Coll 28/97 ‘Persia. Diaries. Tehran Intelligence Summaries’ [‎180v] (360/749)

paragraph 9 below—and are annoyed by his failure to unseat Seyyid Zia. (The
Tudeh party were persuaded to leave the attack entirely to Dr. Musaddiq, the
Shah’s man for this purpose.) Now, doubtful of Russian support and almost
convinced that Seyyid Zia was accepted by the Majlis as a result of British
support and that his policy is laid down by the British Embassy, he hardly knows
where to turn. For the time being he is making a show of giving his Government
a free hand and of abstaining from attempting to influence the course of affairs,
but he continues to have relations with dangerous and unprincipled intriguers.
3. The Hamrahan party, composed mainly of intellectuals with Socialist
views under the leadership of Mustafa Fateh of the Anglo-1 ranian Oil Company,
which has never made much impression on the public, has recently suffered the
secession of some of its members who have formed a party called the Socialist
Party of Iran. The reason for their secession is said to be their discontent
with the lack of vigour shown by the Majlis representatives of the party—there
are only two—in their opposition to the acceptance of Seyyid Zia’s election to the
Majlis. The new party retains the party newspaper Imruz va Farda, and the
old party has started a new^ paper Shama.
4. The proposal to make a new Shahristan (Governor’s district) out of the
Bakshes of Saqqiz, Baneh and Sardasht in Kurdistan—see Summary
No. 48, 1943, paragraph 6—has been abandoned. Saqqiz will remain in the
Shahristan of Sanandaj, and Baneh and Sardisht in that of Mahabad. The
Shahristan of Sanandaj, under the Governorship of Shihab ed Douleh—see
Summary No. 11, 1944, paragraph 6—is now to be independent of the Governor-
General of Kermanshah.
Economic.
5. It is now estimated that the Government may have, when the new
harvest begins to come in, a surplus of 25,000 tons of grain as a reserve. This,
however, is not considered sufficient to put any effective check on hoarders or
on the black market, especially in view of the unjustifiably gloomy reports that
are being circulated about the coming harvest. Although crops have failed
almost completely in some parts of South Persia, it is estimated that, taken as
a whole, the harvest will not be below average. The prevention of famine in areas
where crops have failed will depend on the extent to which the surplus crop can
be collected in other areas and on distribution.
6. An earthquake occurred at Gorgan on the 5th April which, according to
the Persian press, has destroyed or rendered uninhabitable all the houses in the
town. The Shah and the Queen are now visiting the town.
Persian Forces.
Army
7. The Russians have refused to .allow American officers of General Ridley’s
staff to be stationed at Tabriz and Meshed, the headquarters of the 3rd and
8th Divisions respectively. It is part of General Ridley’s scheme that an
American officer should be attached to the headquarters of each division to
reorganise the administration. The Russians have suggested to the Persian
Government that if the Persian army requires advice or assistance they, the
Russians, will be glad to give it.
8. The press reports that a number of olficials of the Conscription Depart
ment in the provinces have been recalled to Tehran on charges of corruption. The
application of the Conscription Law is one of the greatest scandals in Persia.
Exemptions are secured not by virtue of the law but by bribery, and the result
is that only the poorest classes reach the army. The present Minister for War
has the desire to clean up these abuses, but it'has yet to be seen whether he has
the strength to do so.
9. The general terms of the Persian reply to the Russian offer of tanks and
aircraft—see Summary No. 9, 1944, paragraph 9—are that the Persian Govern
ment accepted the offer with gratitude, but that, since they were to be a gift, they
did not see the necessity for a formal signed agreement, as requested by the
Russians, for the formation of new tank and aircraft units with a Russian
instructional staff. The Persian Government proposed that they should send
the necessary officers and men to take over, after they had been' instructed in
their use, the tanks and aircraft at places convenient to the Russians. This replv
was given to the Russians some six weeks ago and fairly reliable information is
that since then the Russians have not reverted to the subject.