Coll 28/97 ‘Persia. Diaries. Tehran Intelligence Summaries’ [‎164v] (328/749)

2
this department are those of Movement Control. All applications for the
transport of goods by road or rail must be made to the department, who will
allot priorities and inform the Iranian State Railways or the Road Transport
Board. The department will also allot priorities to demands by Government
officials for cars or accommodation in other means of transport. It will be in
charge of a director responsible to the Administrator-General of Finance.
A yyp ointments — Civil.
5. (i) Mehdi Davar (Vossuq es Sultaneh) (F.O. 57; M.A. 73) to be
Governor-General of Eastern Azerbaijan.
(ii) Ahmad Muqbil to be Under-Secretary of State in the Ministry
of Finance.
Persian Forces.
A rmy.
6. The Soviet Government has invited a mission of Persian officers to visit
Russia. They suggested that fifty might be sent, but the Persian Government
has pleaded that it could not, in present circumstances, afford to send so many,
especially as it has to find officers for training in the tanks and aircraft to be
presented by the Soviet Government. It is probable that General Yazdan Panah
will head the mission to Russia and that the number to accompany him will not
exceed fifteen. It is proposed to detail about thirty officers for training in the
tanks and Tifteen for training in the aircraft with about 100 other ranks in
each case.
7. Colonel Atapur, C.B.E., lately Persian Military Attache in London, has
returned to Persia.
A pyointments—M ilitary.
8. Colonel Muhammad Baqir Amir Nizami to be head of the Second
Bureau of the General Staff.
ar
Internal Security.
Fars.
9. Nasir Qashgai may be realising that both the Shah and the Persian
Government (some members of it) are considering measures to prevent him from
having it all his own way in Fars. He is aware that General Jahanbani has
been ordered to oppose his election for Shiraz and the election of his nominees.
It is also likely that he is aware that General Jahanbani is reporting to
Government that peaceful negotiations cannot succeed with Nasir and Khosrow.
j Nasir has been making overtures to His Majesty’s Consul, but there is no
: reason to believe that they are any more genuine than previous advances. His
; Majesty’s Consul maintains his attitude that he will have no discussion with
Nasir until the Germans have been handed over. The Government is consider
ing the appointment to Fars of Farajullah Bahrami (Dabir i Azam), the present
Governor-General of Isfahan, a relatively strong and disinterested official, in
place of Qavam ul Mulk, who is unwilling to return except on terms inacceptable
to the Shah and the Persian Government. General Jahanbani says that he
intends to propose to the Government a plan for the disarmament of the Qashgai
by force, but it is probable that his demands for troops and arms will be more
than the Government can find. The Persian army is not fit to carry out the
protracted operations necessary for the effective disarmament of the Qashgai,
and the political handling of the tribes since the Government withdrew its
support from Qavam ul Mulk’s policy has not been such as to create allies for
the Government or dissidence in the possible combination against the
Government.
10. The situation is likely to increase unrest in Fars. A band of robbers
alleged to have been assisted by Qashgai tribesmen attacked a village near
Kazerun, whose inhabitants had been expressing loyalty to Government. On the
8th February a punitive party of troops and gendarmerie attacked the robbers,
who are reported to have been reinforced by Farsimadan Qashgais. The Govern
ment forces lost six killed and claim to have killed sixteen robbers, but His
Majesty’s Consul at Shiraz does not consider that the encounter ended in a victory
for the Government forces.
11. It has been decided not to proceed with the operations for the disarma
ment of Dashti—see Summary No. 48/43, paragraph 10; Ali Ismail, the rebel
leader, and his armed men have escaped into the hills and are probably being