Coll 28/97 ‘Persia. Diaries. Tehran Intelligence Summaries’ [‎346r] (691/749)

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British Interests.
y^' ^ n T imitation to visit the United Kingdom has been given by the
ims of Information to six editors of Persian newspapers.
/Ayr i ^ b e Bntish and American Embassies have announced that M.E.S.C.
(Middle East Supply Centre) in Persia will be dissolved as from the 1st November.
iQfU rw i e Daily News will cease publication with its issue of the
IJtli October. A daily news bulletin will be issued after that date by the Public
Relations Bureau of the British Embassy.
15. The 1 endan Government signed, on the 7th October, the agreement to
purchase e 0 ^® ri ^ s ^ Military telecommunications. (See Intelligence
Summary, No. 37, Appendix “A,” paragraph 2.)
A merican Interests.
16. American resentment has been aroused by the attitude of the Persian
Government and the tone of the Persian press regarding the purchase of assets
and the absence of any treaty governing the presence of American military
lorces in Persia. The American Embassy has published a communique
explaining its attitude to both questions. Regarding the assets the communique
states that the American Government has never given any undertaking to hand
over its surplus military assets free of charge. Concerning the non-conclusion
of a tieaty it states that such a treaty was, in fact, proposed, but was dropped
at the suggestion of the Persian Government as being unnecessary.
17. The air attache and assistant military attache of the American
Embassy recently applied for a pass to the Russian military authorities to
visit Meshed, travelling via Gurgan. They have been informed that a pass to
visit Meshed can be granted but that the applicants should not travel via Gurgan
as this aiea is unsafe. As the Soviet Embassy have turned back Persian
gendarmerie proceeding to Gurgan to restore order and have repeatedly refused
permission for Persian troops to be stationed there, their attitude is illogical
though quite consistent with the widely-held belief that there are things goin 0,
on in that area which they do not wish to be made public.
Russian Interests.
18. There are reports, almost certainly exaggerated, from Persian
sources of large-scale Russian troop movements in western Azerbaijan towards
the Perso-Turkish frontier. According to one source, over 200 Russian aircraft
were seen heading for the frontier, a hundred tanks had been seen making for
Maku and Russian troops had been constructing defences in plain view of the
Turks. Shots had even been exchanged between the opposing armies though no
actual crossing of the frontier had taken place. Steps are being taken through
consular sources to confirm or refute these reports.
Chinese Interests.
19. His Excellency Mr. Li Tieh-tseng, Chinese Ambassador, has left
Tehran for China on leave.
Koweit Interests.
20. The existence of a Persian claim to Koweit was brought to mind
recently by the question of the despatch of some Anglo-Iranian Oil Company’s
technicians from Abadan to Koweit. The Persian Government do not
recognise the sovereignty of Koweit and will not issue visas for that country.
The Koweit authorities, in their turn, insist on Persians wishing to enter Koweit
having Persian passports with Koweit visas. To circumvent this, it is customary
for Persians to visit Iraq first and obtain a Koweit visa there.
Tehran, Ith October, 1945.