Ext 5001/41 'PERSIA – INTERNAL (Miscellaneous despatches).' [‎78r] (155/248)

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increase the country’s contribution to the common effort. Attention was concen
trated rather on past services and the hope of rewards to come. A watchful eye
was kept on the Moscow Conference and some anxiety was expressed lest internal
disputes might prejudice the country’s claim for consideration.
53. Innumerable articles were written exhorting the people of Persia to vote
r for honest and worthy candidates for the next Majlis, which, it was generally
•^sumed, would be called on to deal with questions arising out of the Peace Con-
xorence. I he present Deputies were accused of all manner of intrigues to secure
( their re-election, and the Government was frequently blamed for unlawful inter
ference in the voting. On the whole, however, M. Soheily received more support
and less abuse than he had done during previous months.
54. Sayyed Zia received a favourable welcome, but it was not long before the
Tudeh party papers started to attack him and accuse him of being a reactionary.
The popular belief that the British were responsible for his return was reflected
in some mischievous articles which appeared in Azad (subsequently suppressed)
suggesting that he had been brought here to counter Russian influence and the
spread of progressive ideas.
55. Dr. Millspaugh was subjected to some irresponsible criticism, but his
threatened resignation did much to subdue his critics and the eventual passing of
the Income-Tax Bill was welcomed by the majority of the papers. Some of them,
however, complained that it had been so whittled away in the process that it had
lost most of its value.
56. The food situation and the high cost of living were constant subjects
f of discussion and the Government was repeatedly attacked for its inability to
handle these problems. The slight drop in wholesale prices during recent weeks
caused the press to look more optimistically upon the prospects for the coming
t winter.
British Council.
57. 1 he winter teaching session of the Anglo-Persian Institute in Tehran
opened on the 9th October, the number of club members and of students attending
classes totalling over 1 , 200 . British Council staff also gave English lessons in the
Teachers College at the Tehran University, in the Alborz College at Tehran (run
by the Ministry of Education), and in the 1 echnical Colleges at Tehran and
Isfahan (run by the Ministry of Industry and Mines). An Anglo-Iranian
Dramatic l^ociety has been inaugurated in Tehran and three one-act plays will be
produced in December. A very successful photographic exhibition portraying
1 he Beauty of Britain was opened on the 15th November for a week. Weeklv
lectures included two at the University, one on “Samuel Johnson’’ by His
Majesty s Minister, and one on My Expeditions to the Karakoram,” by
Dr. Visser, Netherlands Minister in Angora; weekly gramophone concerts have
been continued, varied by a recital by a living artist. Weeklv film shows have
also been continued, in spite of the shortage of suitable films and equipment. The
opening of a book-shop is under consideration and publication has begun of a
children s magazine in Persian, which is in wide demand; a woman’s magazine
and a cultural monthly journal are in preparation.
58. An Anglo-Persian Institute is being organised in Isfahan and English
classes have been started there.
59. The Russians have paid the British Council in Persia the compliment of
the sincerest form of flattery by proposing to organise a Russian Institute in
Tehran on similar lines to the British Institute.
60. I am sending copies of this despatch to the Minister of State Resident
in the Huddle East, to His AIa]esty s Ambassador at Mhscow, to the Secretarv to
the Government of India in the External Affairs Department and to all consular
officers in Persia.
I have, &c.
R. W. BULLARD.