Coll 28/97(1) ‘Persia. Diaries. Tehran Intelligence Summaries.’ [‎91v] (182/807)

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(ii) Recently a party of Egyptian cinema photographers arrived in iehran
by a specially chartered Misr Airways aeroplane. They are engaged in taking
films of Tehran and some of the more picturesque scenery in Iran. They brought
with them films showing the arrival and reception of the Iranian Mission in
Alexandria.
7. Iranian Army.
(i) General de Division Gendre of the French military mission, accompanied
by several staff officer instructors and students of the Fcole de Guerre, visited the
Iran-Baluchistan frontier north-east of Zahidan and the track from Kuh-i-Malik
Siah to Robat (Degree Sheet 30.C—Square D.l).
They also visited Zabul and the Helman River at Band-i-Kuhak (Degree
Sheet 30.F—Square D.l) before returning to Tehran.
(ii) As only five members of the French military mission remain, it has been
decided to appoint instructors for the Fcole de Guerre from the Iranian army
itself. Several senior officers have been detailed and are now being hurriedly put
through a three months’ intensive course by their French instructors. I he next
term of the Ecole de Guerre commences in September.
(iii) It is reliably reported that there is still a serious shortage in officers on
the active list of the Iranian army. In the artillery arm the deficiency is 40 per
cent., in the infantry 20 per cent, and 25 per cent.
(iv) A consular report from Kermanshah states that boys of school-leaving
age are being urged to join the Military Cadet College (Dabirestan-i-Nizam),
and are being threatened that, if they do not do so, they may be deprived of any
diplomas which they have been awarded at school.
(v) It is reliably reported that the whole of the Iranian army is now equipped
with the 7-9-mm. B.R.N.O. rifle. For drill purposes only the old French and
Russian rifles are still in use.
(vi) A military mission headed by Sartip (Brigadier) Shovanlou has left for
Hungary in order to purchase heavy draught horses for the new Skoda 105-mm.
(long) batteries. The horses will be despatched to Iran via Trebizond and Tabriz.
(vii) The Ministry of War has set up a special military commission under
the presidency The name given to each of the three divisions of the territory of the East India Company, and later the British Raj, on the Indian subcontinent. of Sartip (Brigadier) Knazari to inspect all magazines and
armouries, to fix the quantities of artillery and small arms ammunition required
for annual training, also to fix the quantities required as a reserve for war.
(vii) The Conscription Bureau have called up for one month’s training with
the colours all men born in a.h. 1284 (a.d. 1906) from the following areas : Tehran,
Qazvin, Qum, Semnan, Firouzkuh and Sabzewar.
The numbers affected are estimated at 4,000.
8. Boy Scouting (Pishahingi).
According to the official press, the number of boy scouts in Iran are increas
ing. The latest figures are as follows : —
Total number of troops
Total number of boy scouts ...
Total number of scout officers
698
18,564
4,402
9. The Iranian Navy.
Reference Intelligence Summary No. 23 of 1937, paragraph 10. The
Iranian Government have dropped their request for the loan of a British naval
officer as an instructor in marine surveying, &c. It is reported that the salary
asked for by His Majesty’s Government was too high.
10. Civil Aviation.
(i) Deutsche Lufthansa aeroplanes no longer land at Meshed aerodrome; the
company had apparently satisfactorily concluded negotiations with the Govern
ment for carrying passengers from Tehran to Meshed and vice versa, but the
Shah refused to give his final approval to the scheme, as a result, it is said, of
Russian pressure.
(ii) A report from Kabul confirms that Deutsche Lufthansa must obtain
permission from the Afghan Government every time they fly machines to Kabul.