Coll 28/97 ‘Persia. Diaries. Tehran Intelligence Summaries’ [‎280r] (559/749)

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THIS DOCUMENT IS THE PROPERTY OF HIS BRITANNIC MAJESTY’S GOVERNMENT
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SECRET.
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Under S.
June 5, 1945. A
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Section 1.
Copy No. 132-
Military Attache's Intelligence Summary JS’o. 20, Secret, for the Period
X^llth May, 1945 .—(Cpmmunicated in Tehran Despatch No. 172 of
2%th May; Received hth June.)
Persian Affairs.
Political.
1 . More than a fortnight has passed since the Cabinet was presented to
the Majlis and it is not yet known whether it will stay or fall. On the 14th May
the Prime Minister announced his programme—the consolidation of friendly
relations with Persia’s allies, based on the Tripartite Treaty, the Atlantic Charter
and the Declaration of Tehran; revision of taxes; attention to economic problems
and to agricultural reforms; reform of the security forces; improvement of
conditions for workers and peasants. Since then the Deputies have resorted to
various tricks to postpone the taking of a vote on the programme. The Tudeh
party declared its opposition to the Government as a matter of principle, since
it did not stand for that radical reorganisation of society which the party desired
to see. All its representatives in the Majlis and some ten to twelve other members
notified their intention to speak against the Government’s programme; and
these speeches, alternating with those of supporters of the Government, have
filled up the last ten days. In addition to the Tudeh representatives there are
many Deputies who are not content with the Government. They are chiefly
interested in having in the Ministries of War and Interior Ministers who can
be induced to secure their re-election, and they do not see in the present Cabinet
those with the necessary qualities. They are therefore attempting to reconcile
their divergent views as to a suitable alternative to Hakimi as Prime Minister
and to make up a coalition of groups that will form a majority in the Majlis.
It seems that at best Hakimi can hope for only a small majority and it is doubtful
whether in the circumstances he will be willing to continue in office.
2. There is a very prevalent demand that, now that the war with Germany
is over and Persian communications are no longer required for the transport of
munitions to Russia, Allied troops should evacuate Persian territory. In his
speech introducing the Government’s programme the Prime Minister expressed
the hope that the Allies would substitute more normal relations for those based
on the Tripartite Treaty, and other speakers defined this more precisely as a
hope that Allied troops would leave the country. The same hope is expressed
over and over again in the press, combined very frequently with a demand for
the release of the remaining internees.
3. One of the numerous political parties in Persia—the Ada]at, a party
with a programme of reform by persuasion, opposed to the Tudeh because of its
Russian connexion, staged a demonstration on the 18th May to celebrate the
Allied victory and also to demand the evacuation of Persia by Allied troops and
the release of the detenus. The meeting was broken up by an attack staged—
there is little doubt—by the Tudeh party. One of the Adalat party was killed
and several injured by bricks thrown by the attackers, with whom the police
made no attempt to interfere. For their inactivity the Government is largely
to blame since, at Russian insistence, they suspended the Chief of the Isfahan
police for taking action against Tudeh rioters. Subsequently, some eight arrests
were made. It is reported that the Soviet Ambassador made a strong verbal
protest against the matter of the withdrawal of Allied troops being allowed to
be made the subject of a popular demonstration.
4 . In the speeches of the Tudeh members in opposition to the Government
attacks were made on the whole of the present social system, on the present
direction of the army (although the Tudeh supports a strong national army,
politically educated), on the servants of the imperialists and on the
support by the reactionaries of the feudal tribal system. The usual acc^ifNIjg)® p£L
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