Coll 28/97 ‘Persia. Diaries. Tehran Intelligence Summaries’ [‎366r] (731/749)

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of tho Chief of the General Staff, despatched a telegram to the garrison at Tabriz
««* :iV ^ring them to resist in principle (whatever that may mean), ordering the
oflxcers to disband the soldiers, to destroy their arms and make their way to
Tehran.
3 . t hile Persians continue to pin their faith to a successful outcome of
the Moscow conference, there are few who regard the recent Jussian success in
Azerbaijan as the limit of their aims in Persia* That the Tudeh movements in
Gilan, Mazanderan and Khorasan will follow suit is their conviction while the truly
pessimistic aver that all these are but first steps to a Russian domination of the
-whole country, their acquisition of a warm water port on the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , their
seizure of the Khuxistan oil and severance of Britain’s communications between the
Near Bast (Per.) A Persian custom allowing an individual to seek asylum at a designated location. and India.
The Majlis.
i f# Apart from speeches on the Azerbaijan situation the only noteworthy
proceeding has been the continuation of the debate on the Income Tax Law (Amendment)
Bill.
Legislation.
5 . The cabinet have decreed that, as from December 5fh, the import and
exoort of Persian currency notes will be strictlyforbiddon. Travellers will be
allowed to bring in or take out Persian currency to the value of one thousand
rials (about £7-10-0). Rials in excess of this will be confiscated and offenders
will be prosecuted.
The Government are preprring a bill amending the Provincial Councils
Law v/hich was passed 40 years ago, since the duties and powers of such Councils as
laid down in the old law do not correspond with- the present cay needs, . j^raatry
of the Interior have prepared a seventy article bill which vn 11 snorj^y - ^
in the Majlis. This bill, if passed, will probably take
instead of merely amending it. The new bill is reportoe to conn o p
Provincial Councils, the methods by which the Councils will ^ „ of
capital town of each Ustan to have twelve representatives and each shahristan ot
the nr evince to be represented by one member, all meeting m the capi ,
to province to form to Council! Independent "shahristans" like Qazvxn and Arak
will be represented at the capital town of each Ustan by six representatives, and
to "districts" of such independent "shahristans" by one representative.
INTERNAL SECURI TY*,
Azerbaijan.
7 Bayat, the Governor-General, has returned to Tehran as to Democrats
had broken of/relations with him on the grounds that their plans haa alreaay be n
made and could nut now be modified.
8 # The elections for the Tabriz deputies to the Azerbaijan National
Council h n ve been concluded. The provincial results are not yet to hand. Th r
were in all 47 candidates for 12 seats. The 'successful- candidates all obtained
fVnm ?1 000 to 23 000 votes while none of the others receivea as many c - s 50*
poU is 'headed by Pishlvari who was elected Wo years ago as a Tudeh candidate to
the ' rilis from Tabriz but who had his credentials rejected. xhe second is
Biriya a p!omtont labour agitator educated in Baku. The tenth, Ipekchian, is a
Tudeh member of the present Majlis. The eleventh, Kashinji, was an unsuccessful
Russian candidate for to Majlis. Among the general populace the attitoe t° the
elections seems to have been one of indifference amounting to apathy but much
activity was shewn in conveying crowds of youths m lorries to the P o11 -- ilS ^
of toE wo^ld be illiterate and as ballot papers had to be written on the spot,
/the