File No. 861.00/1642
The Consul General at Moscow ( Summers ) to the Secretary of State 1
[Received April 22, 11 p.m.]
372. Following substance of report just received Moscow, from British agent in Caucasus:
Strength of Armenian and Georgian national units reorganized loyal armies, which left front in November, is about four army corps. They are in need of war material. Turks have taken Erzerum, Arda-khan, and approaching Kars and Batum. Wholesale massacres of the Armenians. Persia putting forward claims compensation Persian inhabitants who have suffered through war and establishment frontier line favorable Persia in the Lenkoran district. Transcaucasian parliament does not recognize Soviets and carries on peace negotiations with Turkey on its own. These negotiations have been broken off by Turks whose agents are stirring up Mohammedan population of Caucasus in favor of annexing whole of that country with Turkey. Bolsheviks predominate in Baku. Civil war in interior between Tatars and Armenians in the south and mountaineers and Mussulmans in the north. In Baku region Russian Bolsheviks fighting Tatars. Railway communication between Mineralnyya Vody and Baku and Baku [and] Tiflis has been cut for two months. Communication maintained over entire [omission] by a leaning [sic] road or [omission] when mountaineers allow messengers to pass. Rapid [omission] prevails in Trans-Caucasus especially among Armenian refugees. Local currency has been issued in Tiflis. Germans having taken Kharkov are advancing toward the Volga and isolation of the Caucasus from Russia is possible. The Black Sea completely under German control. Turks negotiating with whole of Crimea with a view to annexation with autonomous Government under their protection.
- Sent via the Consulate at Vladivostok.↩