Coll 28/97 ‘Persia. Diaries. Tehran Intelligence Summaries’ [‎27v] (54/749)

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possibly a good deal of what he should hold for food and seed, has already got
into the hands of profiteers and is being concealed from Government with or
without the connivance of local officials. There is considerable smuggling into
Iraq, where the price of wheat is much higher than in Persia.
5. A separate administration is being formed to control the collection and
distribution of grain, the distribution of tea, sugar and piece-goods, the employ-
'* ment of transport and the application of the hoarding laws. The staff will be
found from the existing staffs of other administrations. The administration wii^Jg?.
be independent of all ministries. The Director will apparently not have the status-
of a Cabinet Minister, but may be summoned to Cabinet meetings.
6. The press reports that the Government is negotiating the purchase of
1,500 camels in India.
A ointments — Civil.
7. —(i) Amanullah Ardalan (33/27) from Director-General of the Ministry
of Finance to be Director-General of the newly formed Supply Department (see
paragraph 5 above).
(ii) Loqman Nafisi to be Director-General of the Ministry of Finance.
(iii) Sarhang Katvuzian to be Chief of Police in Khorassan.
Internal Security.
Fars.
8. Robbers from the Qashgai tribes are being increasingly active. U.K.C.C
lorries, which have for some time not been interfered with, have recently been
held up on the Shiraz-Bushire road, and in one case the driver was shot dead.
So far as is known, the robbers have contented themselves with stripping drivers
and carrying off only small portable articles.
Bakhtiari.
9. Further reports confirm in general the details given in Summary No. 32,
paragraph 11, of the murder of Mr. Harris and Dr. Griffiths. No trace has yet
been found of Dr. Griffiths' son. The Hi wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. (or Hivedi) tribe, who are accused
of being the assailants, are a sub-section of the Hajivand, a tribe of Bakhtiari
origin, but now said to be no longer included in Bakhtiari.
A merican A [fairs.
10. The following American advisers have been nominated by the United
States Government or suggested as suitable : —
General Greely, with Colonel Gillespie as his assistant, as Adviser to the
Intendant-General's Department of the War Office.
Schwarzkopf, former head of the New Jersey State Police, as adviser for the
Gendarmerie.
Tinneman as adviser for the Police.
Davis, formerly a member of the Milspaugh Mission, as Financial Adviser.
Sheridan as Food and Supply Controller.
In addition, the United States Government has been invited to send an
educational mission.
Interested parties have recently been trying to work up opposition to the
appointment of American advisers, and derogatory articles have appeared in a
paper which is widely believed to have the financial support of the Shah.
Enthusiasm for American advisers has rather waned since it has been realised
that their appointment will not bring a flood of Lease-Lend supplies to Persia.
11. The Americans are unfortunately highly susceptible to opposition and
even irresponsible criticism, and are inclined to adopt the inconsistent attitude
that their advisers should not come unless they are going to be universally
welcomed. It is, of course, inevitable that they should be opposed by the
upholders of those abuses which the advisers are required to reform.
1 Russian Affair's.
12. His Majesty’s Consul-General at Tabriz reports a change in the previous
very friendly attitude of local Russian officials, civil and military. The “ second
front” is frequently referred to with some sourness; depression and anxiety