ملف ٥٦٦\١٩٢١ "بلاد فارس: ملخصات استخباراتية للملحق العسكري" [ظ‎‎٣‎٦] (٨١٨/٨١)

28. The strength of Persian troops garrisoning the Astarabad area is reported ,o
have been on the 1st June :—
800 cavalry.
1,640 infantry.
2 mountain guns.
2 machine guns.
Local headquarters at Astarabad.
29. With reference to paragraph 16 Intel ^y“ w f “XLtoe'^o^hrtaten
1st July, 1923, as the Persian commum } m 7th July for the town to be
Zoroastrians, the War Minister issued mstruc ion Povernor arrives there,
placed under martial law until such time as a new iv
f 1 have Ac.
C m’. SAUNDERS, Lieutenant-Colonel,
Military Attache.
Tehran, July 14, 1923.
Enclosure 2 in No. 1.
(Secret.)
Gilan.
Intelligence Summary No. 29 for Week ending July 21, 1923.
THE exodus of Persian mullahs from Irak continues to be the chief topic for local
eXUt The clergy at Resht received a telegram from the Union of Clergy m Tehran that
a united front must be shown. The message was passed on to the various districts m
Gilan, and telegrams of protest from these places were sent to lehram _ ihe clergy ol
Resht telegraphed their protest against the deportations to the Minister of War,
President of the Council of Ministers and to the UAion of Clergy m lehran.
The leaders of the various guilds in Resht were summoned by the local clergy and
invited to lend their support to the protests, so that it necessary the bazaars could e
closed. The merchants replied : “ A short while ag we invited your assistance
“ in obtaining a reduction in the taxes on shops and rents but you were not prepared
“ to help us. We are, therefore, not ready to side with you in this matter. Ihe
mullahs have consequently adopted other tactics. For two days past they have refused
to carry out their religious duties, viz-d-viz the public, refusing to certify and seal
documents, perform marriage contracts, &c., and say that until the Government give
satisfaction they will not carry out their Shariat duties.
Azerbaijan.
2. Tabriz. —Sartip Zadeh, who was one of Lahouti Khan’s chief lieutenants in
organising the revolution in Tabriz in 1921, has returned secret-.y to Tabriz and is
living in the Russian consulate.
Kazvin.
3. As a protest against the mullah exodus from Irak, a crowd of about 6,000
people took “bast” at the telegraph office in Kazvin on the 18th July. Telegrams
were sent to Tehran and other towns in Persia.
4. Hoffmann assumed the duties of Russian vice-consul at Kazvin on the 18th July
rice Minkin. He is a young Communist about 24 years of age.
Tehran.
5. With reference to paragraph 14, Intelligence Summary No. 24, dated the
16th June, the complimentary visit by aeroplanes of the Royal Air Force to Tehran
from Bagdad was postponed at the request of the Persian Government owing to the
sudden outburst of anti-British feeling caused by the exodus of ulama from Irak.
The War Minister is greatly disappointed at the postponement of the visit,
especially in view of his desire to purchase aeroplanes of a suitable type for the Persian
army.