Coll 28/97 ‘Persia. Diaries. Tehran Intelligence Summaries’ [‎360r] (719/749)

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THIS DOCUMENT IS THE PROPERTY OF HIS BRITANNIC MAJESTY’S GOVERNMENT
PERSIA.
SECRET.
t^CornoV^^nU December 18, 1945. 1°'
Ofidor Tf’v of Stst*
for AffaJ^ Section 1.
[E 9871/70/34] Copy No. 1^0
Military Attache's Intelligence Summary No. 46, Secret, for the Period
26£A November to 3rd December, 1945.— ^(Communicated in Tehran Despatch
No. 427 of 4:th December, 1945; Received in Foreign Office 18^ December.)
Persian Affairs.
AFFAIRS in Azerbaijan have monopolised the attention of the Persian
Government during the past week. The Persian Government anxiously awaits
the reply of the Soviet Government to the notes presented by the American and
British Ambassadors. The Soviet Embassy’s reply to the Persian Government’s
note of the 17th November (see paragraph 3 of last Intelligence Summary) is
reproduced as an appendix to this summary. It will be seen that the Russians
flatly deny all charges brought against them and bring counter-charges against
the Persian Government. Over the most important question, that of the despatch
of Persian troops, the Russians give no satisfaction but throw the onus of respon
sibility on to the shoulders of the Persians, adding the threat that any Persian
troop movements will necessitate an increase in Russian garrisons. The Russian
argument, if such it can be called, depends on two false assumptions, viz., firstly,
that the existing Persian garrison of Azerbaijan—some 4,000 effectives out of a
total of 6 , 000 —even if reinforced by two battalions and a battalion of
gendarmerie, could possibly constitute a menace to Russian forces totalling at
least 30,000 men, and, secondly, that the existing garrisons are, in fact, garrisons.
The gendarmerie throughout the province are known to have been disarmed and
the military are either restricted in action to an area within 5 miles of their
barracks, as at Rezaieh, or confined to barracks as at Maragheh, or besieged in
their barracks as at Miandoab, or allowed to perform static guards under Russian
surveillance as at Tabriz. The one thing they are*not allowed to do is to take
action against Democrat rebels when disturbing the peace. Such action brings
instant intervention by the local Russian town major, who orders the Persian
troops back to barracks and liberates anyone made prisoner by them.
2. On the 22nd November the Persian Government addressed a second note
to the Soviet Embassy, in which it protested against the continued presence of
Russian troops in Tehran after the town had been declared officially as evacuated
by them. The note also protested against the introduction into the capital of
refugees in plain clothes.
3. The speeches of the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Mr. Eden in the
House of Commons have greatly heartened Persians of all classes.
4. The Russian military have evacuated their military movements staff
and all troops from Tehran railway station and are said to have established them
near Firuzkuh. They have also evacuated their military headquarters (which
has gone to join its parent body at Qazvin), and some, but not all, of their
billets. They still have a camp some 5 kilom. west of the town.
5 . The Persian Government has addressed a note to His Majesty’s Embassy
asking that an invitation be procured for the Persian Government to attend the
International Conference on War Indemnities now in session in Paris, on the
grounds that Persia has been at war with Germany and has thereby suffered
many direct and indirect losses.
The Majlis.
6 . On the 25th and 28th November the Majlis Budget Commission met to
discuss the 4-12ths Budget Bill recently tabled by the Minister of Finance. The
Minister of the Interior made a short speech, mainly about the departure of
Bayat, the newly-appointed Governor-General for Azerbaijan. The urgency of
the Peasants’ Insurance Bill was discussed, but there were insufficient Deputies
present for a division. The urgency of the Justice Commission (Powers) Bill
was also discussed but no decision was taken. In view of the developments in
Azerbaijan a secret session of the Majlis was held on the 26th November, at which
[72—126]