Coll 28/97 ‘Persia. Diaries. Tehran Intelligence Summaries’ [‎279v] (558/749)

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Economic.
4. The policy for the collection of this year’s harvest has now been
approved by the Economic Council. Substantial reductions are to be made in
the price at which grain will be purchased by the Government; the number
of buying centres is to be greatly reduced; and Government will not buy grain
in deficit areas (of which the Tehran district is the most important). Purchases
of barley will be limited to those made by the Ministry of War and the^~
gendarmerie for forage. All indications are that, provided serious damage by,
j locusts can be prevented, the harvest should produce a considerable surplus over
the requirements for internal consumption.
5 . Locusts have appeared along the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. littoral, notably at
Bushire and Bandar Abbas, and at Birjand, Kerman and in the Farrashband
and Ear districts of Ears. In the north they have appeared at Gurgan and on
the Moghan steppe. In all these areas control measures of varying degrees of
efficiency are being taken, in the south with the assistance of British, and in the
north of Russian experts.
6 . There is now’ a weekly air service, once each way, between Tehran and
Bushire calling at Isfahan and Shiraz, operated by de Havilland Rapide or
Dominie machines, the property of the Ministry of Posts and Telegraphs.
A 'p'pointments — military.
7. (i) Sarhang Sarimi to command the 11 th (Saqqiz) Brigade;
(ii) Sarhang Kama! to be Officer Commanding Gendarmerie in
Kermanshah.
Internal Security.
Kuhigcdu. *
8 . It is reported that the rival Boir Ahmadi chiefs, Abdullah Zarghampur
and his half-brother Khrosrow, have signed an agreement which may for a time
eliminate one of the possible causes of trouble in that turbulent area.
Russian Interests.
9. The Tudeh press has been voicing Russian displeasure with the Persian
delegates at San Francisco who dared to vote in opposition to Russia in favour
of the Argentine being invited to the conference. They, it says, are obviously
merely tools in the hands of certain Great Powers. The campaign against
Seyyid Zia and his “masters” continues without pause. Shameless attempts
are being made to intimidate by threats the Court of Justice which is to try an
action for defamation brought by Seyyid Zia against one of the Tudeh papers
10. The May Day celebrations of the Tudeh party in Meshed went on for
two days. Mounted Russian officers and about sixty soldiers with tommy-guns
were on duty in the streets for the protection of party members.
11. Recent manoeuvres by British troops in the area Behbehan -Gacn
Saran during which a number of the chiefs of Kuh-i-Galu and Mamassani weie
entertained by General Lochner, have, as was to be expected aroused the
suspicious curiosity of the Russians. The Russian vice-consul and two membeis
of the Ahwaz Consulate recently visited Behbehan and Gach, Saran where,
| since Persians will usually tell the kind of tale that they think will be welcome
to their visitor, they have doubtless collected much information to confirm their
suspicions of British encouragement of tribal chiefs in their desire to return
to an autonomous and feudal tribal system and of British support for le
establishment of unity among the tribes of the south, to be used one day against
the Tudeh party and Russian interests, and perhaps even the distribution of
arms to the tribes.
French Interests.
12 M. Herriot has arrived in Tehran from Moscow and imprisonment in
Germany, the Persians were at some pains to do him honour and to express
I to him their attachment to France in terms of fulsome flattery. M. Herriot s
v replies were highly pleasing to Persian vanity.
Turkish Interests.
13. A Turkish commercial mission has arrived in Tehran to investigate
the prospects of trade between Persia and Turkey and more particularly the
purchase of Persian tobacco.
Vatican Interests.
14 Mgr. Marina has relinquished the appointment of Papal representative
in Persia.
Tehran, \%th May, 1945.
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