Coll 28/39(2) ‘Persia. Printed Correspondence, 1937–’ [‎154v] (308/320)

38
Enclosure to Serial No. (32).
Despatch from British Legatioft, Tehran, to Ministry of Information,
No. 21|(218|11|40), dated THE 7th September 1940.
I have the honour to transmit to you herewith a report by the Press
Attache on the internal situation, in continuation of the report which was
enclosed in my despatch No. 19 [Serial No. (20)] of the 17th July 1940.
2. A copy of this despatch and enclosure is being forwarded to His
Majesty’s Principal Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs ; the Political
Intelligence Department, Foreign Office ; the Secretary to the Government of
India in the External Affairs Department ; His Majesty’s Ambassador,
Bagdad ; and to the Middle East Intelligence Centre, Cairo.
Sub-Enclosure to Serial No. (32).
Beport by Press Attache to British Legation, Tehran, No. (218|11|40),
DATED THE 7tH SEPTEMBER 1940.
I have the honour to refer you to my despatch of 17th July and to trans
mit to you the following report on recent trends of public opinion in Iran.
2. Pro-German feeling, for the same reasons as formerly, is still pre
dominant, A German victory continues to be regarded on the whole as both
likely and desirable. Hitler’s speech on 4th September, however, seems to
have created amongst certain sections of the local public a bad impression and
made them wonder whether the course of the war, after all, is going as well as
it might.
3. German propaganda regarding the origins of the war (such as the
German and Italian right to colonies, the so-called injustices of the treaty of
y ersallies, the selfish desires oi the decadent democracies to hold back young
and virile nations, etc.), are generally accepted. The view that if the Polish
corridor had been given to Germany there would have been no war is also fre
quently expressed.
4. German publicity by means of the wireless, cinema and ‘press is effective.
Ihe I ersian broadcast from Berlin is no longer permitted in hotels and other
public places, and moreover its novelty has somewhat w T orn-off, so that its effect
is less strong than it was when the broadcast first began ; nevertheless all, or
nearly all, Persians who have private wireless sets listen in to it regularly and
are inevitably affected by it. UFA news-reels with Persian commentary of a
strongly propagandist nature are exerting at the moment considerable influence
on pub he opinion in favour of Germany. German periodicals, such as “ Signal”
and others, are also widely read and have a pernicious influence There
aie unfortunately no allied periodicals on sale locally which can compare in
he appeal they make to the local public. Further German puhHcaW have
PrituT ad ™. nt ^ e of arri ™g while they are still up to date wherels
British periodicals are months old by the time they arrive. "hereas
failure to su^pto oiAime^li tU^fods ^Itoaitof for^ 1 1 ^ ^ German
Hie Finance Minister is making difficulties with Ferrostahl 1S torouX vl that
?mi™Aowever,^af btfen'given^t^rach^ifficidties^as* 1 ^ C ° n ’ duC . ted -° No P«b-
classes, who continue to bT^odoXanX 3 ? e attitude or tlle “A—
various political, economic and phsvcXXl f.,^ 0 " 6 ^" 1 '^ f? art from fh
patches, which influence them iwhL ^ V ^ ac ^ rs > described in earlier des
guided, tendency to look upon Germanv^T a^nnn+n ^ 1 1 f GS P rea d> even if mis
tends to make them turn to Germany. 7 SS & counter bala nce to Russia, als
Kussliraniln toade 8 Igr^emenfXttouel’o he? ite f ^ C ° nclusion of th
many and hence the vast Sritv are n- P "X bo,md with Gei
of hostilities with a GeAaTcflcton This'c"™ 311 - aW l desire the cessa «o
rhe merchant classes proper to the various nffieMX mte , rest ext ends hevon,
pass in one way or another, and who benefit toerefrom 0 "^ Wh ° m transaction