Coll 28/97 ‘Persia. Diaries. Tehran Intelligence Summaries’ [‎93v] (186/749)

of Commerce bad since issued a statement denying, on behalf of the merchants it
represents, the rumours that the merchants were instigating opposition to the
grant of powers to Dr. Millspaugh. The Bill in question has passed the first
reading.
4. The Prime Minister issued a communique in reasonably firm terms
justifying the Bill for the grant of special powers to Dr. Millspaugh on the
grounds that effective measures could not be taken against the speculators and^*
hoarders who were in part responsible for the present critical economic situation
unless extensive powers were centralised in the hands of an impartial and
experienced man. The communique also defines the Government's attitude
towards the press. It states that, while not wishing to obstruct the expression of
legitimate criticism or the enlightenment of public opinion, the Government has
decided that it is necessary to put an end to the anarchy of the press that was
creating anxiety and disunity among the people, provoking disorder and injuring
the relations of the Government with its allies. The Prime Minister spoilt the
effect of this communique by pleading in a secret session of the Majlis that he
had been forced to agree to the suppression of certain newspapers by the pressure
brought on him bv the British Minister.
Economic.
5. The Government has now announced that it intends to claim the whole
of the landlords’ surplus of the next harvest, and that the price to be paid is
3,000 rials per ton for wheat, except in the frontier regions, where the price will
later be fixed in relation to the price prevailing in neighbouring countries. The
price to he paid for barley and millet will be three-quarters of the price of wheat.
6. Harvesting of barley has now begun in Khuzestan and some parts of the
Gulf littoral. No measures for control of the harvest have yet been instituted by
the Central Government and it is likely to disappear into speculators' hoards
unless prompt steps are taken.
7. The Majlis has sanctioned a credit of 45 million rials for the construction
of irrigation works during the vear 1943-44.
A ypointments — Civil.
8. (i) Abul Qasim Najm (F.O. : 144; M.A. : 192), to be Persian Ambassador
at Kabul.
(ii) Manuchir Nikpey to be Director of the Department of the Opium and
Tobacco Monopoly.
Internal Security.
Ears.
9. The complete looting of a village in Ears by the Galehzan, one of the
smaller sub-tribes of the Qashgai, has been reported by General Shahbakhti, who
attributes this new outbreak of brigandage not to his own inaction, but to the
encouragement of the Qashgai by the Tehran press and some of the Deputies.
Shortly previous to this he had telegraphed his resignation on the grounds that
the Government's failure to suppress press attacks on himself and on the policy
he had been instructed to execute and the support given openly by press and
Deputies to Nasir Qashgai had unsettled his forces, encouraged the tribes to
combine and made his task impossible. He has reluctantly consented to remain in
Ears for the present, but there is no doubt that his task is now very much more
difficult and that a much greater degree of unity has been established between the
Qashgai, the Kuh-i-Galu tribes and the Bakhtiari. A reliable informant who has
recently visited Abul Qasim Bakhtiari was shown by the latter a letter recently
received from Nasir Qashgai telling him that the tribal leaders had only to stand
together and the Government would give up its intentions of establishing authority
over the tribes.
10. His Majesty’s Consul-General at Bushire reports that a column of 500
Persian troops has arrived in Bushire for the purpose of disarming the tribes of
Dashti and Tangistan. This is a very necessary operation, but whether General
Shahbakhti will really carry it out effectively in his present mood seems uncertain.
Bakhtiari.
11. From Izeh (see Summary No. 14/43, paragraph 11) Jancki Bakhtiari
and Bahmai tribesmen advanced to Qaleh-i-Tul, where they surrounded the
garrison, whose fate is not yet known. Relieving columns of insufficient strength
were sent out from Ram Hormuz, but made no progress and may have suffered
heavy casualties. The incident has been handled with more than usual Persian