Coll 28/97 ‘Persia. Diaries. Tehran Intelligence Summaries’ [‎185r] (369/749)

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THIS DOCUMENT IS THE PROPERTY 0^ HIS BRITANNIC MAJESTY’S GOVERNMENT
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May 16, 1944.
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Section 1.
fop Foroign Affair*
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[E 2979/422/34]
R. Bullard to Mr. Eden.—(Received \§th May.)
(No. 204.)
HIS Majesty s Representative presents his compliments to His Majesty’s
I rincipal Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and has the honour to transmit
herewith a copy of Intelligence Summary No. 18 for the period the 1st May to the
7th May, 1944, compiled by the military attache to this legation.
Tehran, %th May, 1944.
Enclosure.
Military Attache's Intelliyence Summary No. 18, for the Period 1st May to
1th May. 1944.
(Secret.)
Political.
Persian A ffairs.
1. The Prime Minister is struggling with honesty and courage to carry out
his task in the welter of intrigue by which he is surrounded, and with which his
simple and straightforward nature is ill-qualified to deal. He gave a sensible and
salutary lecture to journalists which had some slight effect on their irresponsible
virulence. He dropped a bombshell into the Majlis by introducing a Bill, actually
sponsored by the Minister of the Interior, proposing that the officials of all
Ministries should for the period of the war be considered to have the same liability
as officers and soldiers called to the colours; that factories, whether the property
of Government or of private owners, and their workmen should similarly be
considered to have been mobilised for national service; and that restrictions should
be imposed on the place of residence of persons who have acted against the war
time interests of Persia or her Allies, or wdio have instigated others to act against
public order or who are engaging in activities likely to disturb the peace. This
Bill is likely to arouse considerable opposition.
2. The situation that has arisen among the factory An East India Company trading post. workers in Isfahan has
figured prominently in the Majlis and in the press, and it has given cause for much
violent abuse of each other by the Tudeh party and the supporters of Seyyid Zia,
each accusing the other of attempting to stir up strife. There seems to be little
doubt that the trouble originated in the aggressive action of the Tudeh members of
the Workers’ Union in attempting to prevent the employment of certain workers
who had refused to accept the control of the Tudeh party. In the resulting riot
500-700 workers were injured, most of whom were not members of the party.
Troops had to be called in and the local authorities seem to have acted with
reasonable firmness. The Tudeh party which includes 4.000 of the 10,000
members of the Workers’ Union in Isfahan then insisted on a strike. As
reported in Summary No. 17, paragraph 12, the workers returned to the factories
on the 25th April, but were unable to work as the owners would issue no materials.
The present position is obscure. It is reported that opposition on the part of the
workers to the control of the Tudeh pary is spreading, largely because the party
demands a monthly subscription from the workers from which they receive no
benefit in return. Much capital is being made by the opponents of the party out
of the fact that no accounts have been published of the disposal of the estimated
income of the party from these sources of 10-20,000 tomans 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value. a month. Much
prominence has been given in the press and in the Majlis to the necessity for
legislation to regulate the relations between employers and workers. Represen
tatives of the Tehran Workers’ Unions congregated before the Majlis building and