number in the population of various locations [punkty], immediately upon the opening of the 15^th Majlis the government is also obligated to present a bill and request its ratification in half the time [v poryadke dvoynoy speshnosti] in order that after its ratification the missing deputies of the various regions be elected and sent to the Majlis.

10. The province of Azerbaijan will consist of the 3^rd and 4^th Astans [Translator’s note: At this time Iran was divided into numbered provinces rendered in Russian variously as “ostan”’s – as in this text – or “astan”’s – as per a contemporary Great Soviet Encyclopedia, which I have used].

11. The government is agreeable to Azerbaijan creating an administrative council [consisting] of the governor-general, chiefs of institutions, and a presidium of the provincial enjumen, which will operate under the supervision [kontrol’] of the provincial enjumen.

12. As regards the 3^rd point of the government’s declaration of 22 April which from the point of view of determining the situation of the middle and higher schools is not clear, the following phrase is added: “In middle and higher educational institutions training is conducted in both languages: Persian and Azerbaijani”.

13. National minorities living in Azerbaijan (Kurds, Armenians, Assyrians) on the basis of point 3 of the government’s declaration have the right to educate their children in their native language until the 5^th grade.

14. In view of that fact that the government is intent on presenting for the ratification of the 15^th Majlis a new law for elections to urban municipalities throughout all Iran, compiled on the basis of the principles of democracy - that is general, secret, direct, proportional, and equal suffrage - the elections to municipal enjumens of Azerbaijan and all points of Iran will begin immediately upon ratification of this law.

Until ratification of this law and new elections the present municipal enjumens will carry out their functions.

15. This agreement enters into force after ratification by Qavam-os-Saltaneh’s government and the provincial enjumens of Azerbaijan.”

I would consider these proposals of the Iranian government acceptable for they present an opportunity to maintain the present actual situation in Azerbaijan; moreover, before the convocation of the new Majlis, which evidently will review the law about the administrative structure and determine the final statute for Azerbaijan, the future of Azerbaijan will depend in the final account on the correlation of forces of democracy and reaction in the country and in particular in the Majlis.

Proceeding from the unfavorable domestic situation in Iran right now, I would consider it inadvisable to draw out the discussions any longer.

Our enemies will try to use the present unresolved situation against us, instilling in the Shah and Qavam the fear that we are only biding our time so that Azerbaijan can break away.

Several representatives of neutral circles evidently also have doubts that are we not making fools of the Iranian government, concealing our ulterior motives.

People close to us from the populists [nadodniki] and “Freedom Front” are waiting impatiently for a resolution of the question with our aid and are constantly asking about the progress of talks and a possible date for their conclusion.

The official registration [oformleniye] of the oil treaty also requires the quickest possible conclusion of the talks, for without this [treaty] the Iranian government will not announce parliamentary elections.

The domestic situation in the country right now permits [us] to hope for the election of a suitable composition of Parliament, in any case not measurably better than past ones.

The Iranian government in an addition to its declaration of 22 April has made significant concessions, in my view, even more than could have been expected.

I would think it possible to recommend to the Azerbaijanis to accept this Iranian government draft, sign the agreement, and agree with Qavam on a joint struggle for a democratic composition of the future Parliament.

Request your urgent instructions.

5 June SADCHIKOV”

Minister of State Security of the Azerbaijan SSR

General-Major  Yemel’yanov [signed “S. Yemel’yanov”]

6 June 1946

No 1669-1672-312