Coll 28/97 ‘Persia. Diaries. Tehran Intelligence Summaries’ [‎332r] (663/749)

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THIS DOCUMENT IS THE PROPERTY OF HIS BRITANNIC MAJESTY’S GOVERNMENT
PERSIA.
SECRET.
[E 7117/70/34]
September 24, 1945.
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Section 1.
?94 l i
Copy No.
Military Attache's Intelligence Summary, No. 36, Secret, for the Period
\0th to lf$th September, 1945.— (Communicated in Tehran despatch No. 331
of 17th September; Received 24^/i September)
Persian Affairs.
Political.
1. The Majlis. —On the 9th September the Minister of Finance tabled a Bill
to revise Dr. Millspaugh’s income tax law of November 1943. Deputy Ardelams
proposal that in future foreign nationals should only be engaged after sanction
by the Majlis was approved by a large majority. On the 11th September the
Minister of Finance tabled a single-article Bill to ratify the 1925 Geneva Con
vention regarding the export of opium. (The arrival of Persian opium at
American ports has recently been the subject of a complaint by the United States
Government.) On the same day the Minister for War tabled a Bill asking for
provision for two additional divisions for the army of a strength of 12,000 men at
a cost of 165 million rials; for a credit of 35 million rials for financial benefits
and concessions to army officers (see paragraph 3 of last Intelligence Summary),
and for a credit of 3 million dollars for purchase of military equipment from the
United States. The Bill was subsequently approved by the Majlis Budget
Commission, but is likely to meet with a stormy passage through the Majlis, when
the Tudeh members, acting on Russian instructions, will certainly oppose any
measures calculated either to strengthen or improve Persia’s armed forces. At
the same session Dr. Musaddiq made one of his typically turbid and turgid
orations. He described the tactics of the minority, prescribed the ideal form of
government in Persia, recommended an ideal form of foreign policy, gave a long
historical sketch of Persia’s relations with Russia and Great Britain, made a
long indictment against Reza Shah, and finally attempted to justify his own acts
and opinions on any and every occasion in the past. On the 13th September the
session was taken up with personal attacks and counter-attacks, the chief bouts
being between Tussi and Ali Dashti, and between the Armenian Deputy
Hovanessian and Siqqat-ul-Islam. The Minister for War also intervened to
defend the General Officer Commanding, Tabriz, from slanderous attacks by
Hovanessian.
2. The Minister for Foreign Affairs has addressed a note to the British,
Russian and American Embassies, in which he stated that the surrender of Japan
on the 2nd September, 1945, had given the greatest satisfaction to the Persian
Government and congratulated the Allies on this final victory. He also stated
that his note dated the 19th May, 1945, on the occasion of Germany’s surrender
had remained unanswered. In that note his Government had requested the
evacuation of Persia by the Allies, so that Persia could regain her normal status.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs then stated that, according to the Tripartite
Treaty, the period of six months’ delay after the cessation of hostilities in which
the Allies had undertaken to evacuate Persia would be calculated from the
2nd September, 1945, and that his Government expects that, according to clause 5
of that treaty, not a single Allied sailor, soldier or airman shall remain on Persian
soil after the 2nd March, 1946. He added that evacuation before that date would
be of the greatest service to Persia.
3. Despite the Military Governor’s ban on political meetings in Tehran
some forty members of the Tudeh party attempted to hold a meeting in the party’s
headquarters on the 14th September. Most of the Tudeh Deputies were there. A
police officer, who had been sent to order the meeting to disperse, was dragged
inside the building, beaten by a Tudeh Deputy, and had his epaulettes torn off.
The military governor, on hearing of the incident, stated that he could not arrest
the Deputy on account of his parliamentary immunity.
[69—138]