Coll 28/97(2) ‘Tehran Intelligence Summaries’ [‎97r] (193/252)

\h{ DZT
SECRET
MILITARY ATTACHE - TEHRAN
STOIIARY (PERSIA) No>4 of 1949
POLITICAL.
1. Enquiry into the attem pt on th e Sha h ’s life,
/ The enquiry into the circumstances of the attempt on the Shah's life
was finished a day or two ago and the report is now believed to be nearing
completion. Apart from publicising Fakr Aral's diary, which shews how he
became a member of the Tudeh party, little information has yet been released
to the public as a result of the enquiry. There appears, however, to be
little doubt that the attempt on the Shah's life was part of a deep laid
plot to gain control of the country by a minority. When the Police raided
the Tudeh printing house on 4th February, (the day after the attempt on the
Shah's life) they found an edition of "Mardrm" which should have appeared
the day before, containing such phrases as "tomorrow we shall raise the
bloody flag of the martyrs". There was also a set up for a special
edition, with a space for a front page "splash" left blank. The fact that
! _ a recent broadcast from radio Baku contained the text of a clandestine
proclamation by the Tuduh party issued a few days previously, but the
existence of which v/as unknown to the public or to any foreign news agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent.
except "Tass", demonstrates the connection between the Tudeh party and the
Communists and v/as not lost on Persian officials or the Press. Tehran radio
in fact, in a broadcast in French on 21st February said that this broadcast
from Baku clearly shewed the Tudeh party to be the tool of a foreign power.
Further details of the internal situation are given in para 13*
Ho. 4.50/4/49-
2. Soviet protest.
The Soviet Ambassador called on the Persian Minister of Foreign
Affairs on 12th February to protest against part of the statement made by ^
Dr Eghbal to the Majlis on 5th February on the subject of the attempt on the
Shah's life. Dr Eghfaal quoted extracts from the diary of Fakr Arai, the
Shah's assailant, saying that he was a member of the Tudeh party and that
the Party v/as vmdor Soviet control. Yh~ Ambassador is believed also to have
protested against the closing of the Soviet bookshop in Tehran. The
Soviet Ambassador supported his representations by an "aide memoire" and a
reply in the same form v/as given by the Persian Foreign Minister, who is
understood to have pointed out that the part of Dr Eghbal's statement e ' •’
objected to was a quotation and could not be taken as necessarily
representing the views of the Persian Government. There has been strong
criticism in the Persian Press of the general attitudeof Moscow wireless
towards the attempt on the Shah's life, its defence of the Tudeh party and
its objection to the establishment of martial law.
3* The Elections.
On 25th February, H.I.M.The Shah issued the Imperial Decree for the
elections for the 16th Majlis. The " Firman A Persian word meaning a royal order or decree issued by a sovereign, used notably in the Ottoman Empire (sometimes written ‘phirmaund’). " v/as issued in the usual form,
and stated that as only 5 months of the life of the present Majlis remained,
he was, in accordance v/ith the electoral law and on the advice of the Prime
Minister, calling for elections to take place for the 1 6 th Majlis. The
existence of military government in most parts of Persia is likely to
ensure a return of candidates favouring the Shah, and it will not lie
surprising if military government remains in force until after the elections
efren if the general situation no longer requires it.
A