Coll 28/97 ‘Persia. Diaries. Tehran Intelligence Summaries’ [‎348v] (696/749)

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Civil Aviation. (See Intelligence Summary No. 39, paragraph 8.)
8. The Americans appear to be pressing for (i) immediate provisional rights
to run a Tehran-Abadan service to connect with the outside world, (ii) later on,
for rights on a route Turkey-Persia-Afghanistan-India-China, for which Pan-
American Airways hold a C.A.B. licence.
Internal Security.
A zerbaijan. U
9. A report emanating from the General Officer Commanding, Tabriz, states
that Mullah Mustafa Barzani, having fled from the Iraqi forces, has taken refuge
in Persia. Accompanied by 2,000 followers (of whom 500 are armed and in
possession of a field gun) he arrived in Western Azerbaijan on the 16th October.
He has, apparently, been allowed by the Russian military authorities to camp in a
village 15 kilom. south of Rezaieh. The Persian commandant of Rezaieh has
been ordered by the General Officer Commanding, Tabriz, to inform Mullah
Mustafa that he is a fugitive from justice and that he must lay down his arms and
obey the orders of the local Persian commander. Unless the Russian military
authorities, who are in complete control of the area, endorse these orders, there is
but little chance of their being obeyed.
10. There is some reliable evidence to show that at least four lorry-loads of
rifles have been delivered by the Russians to Ghazi Muhammad in Mahabad, and
some less reliable evidence to the effect that others have been delivered by the
Russians to Kurdish tribes, including those actually engaged in hostilities against
the Iraq Government.
Fars.
11. There are signs of the recrudescence of the old rivalry between Nasir
Khan Qashgai and his uncle AH Khan, Salar Hishmat. The latter is believed to
be intriguing with the Shisbulukis, and possibly with other sub-tribes of the
Qashgai, to entice them away from Nasir Khan’s overlordship. The Shiraz paper
Paigham, in its issue of the 4th October, published the text of a telegram sent by
Nasir Khan to the Persian Government in Tehran, in which, after extolling his
own efforts to keep the peace in Fars since the outbreak of the war, he declines any
further responsibility in this respect, because the present Government is
reactionary, differs little from that of Reza Shah, and shows no sign of desiring to
better the living conditions of the poor in Persia. Though no immediate threat
to the prevailing peace of Fars is expected as a result of this telegram, its effect is,
none the less, unfortunate as tending to shatter the solidarity of the Qawam-Nasir
Khan-Murteza Quli Khan alliance and as embarrassing to the Persian Govern
ment at a time when their attention and armed resources must shortly be devoted
to the restoration of order in the northern provinces.
British Interests.
12. Some progress has been made in inducing the Persian Government to
take adequate measures to ensure the safety of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company’s
area of operations after the evacuation of British troops. The Persian Prime
Minister has promised to table a Bill in the Majlis as soon as possible to obtain
the necessary credit for increased police allowances. The chief prefect of police
has sent telegraphic instructions to the chief of police of Khuzistan to begin
enlisting 100 extra constables. The agreement of the Chief of the General Staff,
the Chief Prefect of Police and the American Chief Adviser to the Gendarmerie
has been obtained to the responsibility for the security of the A.I.O.C. area being
vested in the General Officer Commanding, Khuzistan Division, who will
co-ordinate the tasks of the army, gendarmerie and police under this head without
interfering in their administration. So lacking is the liaison and so strong are the
jealousies between these departments (as, indeed, between any two departments of
the Persian Government) that this agreement has not been easy to obtain.
13. Despite the fact that the so-called “ evacuation ” of Tehran by Russian
troops has resulted in little diminution in their numbers the Moscow press has
attempted to make political capital out of it by stressing the fiction that, whereas
the Russians and the Americans have evacuated Tehran, the British have not yet
done so. Although the figures for those remaining behind in Tehran (“ British
Army Liquidation Staff”) had been communicated to the Ministry for Foreign
Affairs as long ago as the 20th September (and also to the Russian and American
Military Attaches, and to the Chief of the General Staff on the 18th September,
it was judged expedient to publish these figures as a press communique. This was