From: Ministry of Defense
Decoding
3572
20
To: 3rd Army Command
In attachment to the code dated January 18, 1918 and numbered 369.
Attached is the copy of the telegram to İzzet Pasha in Brest-Litowsk
by His Excellencies Vice Commander-in-Chief.
January 19, 1918
General Headquarters Director of the 1st Division
Lt.Col.
Feldman
Copy
To: İzzet Pasha in Brest-Litowsk
I request your bringing the following issue to agenda.
1. Armenians are continuously are doing wrong in performing despicable atrocities towards the Muslims in the rear echelons of the Russian front.
2. There are documents proving that the strong Armenian and Georgian units around Tbilisi are being gathered together as a whole. Moreover, after the signing of the peace treaty with the Russians, there is no doubt that the Armenians and the Georgians will engage in hostile activities against us from all sides by occupying the Russian positions. However, on one side while the terms of the ceasefire agreement only secures the welfare of our people, it keeps us away from launching a pre-emptive attack on those forces before they emerge as an organized fighting power. I believe, the preventing of the emergence of such organizations breeding hostility, and terminating the activities of the Armenian and Georgian gangs during the ceasefire resides only in the power of the Russian government in front of the states that have participated the ceasefire. Therefore, I request your conveying our desire, that we have no other choice but to ask for permission to act freely on a larger area if the Russians are not capable of
putting an end to those atrocities and organizations with their own military power, to Russian delegates. At a time when both sides are to maintain their positions as stated in the ceasefire agreement, and while they are withdrawing their own forces, leaving a hostile force behind the front lines is totally against the spirit of the terms of ceasefire. I urge you to inform me on the results of your accomplishments.
Mustafa Nadir Deputy Commander-in-Chief
Enver
