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compromise, pending a clarification of the world situation. As usual, the Persian
tries to shift responsibility from his own to someone else’s shoulders : the fate
of Persia, in his view, depends, not on the actions of the Persians themselves,
but upon the attitude taken towards Russia’s demands in Europe by Britain,
and, to a lesser extent, by America. It is to Europe that the anxious ey es 01 the
Persians are now turned.
Fhe Tribes and Soviet Activities among Ihem.
42. Except in western Azarbaijan (northern Kurdistan) the tribal situation
has been satisfactory during the first half of the year. Ihere have been minor
ebullitions and instances of banditry, but the disorders that usually accompany
the tribal migration were hardly noticeable this year. But the elements of
disorder are still there, easily provoked by political agitators or corrupt
administration.
43. In northern Kurdistan the attitude of the tribes has been causing the
Persian Government much concern. For a long time past the Soviet authorities
have prevented the Persian Government from taking any measures to enforce
their authority, with the result that the tribes from Mahabad to Maku are
practically a law unto themselves, except in so far as they are restrained by
Russian officials. For a time endeavours were made to induce the Kurds to join
the Tudeh party, but Tudeh principles found little favour in the eyes of Kurdish
chiefs. Russian support is now reported to have been transferred to the movement
for Kurdish independence, known as Komala, which seems to be gaining ground
rapidly. The Persian Government expects to be faced, on the withdrawal of
Russian troops, with a very serious situation in western Azarbaijan, and there
is little ground for hope that they will be proved wrong.
44. In eastern Azarbaijan the hitherto patriotic Shahsavan tribes have
been shocked by the impotence of the Persian Government to prevent the arrest
and enforced detention in Tabriz by the Soviet authorities of two of their chiefs,
whose only crime was opposition to the Tudeh party.
45. Little progress has been made with the collection of the large number
of arms in the hands of tribes and others. A thousand or so have recently been
seized in southern Kurdistan, mostly from settled tribes and villagers.
Tribal Lands.
46. At long last Sheikh Chassib, the eldest son of the late Sheikh Khazaal
of Mohammerah reached Tehran from Bagdad and joined his brothers and
sisters in their efforts to get the Persian Arbitration Commission to decide in
their favour a distribution of lands or allotment of revenue from the large landed
property seized from their father after his arrest in 1925. It looks as if the
five arbitrators want to give an indecisive finding, or one that does not show
up the Persian Government’s (or rather the late Reza Shah’s) gains in this sordid
transaction.
Persian A rmy.
47. Some efforts are being made by the present Chief of the General Staff,
General Arfa, to improve the morale of the rank and file. An order forbidding
corporal punishment has recently been issued. Soldiers’ clubs are being formed
at formation headquarters; and insistence on the necessity for a general
improvement of management has resulted in the soldier receiving in some
formations a larger proportion of the rations to which he is entitled. But officers
still remain seriously underpaid, and while this lasts honesty cannot be expected.
The current year’s budget has not yet been presented to the Majlis, and the
army lives on periodical grants of a fraction of last year’s inadequate budget.
The present Chief of the General Staff is patriotic, professionally well qualified
and sincerely desirous of improving the efficiency of the army, but he cannot
refrain from dabbling in politics, partly because he is convinced that he can
play a part in rallying patriotic elements to make a stand against Russian
infiltration via the Tudeh party and partly because he feels obliged to seek
support among Deputies and journalists against the intrigues and calumnies
of his enemies. Mutual jealousies and individual and faction animosities,
encouraged by Tudeh and Russian intrigues, take up much of the time of senior
officers and are a great handicap to progress. The Russians are hostile to the
present Chief of the General Staff and to the officers he has appointed to the
senior ranks of the army. The Tudeh party tries hard to attract the sympathies