Coll 28/97 ‘Persia. Diaries. Tehran Intelligence Summaries’ [‎208r] (415/749)

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THIS DOCUMEWT IS THE PROPERTY OF HIS BRITAWMIC MAJESTY*S GOVERNMENT
PERSIA.
August 23^ 1944.
SECRET.
(No. 320.)
R. Bullard to Mr. Eden.—(Receive
J
3opy No. j 9 ^
HIS Majesty’s representative presents his compliments to His Majesty’s
Principal Secretary of State fbr Foreign Affairs and has the honour to transmit
herewith a copy of Intelligence Summary No. 31, for the period of the 7th to
13th August, 1944, compiled by the military attache to this legation.
Tehran, \Mh A ugust, 1944.
Enclosure.
Military Attache's Intelligence Summary Ro. 31, for the period 7th August to
\3th August, 1944.
(Secret.)
Persian Affairs.
Political.
1 . The Government is to be interpellated on the 17th x\ugust on a matter
connected with the administration of the State railways. It is expected that
the Prime Minister will survive the interpellation, but that he will be obliged
to make some changes in his Cabinet. He will be urged to change, among others,
the Minister of War, who is regarded by the Majlis as-being a mere cypher,
subservient to the Shah.
2 . A new party, calling itself “Mardum," has been formed under the
leadership of Muhammad Sadiq Tabatabai, the President of the Majlis. It
includes nine members of the National Union (the Ittifaq-i-Milli) group in the
Majlis—see Summary No. 13/44, paragraph 2 —eight other Deputies and
Amanullah Ardalan, Minister of Commerce, Ibrahim Zand, Minister for War,
and Murteza Quli Bayat, Minister without portfolio. Its manifesto, which
bears some 160 names, says that the aim of the party is to achieve the unity of
the nation for the preservation of the freedom and independence of Persia and
the restoration of the true principles of democratic government. It calls for
the observance of social principles which it labels in brackets as “socialism.”
The party includes some known Shah’s men, and it is likely that the Shah has
favoured its formation. The list of names attached to the manifesto is not
impressive, and it is not considered likely that the party will be constructive
or wilhsupport the American mission.
3. Much attention has been given in the Persian press to an interview
given by Dr. Millspaugh to the newspaper Sitara, where he is quoted as having
said that his mission had been sent to safeguard the independence of Persia.
America was the only country that had consistently championed the independence
of Persia. If the American Mission had not come, disorders would have broken
out all over the country and that would have resulted either in the complete
occupation of North and South Persia by the British and Russian armies
respectively; or in the occupation of Persia by an international army; or in the
re-establishment of dictatorship. Dr. Millspaugh has been very severely criticised
by the Persian press for these statements. The position of the American mission
has not visibly improved. There is even suspicion, voiced in no uncertain terms
by the Shah himself, that Dr. Millspaugh is deliberately trying to ruin the
economy of Persia in order to give America the excuse for taking control of it.
This is Russian propaganda.
4. The Tudeh party is now holding its first General Conference in Tehran.
It is attended by 170 delegates, of whom the great majority is from the Northern
Provinces. Isfahan sends seven, and there are representatives from Qum, Saveh,
Sultanabad, Ahwaz, Durud and Andimezhk. The conference has expelled
from the party the Deputy for Babul because he took part in mourning ceremonies
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