Coll 28/97 ‘Persia. Diaries. Tehran Intelligence Summaries’ [‎252v] (504/749)

'2
which gives a correct account of this incident. This communique has been
published in the newspapers Sitara and Kushish of the 26th January. It is
j reproduced as an appendix to this summary.
The Majlis.
7 The chief business of the week has been as follows :—
(i) The appointment of a commission to investigate the alleged implication
of Majlis Deputies in transactions with the Government for their own
profit. The members are Hishmati, Mukhbir Faramand, Malik
Madani, Engineer Farivar and Dr. Muazzami.
(ii) the grant of a further delay of three months for the commission
appointed to study the reforms of the Electoral Law.
(iii) A request by the President of the Majlis that the Government’s letter to
Dr. Millspaugh (informing him that the dispute between him and the
Governor of the National Bank would be referred to the Majlis) should
first be discussed by the Deputies outside the chamber.
(iv) The debate on the Budget Bill was resumed. Some further proposals
were accepted and others rejected. No final decision on the whole
Bill was reached.
(v) The tabling by the Ministry of Justice of a Bill for the formation of a
supreme council of Registration. This council will examine the
qualifications and conduct of notaries public.
Persian A rmy.
8. A passing out ceremony was held on the 24th January at the Officers’
College in the presence of His Imperial Majesty The Shah. 950 cadets received
their commissions. The parade was on the lines of past years, and consisted of a
reception of His Imperial Majesty The Shah by the college in review order, a
homily by a mullah, presentation of epaulettes to a selected cadet and a march
past. The small size and poor physique of the cadets, in contrast to last year,
was most noticeable. An innovation was the inclusion in the parade of a number
of medical and engineering students who, by a recent regulation, now carry out
their compulsory military training concurrently with their technical studies.
Internal Security.
Azerbaijan.
9. The Azerbaijan branches of the Tudeh party met in session in Tabriz
dui ing the second half of January. Delegates from all parts of the province
attended. The results of the session have not been made public and many wild
stories are circulating about the completeness of the Tudeh preparations for
achieving autonomy. They included the arming by the Russians of Tudeh
members and of a force of 5,000 Shakkak Kurdish horsemen, the murder of
Persian officials, the seizure of power and preparation to do battle with any force
sent from Tehran at chosen positions on the Qaflan Kuh.
Sarhang Darakhshani, the Governor-General of Western Azerbaijan, does
not believe the above in their entirety, but is of the opinion that something may
happen in the spring and deplores the supineness of the Persian officials and the
unlikelihood of their being able and willing to do anything in case of an
emergency.
Khuzistan.
a time pilferage of railway wagons containing military and
Aid to Russia stores has been causing the Allies great concern, and the uncanny
certainty with which only wagons containing stores of saleable value have been
rifled has led the Allied security authorities to suspect, that the thieves were led
by persons having inside information. An ambush was recently laid by a
combined British and American military party. A box car containing cloth was
left at Faliyeh railway siding and covered by the party in ambush. ^A gano- 0 f
150 natives attempted to raid the box car. The gang was led by two American
coloured soldiers and was engaged by the fire of the ambush'party and left
twenty-six dead on the site. Twelve more are believed to have died of wounds in
a nearby village. One American coloured soldier was killed and the other
captured.