"تاريخ الحرب الكبرى استنادًا إلى وثائق رسمية. الحملة في بلاد الرافدين ١٩١٤-١٩١٨. المجلد IV". [و‎‎١‎٣‎١] (٥٤٠/٢٦٦)

TRANS-CASPIA 209
the Shah to dismiss his anti-British Government and to appoint
one more friendly to us.*
The doubts whether we could save Baku and the necessity
for preventing the enemy gaining control of the Caspian in
creased the importance of the measures we were taking in
Trans-Caspia. It is impossible in the space available to explain
in any detail the various factors affecting the situation, which
appeared to be as chaotic and complicated as that in the Caucasus.
Briefly, the Trans-Caspian Government was formed by members
of the Russian Menshevik partyf and controlled the area along
the railway from the Caspian to the eastward of Merv. Assisted
by some of the Turkoman tribes, the Mensheviks were trying
to prevent the Bolsheviks, who were established strongly at
Tashkend and whose forces largely consisted of enemy prisoners
of war of low moral,\ from ousting them and gaining the Caspian.
The Mensheviks were also nervous lest the Turkomans, of their
own accord or under Turkish instigation, should obtain control
of Trans-Caspia. Among both Mensheviks and Turkomans
were many who were distrustful of British intentions. A wide
spread anti-Bolshevik movement which was in progress in
Central Asia rendered the Bolshevik control of part of Turkestan
precarious and they were nervous of the Bokharans and Afghans,
whose attitude, though neutral for the time being, was uncertain.
Owing to the intrigues rampant everywhere, which made
it very difficult to ascertain the truth, General Malleson at
Meshed had a very difficult problem to face.§ It had been
impossible to give him any clear-cut instructions, while, owing
to the long and difficult line of communication connecting him
with India, it was impracticable to maintain more than a very
small force of troops in Khurasan. At the beginning of August
he had been authorised to afford the Trans-Caspian Government
support in their struggle against the Bolsheviks; and for this
purpose, among other measures, he had moved a detachment
of 175 rifles of the 19th Punjabis and a machine gun section
to the Persian frontier, where they would threaten the flank
of a Bolshevik advance towards the Caspian. In the first
week of August, a Bolshevik force advanced against the Merv * * * §
* Vossuq-ed-Douleh was appointed Prime Minister on the 7th August,
t The Russians at Askabad, though just as revolutionary in spirit, had
quarrelled with the Bolsheviks and had set up their own “ committee,"
calling themselves Mensheviks.
+ The y were unable to return to their homes as the railways to Europe were
s tillpartly in the hands of loyal Russian elements.
§ This was rendered no easier by the fact that enemy agents in British
uniforms were impersonating British political and military officers in the area
under his control.
(194 65)
P