Coll 28/97 ‘Persia. Diaries. Tehran Intelligence Summaries’ [‎20r] (39/749)

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THIS DOCUMENT IS THE PROPERTY OF HIS BRITANNIC
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MAJESTY’S C
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August 5, 1942.
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Section 1.
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Sir /2. Bullard to Mr. Eden.—(Received August 5.)
(No. 246.) . . . ,
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. 30 for the period from the 22nd
to the 28th July, 1942, compiled by the military attache to this legation.
Tehran, July 28, 1942.
Enclosure.
(Secret.)
Military Attache's Intelligence Summary No. 30 for the period
July 22 to 28, 1942.
Persian Affairs.
Political.
THE situation is deteriorating. The Prime Minister has little authority
or prestige left; there are dissensions in the Cabinet; Ahi, the Minister of
Justice, is in open revolt and refuses to vacate his seat; Tadayyun is reluctant
to accept office. The people are excited by intrigue and propaganda, by rumours
of coup d'Etat and new dictatorships, and anxious about food supplies. The
Government is too unstable to reach any decision, still less to put it into effect.
Economic.
2. No effective steps have yet been taken to secure the wheat supply of
the towns. The Government considers, perhaps rightly, that to raise the price
to be paid by Government for the wheat that proprietors are bound to sell would be
no solution and would merely result in a corresponding rise in the black market.
Moreover, the Government maintains that it cannot afford to subsidise bread to
the extent that would be required if the price of wheat were raised. On the other
hand, the Government has not the courage to use the full powers given to it by
the Majlis and to force proprietors to give up their wheat, nor would they find
much support in the Majlis for strong measures, many of the members being
themselves proprietors. The Anti-Hoarding Law remains a dead letter.
3. In the muddle created by inefficiency, vested interests, greed and
cowardice, the food situation for the poor man is likely to become critical. The
creation of a Ministry of Food has been discussed, but a horde of additional
officials is likely only to make matters worse. The appointment of a Food Board,
which might include representatives of the Allies, is now under consideration.
4. The Ministry of Finance publishes the following information : —
Rials.
Notes issued to the 16th July ... ... ... 2,400,000,000
Notes in circulation on the 16th July ... ... 1,998,245,935
Value of gold and silver cover ... ... ... 67,034,886,095
Communications.
5. The Ministry of Posts and Telegraphs is buying some of the Rearwin
machines belonging to the Tehran Aero Club for the purpose of establishing
postal air services on the lines—
Tehran-Shiraz;
Tehran-Meshed;
Tehran-Tabriz.
[32—23]