Coll 28/97 ‘Persia. Diaries. Tehran Intelligence Summaries’ [‎31r] (61/749)

Internal Security.
12. There is little to report. Minor robberies continue in Ears; there is
incipient lawlessness in the Kermanshah area; two minor attacks, probably by
Lurs, have been made on the railway near Safid Dasht, about 30 miles south of
Dorud. The Persian Ministry for War says that the Kurds of Western Azer-
M 1 } an are showing signs of an intention to break out again, but that the Soviet
.thorities still confine Persian troops to the town of Rezaieh. The appointment
ot two minor Bakhtiari chiefs to positions of authority in Bakhtiari country (see
paragraph 7 above) is satisfying to those chiefs, but is not likely to affect greatly
the situation in Bakhtiari.
Russian A ffairs.
13. His Majesty’s Consul-General at Tabriz reports that General Melnik,
commanding Soviet forces in North-West Persia, returned from a visit to the
Caucasus in confident mood. He scorned any idea of withdrawal from the
Caucasus and claimed that the Russian forces there were not only strong enough
to hold the Germans but also to throw them back. He did, however, admit some
disaffection in the civil population in the Caucasus.
14. The United States li'aison officer with the Polish troops reports consider
able movement of anti-tank units from Krasnovodsk to Baku and a flow of
civilians evacuated from North Caucasia from Baku eastwards.
15. Two hundred and thirty-four American trucks were recently taken over
by the Russians at Tabriz for despatch northwards.
16. One hundred and twenty-nine tons of jute and 20 tons of gunny were
recently delivered to the Russians at Meshed, and 371 tons of jute and 65 tons
of gunny at Kuchan, all from Nokkundi. The U.K.C.C. are now operating
150 trucks between Zahidan and Kuchan. ”
A merican A ffairs.
17. The Prime Minister and the Under-Secretary of State for War have
asked the United States Minister whether America would send a military mission
to reorganise the Persian army.
Polish Interests.
18. General Anders passed through Tehran on his way to Cairo by air.
19. The number of Poles landed in Pahlevi from Russia up to the
24th August is 31,131 military and 17,150 civilian. Medical officers report that
there is worse malnutrition among these Poles than among those of the first
evacuation. Of the civilian Poles of the first evacuation, 4,536 have now been
sent from Tehran to Ahwaz for shipment to East Africa.
Tehran, August 25, 1942.