CHAPTER 47
It was clear to Edrich when he, Robbins and Compton met Plasov for their meeting the latter had respect for the American consul. Plasov accepted Compton’s statement that he vouchsafed for Robbins’ and Edrich’s official status as British officials. Plasov expressed surprise that an American Consul, who represented the anti-imperial President Hickson, should plead on behalf of an Imperial power from which they, the Americans, had successfully rebelled. Compton replied that Great Britain and America were now allies in the fight the democracies were having with the autocracies of Germany and Austria-Hungary. For the next twenty minutes Plasov harangued the three men opposite with Bolshevik propaganda - all of it against imperialist capitalists.
When the Russian paused for breath Compton interjected that his government would be concerned over the breaching of the German blockade by the sale of cotton to the Germans. Edrich wondered why Compton had not included Turkey and then remembered that the United States was not at war with it. Plasov replied to Compton’s statement that he waited for Moscow’s judgement on what to do about the cotton and the British Mission’s status. Until he received a response from Moscow Plasov stressed, he would continue to treat the Mission as unofficial.
Robbins protested but only received a shrug in reply so he did not pursue it further instead he switched topics. ‘Comrade Minister, yesterday after Colonel Edrich and Captain Hutton visited you the hotel where we are all staying was raided by the police. All of our rooms were searched. Nothing was taken but they made a very great mess. This is intolerable behaviour. We are a diplomatic mission and whilst you await Moscow’s decision as to our status we should still be treated as representatives of His Majesty’s Government.’
Plasov sat back in his chair, smiled and then opened his arms in supplication. ‘The searching of your room is a police matter. I have no control over any of the police. Their job is to protect our government, which is what I suspect they were doing. If you wish take it up with them do so - don’t bother me I cannot do anything as you are unofficial.’ Plasov sounded exasperated.
‘Comrade Minister, can we return to the sale of the cotton to the Germans?’ interjected Compton.
Plasov loudly sighed, then narrowed his eyes before staring at Robbins and Edrich. ‘Thanks to the cutting of the railway line by the Counter-Revolutionaries, with or without British help, nobody can move the cotton at the moment even if they wanted too and that includes us.’ Plasov grimaced, ‘we have not sold cotton to the Germans. Perhaps you could listen to me when I said we await orders from Moscow about the cotton.’
‘I heard cotton is leaving by Tashkent by camel train is that going to Germany?’
Plasov’s face grew sour, ‘Mr Compton, I hardly need to remind you that we still have our own needs. Any cotton leaving here is for our factories in the west it is not going to Germany. Perhaps the governments you all represent should think of us and our needs for a change.’ Plasov thumped himself in the chest with a forefinger, ‘if you do not want the cotton to go to Germany then give us a better price for it when the time comes. I will not comment further on this subject. Now I have some questions.’ Plasov paused and looked at Robbins intently, ‘you, Sir Walter, are retiring is that correct?’
‘Yes.’ Robbins wondered how the man knew.
‘Then why are you here?’
Robbins cleared his throat not because it needed it, but because it gave him time to think. ‘I wish to go home through Russia and then Persia as it is much faster than going back through India. Then we have a dearth of Russian speaking officers so it was thought useful for me, a Russian speaker, to help the colonel and the captain communicate with your government.’
‘You are not a military man but,’ Plasov’s gaze moved to Edrich,’ Colonel Edrich is. So why replace you a Russian speaking non-military man, with a military man who cannot speak our language?’
‘Colonel Edrich speaks Chinese and has just started to learn Russian. It is common practice for soldiers of the Indian Army to move into the political service and become consuls throughout India. There is a tradition that they keep their military rank. So when these former military men are promoted in the political department their military rank adjusts accordingly - it is a just an honorary title. I can assure you the colonel is here for a political purpose.’
‘I am so glad that you can give me that assurance, Sir Walter,’ Plasov said sarcastically. ‘I suppose your interest in the POWs you claim is political?’
‘Yes,’ echoed Edrich and Robbins.
‘Did you fight in the war, colonel?’
Edrich thought about lying but decided that Plasov’s look indicated that he might know something. ‘Yes, Commissar, I am now unfit for active service and that is why I have returned to political service and why I am here now.’
Plasov smiled, ‘And Captain Hutton?’
‘He has been injured and ill, Commissar. So he is learning to become a political officer by watching Sir Walter and myself,’ Edrich forced a smile.
Plasov’s eyebrows shot up as he listened, ‘how cosy.’ His attention switched back to Robbins. ‘Did you know that the railway lines were cut between here and the west, Sir Walter?’ Plasov’s tone sharpened, ‘how did you expect to get home through Russia? What was your intended route?’
‘I did not know,’ Robbins hesitated whilst he selected the right words, ‘when we set out Commissar that Russia would be in such a state of upheaval. Kashgar is a long way from anywhere so we get little news. Routes to the west of the Caspian I understand may be or, is barred by the Turks and Germans. Therefore, I was going to go by train to the Krasnovodsk, sail from there to Enzeli before going through Persia to the Persian Gulf and then sail for home.’
Plasov grunted at the last comment as if he accepted it, then with a wave of his arm at the door he indicated the meeting was over. Plasov said he would meet the British again when news on their status arrived from Moscow.
As the three men walked back to the Grand Hotel Edrich asked Compton about the police in Tashkent.
‘There are three police forces. First, the official police who do the usual police job of patrolling the streets and keeping order at a benign level - they don’t seem too bad. Second, the secret police, the Cheka, who I believe report directly to the Soviet. These are the police who are everywhere and they arrest people for no reason and kill them without explanation. In the massacre of the local tribes that took place earlier this year these Cheka were mostly to blame. Third, are the military police that seem to have exactly the same powers as the Cheka but report to the army authorities. It is hard to tell the last two police forces apart.’
‘Do you know why we have two or three people following us but at different distances from us?’ Edrich asked.
Compton laughed. ‘Nobody trusts anybody so we are all followed by members of each force.’
The three then discussed where else there would be agents of the police. The hotel was an obvious place with Compton estimating that at least one person on each floor would be a spy. He also said that some of the waiters in the restaurant would be spies, particularly if they spoke English. When Robbins made the rejoinder that the waiters would be unable to speak English, Compton replied that some of the hotel waiters were from Austria-Hungary and had worked in Britain or America before the war.
Compton then asked whether their rooms had been searched yet and after listening to first Robbins and then Edrich’s experience he said. ‘Describe this man who you said was the leader.’ Edrich did so at which Compton grunted before replying, ‘that is Chevosky the head of the Cheka. If that man threatens you, take heed. He was in prison for murder and the Bolos freed him. After the problems the Europeans had here last December with the Sarts they decided they needed the nastiest person in Turkestan to run the murder show - Comrade Chevosky.’
‘Why would the chief come on a room search?’ Robbins pondered.
‘He did the same when I first arrived which I suspected was just to have a look at
me and also demonstrate his power. Do not expect the search to be the last, although Chevosky won’t necessarily always appear.’
On arrival back at the hotel Compton accepted Edrich’s offer of listening to Hutton’s report of his meeting with Anders. Robbins scepticism about Compton attending Hutton’s debriefing was conveyed to Edrich by a look and a raised eyebrow. The scepticism disappeared as Compton filled in some of the details that Hutton had missed for example the fact that the POWs got extra food if they joined the Bolsheviks’ army. Almost sheepishly Hutton mentioned the need to bring a haversack to the cinema that evening without having a clue as to why Anders had said he should. Compton suggested that Anders was sympathetic to the allied cause and would have had a good reason to tell Hutton to bring the bag.
The Cotton Spies Page 48