'1914 5094 PARTS 1&2. TURCO-PERSIAN FRONTIER COMMISSION' [‎141r] (292/412)

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[This Document is tiie Property of His Britannic M ajesty’s Governinent.]
PERSIA AND CENTRAL ASIA.
CONEIDENTIA L.
[March 15.]
Section 2
[ 30140 ]
No. 1.
Captain Wilson to Sir Edward Grey.—(Received March i5.)
(No. 21.)
Sir, Camp Barduk, j\uau st 26. 1914.
IN continuation of my despatch No. 18, dated the 1st August, I have the honour
to enclose, for your information, a copy of a despatch dated the 26th August, 1914,
which I have addressed to His Majesty’s Ambassador at Constantinople describing the
proceedings of this Commission from the 30th July to date.
I n vp /vr*
A. T. WILSON, Captain I.A.,
British Commissioner, Turco-
Persian Frontier Commission.
Enclosure in No. 1.
Captam Wilson to Sir L. Mallet.
(No. 50.)
Sir, Camp Barduk, August 26, 1914.
1 IN continuation of my despatch No. 48, dated the 1st August, I have the honour
to submit, for your Excellency’s information, the following report upon the proceedings
of the Commission subsequent to that date :—
2. News of the outbreak of war in Europe was received in camp at Margawar on
the 4th August. The intelligence was received with undisguised satisfaction by the
Persian Commission, who hoped that Russia’s preoccupation in Europe might bring
about the evacuation of Azerbaijan by her troops, and they were correspondingly
dejected when, two days later, they learned of Great Britain’s participation in the war.
3. The return to Russia of some of the Russian troops at Urmia, exaggerated
by local rumour into a complete evacuation of the district, caused much anxiety to the
villagers, mostly Christians, along the frontier, and a corresponding elation amongst
the Kurds. At the same time the Turkish troops on the frontier professed to fear an
attack by Russian troops from Urmia and vice versa, and the resulting unnecessary
movements of small bodies of troops on both sides of the frontier served to increase
the general nervousness.
M. Minorski and I decided that the best thing was to proceed ourselves at once to
Urmia to ascertain the facts, the rest of the Commission continuing to demarcate the
frontier along the watershed.
We reached Urmia on the 5th August, followed a few days later by the Persian
and Turkish Commissions.
4. I had hoped to leave Urmia by the 10th instant, but my colleagues showed no
anxiety to return to the frontier, and it was not until the 18th August that, after
several postponements, the next meeting was held and a further section of the frontier
settled, bringing us to “ Mont Zont ” (Khizan), at which point, according to the
protocol of the 4th (17th) November, 1913, the frontier leaves the watershed and
crosses the Arzin River at right angles.
5. The provisions of the protocol concerning the frontier from this point to
Kotoul Dagh are surprisingly vague, seeing that M. Minorski has more than once
visited the locality, and would appear to have had ample opportunities to prepare a
correct description of the status quo line.
The Persian and Turkish commissioners found themselves unable to agree upon
the frontier between Khizan and Sari Baydost, and accordingly had lecourse to
arbitration during the sitting of the 20th August. The necessary pillars were erected
on the morning of the 21st August, the afternoon being devoted by the technical
officers of the British Commission to observations of the eclipse of the sun, which
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