861.48/1454
The High Commissioner at Constantinople
(
Bristol
)
to the Secretary of
State
Constantinople
May
10, 1921
.
[Received June 2.]
No. 191
Sir: I have the honor to transmit herewith for
the information of the Department:
- 1.
- A copy of a letter dated Tiflis April 16th from Mr. E. A.
Yarrow, Director General of the Near East Relief work in the
Caucasus.40
- 2.
- A translation of an agreement between the Soviet Government of
Georgia and the Near East Relief for the continuance of the
latter’s relief work in the Caucasus.
I desire to call the careful attention of the Department to both of these
enclosures. Mr. Yarrow’s letter regarding conditions in the Caucasus
contains the first report of a reliable observer which I have received
from Tiflis or that neighborhood. I do not entirely agree with all of
Mr. Yarrow’s conclusions regarding the present and future relations
between the Turks and the Russians in the [Page 842] Caucasus, but was interested to learn of the
facilities which the present Government of Georgia has given him for his
relief work.
In the agreement signed on March 28th [29th?] at
Tiflis, copy enclosed herewith, the local Bolshevik Government
apparently grants the Near East Relief workers far more satisfactory
terms for their work than has been previously offered by Bolshevik
authorities.
I have [etc.]
[Enclosure—Translation]
Certificate from the Socialist Soviet Republic of Georgia to the Near East Relief
41
Tiflis
,
March 29,
1921
.
No. 403
The People’s Commissary of Foreign Affairs of the S.S.R. of Georgia
appreciating the problems of the N.E.R. hereby certifies, that the
Government of the Socialistic Soviet Republic of Georgia is ready to
give any assistance whatever to this American Committee in its work,
i.e. in organizing shelter homes, orphanages, hospitals and soup
kitchens; as well as in supplying the needy population with food,
medicines and clothing.
Whereas the Government of the Socialistic Soviet Republic of Georgia
states:
- 1)
- It guarantees to those members of the N.E.R. who are
citizens of the United States free travel in and out of
Georgia.
- 2)
- The American Commission has the right of distribution of
its property to the population as it deems it expedient, and
the right of supervision over the distributions, in case
these supplies are turned over to some local
organization.
- 3)
- All supplies sent to the address of the Committee for
above mentioned relief purposes are free from duty and all
other taxes.
- 4)
- All the property of the American Commission is beyond
requisition.
- 5)
- Guarantees to the Commission the right of shipping
supplies to Azerbeidjan and Armenia without duty
charges.
- 6)
- Guarantees that all regulations and new laws of the
Government will be communicated to the Commission through
the Commission of Foreign Affairs only.
The People’s Commissary reserves himself the right of general
supervision of the activities of the N.E.R. through the Commission
of Foreign Affairs.
President of the Revol.
Committee
F.
Maharadze
Peopled
Commissary for Foreign Affairs
A. Svanldze
