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Coll 28/39(2) ‘Persia. Printed Correspondence, 1937–’ [132r] (263/320)
The record is made up of 1 file (158 folios). It was created in 11 Oct 1937-25 Nov 1942. It was written in English and French. The original is part of the British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .
Transcription
This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.
132
57
Czech interests are primarily represented by Skoda-Iran. Monsieur
Zanda, the managing director, is a keen Czech patriot. He has been in
serious trouble with the German Legation in Tehran, firstly because he
refused to remove the picture of Monsieur Benes which was hung in his
office, but which he finally had to do though he still refused to hang up a
picture of Herr Hitler and secondly, because it became known that he had
given instructions to his Czech employees to refrain from sending their
children to the German school.
Skoda-Iran are finding it more and more difficult to work in Iran.
They are unable to obtain their materials from Germany and because of
the nationality of the firm, orders placed in the United Kingdom and India
are not being carried out. Monsieur Zanda has been seriously considering
the severing of connexions with the Prague office which is managed by a
brother of Field Marshal Goering and the re-organisation of the company
as a purely Iranian Company.
Skoda, Prague have an agent in Tehran, Herr Preissler, a Czech Jew
sent out by the Gestapo to buy raw material. Herr Preissler was parti
cularly active before the outbreak of war but since early September he has
stopped buying. He claims that there are difficulties both as regards
prices and transport but he has stated privately that he intends to avail
himself of every possible means to prevent important raw materials from
reaching the Protectorate, viz., Germany.
There are only a few Jews in the Skoda-Iran Company, the majority
without their families as the latter were held back as hostages.
Though it is not possible to confirm the report that the Skoda proper
are in close touch with Monsieur Benes through an Allied Power, the
fact remains that they are well posted with news regarding Czech move
ments in the United Kingdom and France, and it is quite possible that the
firm of Skoda-Iran, though placed on the Statutory List, is actually
endeavouring to restrict German activity in Iran.
(36)
No. 159.
To
The Secretary to the Government of India in the External Affairs
Department, New Delhi,
With the compliments
of
His Majesty’s Representative.
Memo, by H. M. M. of an audience with the Shah.
British Legation,
Tehran,
28th November 1939.
Enclosure to S. No. (36).
AUDIENCE WITH THE SHAH.
24th November 1939.
After the usual preliminaries the Shah referred to the war and to the
effects which (according to the interpreter) this struggle for supremacy
was producing throughout the world. I said that I was not sure if I had
followed His Majesty correctly, but so far as His Majesty’s Government
were concerned they had certainly not entered upon the war in any desire
to secure supremacy in Europe or elsewhere: they had been forced into
(S) 61 EAD
About this item
- Content
Printed correspondence from the Government of India’s Foreign and Political Department (later referred to as the External Affairs Department), collated into yearly collections under the heading ‘Iran Series’. The original correspondence was sent by British representatives in Iran (chiefly the British Legation in Tehran) to the Foreign Office. The correspondence concerns: the announcement of laws, decrees, regulations, and budgets by the Government of Iran, the texts of which were frequently published in the newspaper Le Journal de Tehran ; reports from British consular officials covering a range of subjects, including commercial activities, foreign relations and the commercial activities of foreign individuals and companies in Iran, provincial affairs, and the activities of the Shah; in 1939 and 1940, reports concerning the impact of the Second World War on Iran, with a large number of reports from the Press Attaché to the British Legation in Tehran, reporting the dissemination of propaganda and public opinion in Iran.
At the end of the file is a single item of original correspondence, sent by the Secretary to the Government of India. Dated 24 August 1942, it announces the discontinuation of the printing of the Persia [Iran] series for the duration of the war (f 159).
A large number of items in the file are in French. These include the texts of Iranian Government laws, regulations and announcements that were published in Le Journal de Tehran .
The file includes a divider, which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.
- Extent and format
- 1 file (158 folios)
- Arrangement
The file’s contents are arranged in approximate chronological order, from the earliest item at the front to the latest at the end.
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 160; these numbers are written in pencil and are located in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio.
- Written in
- English and French in Latin script View the complete information for this record
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Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- IOR/L/PS/12/3443
- Title
- Coll 28/39(2) ‘Persia. Printed Correspondence, 1937–’
- Pages
- front, front-i, 2r:7r, 8r:11r, 12v:14v, 16r:16v, 20r, 23r:32r, 34r:41v, 42v:48r, 50v:55r, 56r:61r, 63r:65r, 68r:69r, 71v, 75v:77v, 79r:81v, 82v:85v, 89r, 91r:91v, 92v:93r, 94v:96v, 97v:101r, 102v:108v, 115r:118r, 124r, 125r:130v, 132r:134r, 136r:139r, 141r:141v, 145r:146v, 149r:151r, 152r:153v, 154v:159v, back-i, back
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence