Coll 28/97 ‘Persia. Diaries. Tehran Intelligence Summaries’ [‎238r] (475/749)

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December 27, 1944.
Section 1.
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Copy No. j 9 9
[E 7897/422/34]
>S^r R. Bullard to Mr. Eden.—(Received 21 th December.)
(No. 472.)
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 Summaries for period 4th December to
10th December, 1944, compiled by the military attache to this legation.
Tehran, 11th December, 1944.
Enclosure.
Military Attache’s Intelligence Summary No. 47 for the period Mh December to
10th December, 1944.
(Secret.)
Political.
Persian Affairs.
1. Dr. Musaddiq’s Bill prohibiting the discussion of oil concessions
by any member of the Government with the representative of any foreign Govern
ment or company (for the text see the appendix to this summary) and its
immediate acceptance by the Majlis took the Soviet Embassy and its few
supporters in the Majlis completely by surprise. Russian wrath at this further
rebuff was evident in the comments of the Tudeh press and was made clear by the
Soviet Ambassador in an interview with the Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs
when the Ambassador stated that the passing of this Bill had increased the
dissatisfaction of the Soviet Government with the Persian Government.
Kavtaradzeh returned to Moscow at the first opportunity.
2. Russian counter-action has taken various forms. An attempt was made
by a Deputy, Rahimian, who, although not a member of the Tudeh party, owes
his seat to Russian assistance, to table a Bill cancelling the A.I.O.C. concession,
but for this no support at all was forthcoming. The Soviet Ambassador demanded
the suppression of half a dozen papers which had supported Sa’ed and criticised
the actions of local Russian officials. Persians, both official and non-official, have
been expelled from the northern provinces on the grounds that they were hostile
to Russia. Deputies are being subjected to anonymous threats and, to add point
to these, a refugee from Soviet Armenia has been shot by terrorists. The Tudeh
party has published a manifesto alleged to represent the views of a mass meeting
of 50,000 Persians in Tabriz demanding the formation of provincial councils in
accordance with the Constitution, the prosecution of Sa’ed, the exile of Seyyid
Zia, the abrogation of military governorship, the dismissal from Government
service of the “ agents of dictatorship ” and denouncing the Deputies “ elected
by force or money” as being unrepresentative of the people. A meeting did
actually take place in Tabriz on the 1st December for which the Soviet authorities
had attempted to collect in their own transport Kurds, Shahsevans and villagers.
The response was poor. The tribes did not come in at all and the total crowd
collected did not exceed 5,000, mostly workmen of local Tabriz factories.
3. It may be inferred from the terms of the manifesto that it will now be
Soviet policy to work up an agitation in the northern provinces for the estab
lishment of provincial and district councils and some measure of autonomy. Such
councils are allowed for in the Constitution, but they have never been formed.
It may also be assumed that anyone openly opposing Soviet policy in the northern
provinces will be labelled as a Fascist and expelled.
4. The Soviet-inspired Persian press professes to see in the ready acceptance
of Dr. Musaddiq’s Bill and the rejection of Rahimian’s proposal proof of the
subservience of the Majlis and the Government to British influence and to the
power of A.I.O.C. money. Russia, it is claimed, desires only to protect Persia
and herself from the designs of “reactionary and imperialistic Powers.”
[61' 38] ,