Coll 28/97 ‘Persia. Diaries. Tehran Intelligence Summaries’ [‎279r] (557/749)

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THIS DOCUM^l^j^THE PROPERTY OF HIS llRITANNIC? MAJESTY’S GOVERNMENT
PERSIA.
SECRET.
IE 3434/70/34]
With the C^nr^fTmenti
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Under See.- ^,*y cf Sfai
for Foreign Adairs 1 .
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28, 1945.
Section 1.
Copy No. J
Military Attaiche’s Intelligence Summary No. 19, Secret, for the period 1th to
ASth May, 1945 .—(Communicated in Tehran Despatch No. 149 of the
llth May, 1945; Received in Foreign Office, 28£A May.)
Persian Affairs.
Political.
1 . The following Cabinet has been presented to the Majlis :—
Prime Minister and Minister for the Interior : Ibrahim Hakimi.
Foreign Affairs : Anushirwan Sepahbudi (F.O. 205—M.A. 282).
War : Ibrahim Zand.
Health : Dr. Ismail Marzban (Amin-ul-Mulk) (F.O. 128).
Agriculture : Nasrullah Khalatbari (Ittela-ul-Mulk).
Finance : Abdul Hussein Hajir (F.O. 79—M.A.104).
Roads and Communications : Nadir Arasteh.
Commerce and Industry : Abul-Qasim Najm (F.O. 156—M.A. 192).
Education : Ghulam Hussein Rahnema.
Ministers without portfolio :—
Hassan Ali Kamal Hidayet (Nasr-ul-Mulk) (F.O. 107—M.A. 140).
Mustafa Adi (Mansur-us-Sultaneh) (F.O. 1—M.A. 1 ).
Justice : Dr. Khushbin (Acting).
Posts and Telegraphs : Not yet appointed.
The selection appears to have been mainly on a desire to appoint Ministers
with no political bias or convictions. It is, consequently, not remarkable that
with a few exceptions they are colourless. Hajir is able, but will be obstructed
by the Russians and the Tudeh. Sepahbudi was recently ambassador in
Turkey. Khalatbari has for years suffered from senile decay and has been long
in retirement. Najm, who is now ambassador at Kabul, is expected to refuse
his appointment. Rahnema is a new-comer to political life. He is a professor
of mathematics and vice-chancellor of the university. The Minister for Justice
is likely to be offered to Allahyar Saleh (F.O. 198—M.A. 253), who is now at
the San Francisco Conference.
2. The Cabinet has already come in for much criticism, and prophecies
about the length of its life are gloomy. It meets with the approval of no group
in the Majlis, and it is unlikely that it will command a sufficiently stable
majority to enable it to undertake any effective measures of government. The
parliamentary groups that combined against Bayat and later to elect Hakimi
have fallen apart again, and dissensions have appeared even within individual
groups. There is some talk of forming a group in the Majlis to be openly
associated with and called by the name of the party that Seyyid Zia has recently
formed outside the Majlis—the Iradeh-i-Milli. The small Tudeh group still
remains unique in having some party discipline and in following a consistent
programme, and in opposition to alleged sympathisers with Seyyid Zia or with
the British it can, in certain circumstances, count on the support of an increasing
number of Deputies who for reasons of private mteiests find it advisable to
court Russian favour.
3 Persia celebrated the victory of herself and her Allies over Germany
with restrained elation. A salute of 101 guns was fired; Government buildings
were ordered to display the flags of the Emted Nations, bands played maitial
music in the public squares; but on the whole the population of Tehran was
apathetic In the Shah’s broadcast to the Persian people, in the speeches made
in the Majlis by the Prime Minister and the Speaker the great part plaved by
Persia in the victory was given due prominence. When the hour was darkest
for the Allies Persia, it was claimed, threw her weight on their side by declaiing
war on the Axis. Even before that she had, at great sacrifices to the Persian
npoole d laced her roads, railways and communications at their disposal. How
LpFt.lv then'should she be rewarded by her grateful Allies. The Shah^ has
already called attention to the great services rendered by the
Railways by conferring on the Railway Administration the Order o*
[66—42]
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