Coll 28/97 ‘Persia. Diaries. Tehran Intelligence Summaries’ [‎117v] (234/749)

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5. Sarlashkar Aqevli has been removed from the command of the
gendarmerie. Although he has the reputation of being an able and energetic
officer, he has been obstructive and quite ineffective and has strongly opposed the
grant of any authority to the American advisers to the gendarmerie. His
removal may be an indication of an intention to allow them some scope. They
have hitherto not been allowed to do anything.
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Appointments — Military. HI
6 .—(i) Sipahbod Yazdan Panah to be Chief of the Inspectorate Department , ;
of the Army. i
(ii) Sartip Razmara to be Chief of the General Staff. t
(iii) Sarlashkar Aqevli, from Chief of the Gendarmerie, to be Chief of t
Military Tribunals.
(iv) Sarlashkar Ali Asghar Naqdi, from Chief of Military Tribunals, to be
Director of the Conscription Department.
(v) Sartip Hassan Arfa to be commander of the Recruit Training and
Administrative Depot.
(vi) Sarhang Mahmud Khosrow Panah to be Chief of Police.
Internal Security.
7. Disorder is increasing throughout the country. The obvious vacillation
of the Government and the weakness of the Government forces have greatly
encouraged the tribes to hope for a return of the happy lawless days of tribal
autonomy. Fear of attack by the tribes has forced the Government to withdraw
small detachments, and brigands have not failed to take the opportunity of
pillaging. The prevailing insecurity must give scope to the intrigues of the
Germans, pro-Axis sympathisers and those Persians who are anxious to embarrass
Great Britain, even at the expense of their own country, to incite the tribes to
greater excesses of destruction than would normally satisfy their natural
instincts. Over large areas the crop is disappearing, though some of it will
probably reappear later on the black market. A report from Persian sources, but
considered reliable, is that four parachutists and a number of cases were seen to
drop in Pars near Khaneh Zinian and that they were conveyed to Nasir Qashgai.
Fars.
8 . It has been decided that General Shahbakhti will not return to Fars. He
will be replaced by General Amanullah Jahanbani, an active, fairly honest and
conciliatory officer, who is about the best of the bad choices available and the
most likely to co-operate with Qavam-ul-Mulk. But the appointment of the latter
as Governor-General with extended powers has not yet been approved by the
Government. Apart from the usual inability of the Government to take any
decision, opposition is being incited by Nasir’s pro-Axis friends, by others
interested in creating disorder to embarrass the Government and the Allies, and
by Qavam-ul-Mulk’s personal enemies. Meanwhile, the situation in Fars grows
steadily worse. Villages are suffering heavily from the depredations of tribesmen
who are carrying off or destroying crops. Tribes that have hitherto been willing
to support the Government, or at least to remain neutral, are now being threatened
by the Boir Ahmadi. Meanwhile, the troops are quite inactive.
Bakhtiari.
9. In Bakhtiari the situation is quiet, but the tribe has as yet shown no
indication of being willing to give active support to the Government. Certain
minor chiefs are known to have sent congratulations to the tribal leaders who
defeated the Persian forces at Semirum. Morteza Quli Khan appears to be
establishing his influence in the tribe.
Isfahan.
10. Disorder is spreading to the Isfahan-Yezd-Kerman road, where there
have recently been several hold-ups.
Kurdistan.
11 . While in Northern Kurdistan (Western Azerbaijan) belief that the
Russians will themselves intervene to suppress Kurdish lawlessness keeps the
tribes reasonably quiet, in Southern Kurdistan there is much restlessness. Two