Ext 5001/41 'PERSIA – INTERNAL (Miscellaneous despatches).' [‎76v] (152/248)

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25.000 tons expected from the south and west must come from the Sultanabad,
Hamadan and Kermanshah districts, and in the course of October some 10,000 tons
accumulated in these three districts for transport to Tehran. The surplus from
Sultanabad began to be moved to Tehran by rail. Owing to a serious inadequacy
of local road transport facilities, however, there appeared to be little prospect of
moving any grain from Hamadan and Kermanshah. Arrangements were
therefore made at the end of October for British army trucks to move 10,000 toi^ N
ol grain in two months from Kermanshah, while the help of the Persian army w;**-
enlisted to carry grain from Hamadan.
38. The attitude of the Soviet authorities to the export of the vital grain
surplus from the Soviet-occupied zone has recently been clarified, to the extent
that they have promised to help in the transfer to Tehran of 40,000 tons of grain,
thus formally recognising the capital's dependence on the northern provinces for
assistance of this order. Prompted by Dr. Millspaugh after a conference on food
supplies at which the American Minister and myself were present, the Persian
Prime Minister made representations in October to the Soviet Charge d’Affaires
and was successful in obtaining his agreement for the provision of transport
facilities, including rail facilities on the north-eastern and north-western lines
and road transport from Tabriz to the north-western railhead, for the export of
18.000 tons of grain from Azerbaijan, 2,000 tons from Zinjan, 10,000 tons from
Gurgan and 10,000 tons from Khorassan. In return the Russians have been
promised 40,000 tons of rice, in exchange for manufactured goods (including
60 per cent, cotton piece-goods) and help in transporting 12,000 tons of rice to
Tehran. So far, however, less than 600 tons of wheat and barley have reached
Tehran from the northern provinces and how much more will come will depend
as much on the actual availability of the necessary surplus as on the readiness
of the Russians to supply the transport facilities they have promised. Although
the Russians themselves are not asking for any wheat or barley this year, there
is little enough prospect at present of any substantial surplus being available
for Tehran. Collections in the south are nearly three times those in the northern
provinces, where not even half the local requirements are yet in Government
hands. The Soviet authorities are understood to have offered to instruct their
local officials to assist the Persian grain collecting officials, and a proposal was
i made to them in October by the Persian Government for the appointment of
Russian “cereals liaison officers” with duties comparable to those of our
own “consular liaison officers.” This valuable suggestion, however, has not
yet borne fruit.
39. In view of the uncertainty of supplies from the northern provinces,
the Middle East Supply Centre, Cairo, has been asked to establish a secret
reserve of 10,000 tons of grain at some convenient place outside Persia, to be
available at six weeks' call—from the 1st December, as a guarantee against a
complete breakdown of the Tehran bread supply such as happened last winter. ^
It is not impossible that a shortage of supplies from the north could be made
good to some extent by additional deliveries from districts in the south and west.
This will depend, however, partly on sufficient transport being available and
partly on the extent to which the Government succeeds in enforcing its theoretical
purchasing monopoly. There is the liveliest opposition to this monopoly from
landowners, middlemen, and well-to-do householders, who demand a free market
for grain regardless of the effect which this would have in impeding the purchases
by Government on which the bread of the majority of the population of the
towns depend. A campaign in the press and Majlis has compelled Dr. Millspaugh
to agree to the issue of permits for the purchase of grain by private individuals,
since, without this concession, he could see no prospect of obtaining an essential
credit (not, in fact, yet granted) of 40 million rials for further grain purchases. The
insertion, however.* in the relevant decree of an ingenious clause providing that
grain purchased privately should, nevertheless, be transported by Government,
by seriously restricting the scope of private dealings has left the would-be dealers
still unsatisfied and the Government still the principal grain purchaser If
this situation continues and if the results of the sugar barter scheme, which has
been working successfully in Khuzistan and is expected to be introduced
generally towards the end of November, are satisfactory, considerable additional
surpluses may yet be forthcoming from areas in the southern zone
40. Colonel Speaks arrived in Tehran from the United States towards the
end of September, to take over the Cereals and Bread Section from Mr. Crawford,
but unfortunately, had to leave again for the United States almost immediately
owim- to ill-health. Mr. Crawford, therefore, continues to be in charge, under