Coll 28/97 ‘Persia. Diaries. Tehran Intelligence Summaries’ [‎142r] (283/749)

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THIS DOCUMENT IS THE PROPERTY OP HIS BRITANNIC MAJESTY’S GOVERNMENT
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PERSIA.
SECRET.
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Urtd 3r Secr-i • «y or 3 Stats
for Fofwiun Affairs
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November 5, 1943.
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Section 1.
23 NOV 1943
i E 6696/110/34] Copy No. .1 j 8
Sir R. Bullard to Mr. Eden.—(Received 5th November.)
(No. 435.)
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 for the period of the 19th to
25th October, 1943, compiled by the military attache to this legation. , ^ ^
Tehran, 2§th October, 1943. >
Enclosure.
Military Attache's Intelligence Summary No. 43 for the Period
19^-25£/i October, 1943.
(Secret.)
Political.
Persian Affairs.
! KM
THE threatened resignation of Dr. Millspaugh’s mission was discussed in
a secret session of the Majlis, where its consequences were sufficiently well
realised to persuade a majority to decide in favour of collaboration with the
mission. The Prime Minister was asked to convey to Dr. Millspaugh an
assurance to this effect, and also to remind him that it was his duty to collaborate
with the Majlis and to take into consideration the views of the Deputies and the
amendments suggested by them to measures he proposed. It is understood that
it was made plain to the’Deputies that Dr. Millspaugh demanded, as a condition
of the withdrawal of his resignation, the passage by the Majlis before the
1st November of three Bills : the Income Tax Bill, the Bill for the engagement
of sixty American adyisers for the financial mission and the Bill to sanction a
further credit of 400 million rials for the financing of grain purchases. On the
23rd October the President of the Majlis and twenty Deputies were summoned
to the Palace, where the Shah impressed on them the necessity for early approval
of the proposals of the American mission and other legislation now before them
During subsequent sessions of the Majlis the Deputies showed an unusual
complaisance and passed the first reading of Bills for the engagement of American
advisers for the gendarmerie, the army and the financial mission, and the second
reading of the Perso-American Commercial Agreement.
2. Dr. Millspaugh has also made some concessions. He has removed one
cause of complaint and opposition by issuing orders that landowneis living in
Tehran may import from their villages a year’s supply of wheat for themselves
and their families (see paragraph 7 below). It is understood that he has also
agreed to the reduction of the 80 per cent, tax he proposed to levy on incomes of
over 500,000 rials a year to 70 per cent., and he has appointed a committee qt
relatively trusted Persians to report on the supply and distribution of bread in
Tehran. Dr. Millspaugh is anxious to divest himself of responsibility for the
baking and distribution of bread in Tehran and to hand it over to a l eisian
a 8 en cy- rp u( j e k party, with quite clear evidences of Soviet encouragement,
staged a demonstration ’in Tehran against Seyyid Zia. Some of the latter’s
supporters collected to break up the meeting. The resulting fracas was dispel sed
by the intervention of troops. . ,
4. Some thirty Deputies, who despair of being re-elected and who have been
agitating without success for an extension of the life of the piesent Majlis have
united in opposition to the Prime Minister and are working for his overthrow.
For the present the Prime Minister, mainly because of the lack of any acceptable
rival, can probably count on sufficient support to defeat the Opposition.
’ X47—3o|
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