Coll 28/97 ‘Persia. Diaries. Tehran Intelligence Summaries’ [‎17r] (33/749)

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THIS DOCUMENT IS THE PROPERTY OF HIS BRITANNIC MAJESTY’S GOVERNMENT
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SECRET.
^2 AUG ia42
[E 4526/19/34]
Tth the Compliments
Inder* Secretary of Stat^
for Foreign Afrafr*&
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July 31, 1942.
Section 1.
Copy No. 114
Sir Bullard to Mr. Eden.—(Received July 31.)
(No. 235.) . . ,
HIS Majesty’s representative presents his compliments to His Majesty s
Principal Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, and has the honour to transmit
herewith a copy of Intelligence Summary No. 29, the 15th-21st July, compiled
by the military attache.to this legation.
Tehran, July 21, 1942.
Enclosure.
Military Attache's Intelligence Summary No. 29 for the Period July 15-21, 1942.
Persian Affairs.
Political.
ALTHOUGH the Prime Minister is said to have improved his own position
vis-d-vis his critics, opposition to and criticism of him, his Government and its
lack of achievement continue. The Prime Minister has invited Tadayyun
(M.A. 288, F.O. 207) to join the Cabinet as Minister of Justice in place of Ahi
(M.A. 7, F.O. 5), who has been appointed ambassador to Moscow (see Summary
No. 25/42, paragraph 6 (i)). He refuses, however, to give up his portfolio. Nor
has Tadayyun yet agreed to accept office. A new candidate for the premiership
has appeared in Bayat (M.A. 65, F.O. 50), the Vice-President of the Majlis, but,
as the law stands, no Deputy can become a Cabinet Minister until three months
have elapsed since his resignation from Parliament.
2. It is not yet clear whether the Prime Minister, Soheily, will be forced
to resign or whether he will attempt to gain a reprieve by changing members of
his Cabinet.
Economic.
3. Anxiety about the wheat situation is increasing and the Government is
inclined to panic. They appealed to His Majesty’s Legation for an import of
10,000 tons of wheat per month for three months to tide them over the crisis
created largely by their own vacillation. They have been promised 5,000 tons,
as the situation appeared to be critical. But they have been warned that they
will get no more. That, however, does not greatly impress the Government, who
continue to tell the people that they are confident that the Allies will implement
their promises to give such economic help as is required.
4. As an indication of the weakness of the Government may be cited the
shortage of wheat in Ahwaz for daily consumption. The Khuzestan wheat crop
is already harvested and the Government stores should be filling up. but a ring
of would-be profiteers, headed by the Deputy for Ahwaz, are holding up supplies
while pressure is brought on the Government to free the price of wheat from
Government control. The Government appears to be unwilling to apply the
Anti-Hoarding Law, although there is here a clear case for doing so. There has
as yet been no prosecution under that law.
Attitude towards the War.
5. The belief grows that the Germans will reach the Caucasus and Persia,
the result being a reluctance to be openly identified with a pro-Ally policy, still
less with an anti-Axis policy. The tone of the press, however, remains, on the
whole, satisfactory. In spite of the experience of other countries, many Persians
appear not .to fear a German occupation, some to be ready to welcome it.
Existing maladministration and anxiety about food supplies incline some people
[32—22]
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