Coll 28/97(1) ‘Persia. Diaries. Tehran Intelligence Summaries.’ [‎127v] (254/807)

MUZ*
mmm
— —
2
At Abadan the usual official exchange of calls was carried out.
The Iranian sloops based on the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. were on prolonged manoeuvres
at the time of the visit.
(2) On the 2nd December His Majesty’s Minister was granted an audience
by His Imperial Majesty the Shah, and on behalf of His Majesty King George VI
presented a silver and enamel casket as a return gift for the carpet which the
Shah had sent to His Majesty on the occasion of his Coronation. The Shah
accepted the gift with keen pleasure.
5. French Interests.
The French military mission is now reduced to four members. They are as
under :—
Colonel Henriet.
Lieutenant-Colonel Pachaud Chalret du Rieu.
Major Massonee.
Major Vicomte de la Moussaye.
The two last named complete their contracts in January 1939.
The Iranian Ministry of War have not yet asked for the replacement of the
military mission. This is causing some uneasiness in French circles, as it is
known that both the German and Italian Governments are endeavouring to sell
war material and aircraft to the Iranian Government together with an offer of
experts and instructors.
It is also stated that both Sar Lashgar (Major-General) Yazdan Panah,
Commandant of the Military Academy and the Staff College, and his Chief of
Staff, Sarhang (Colonel) Arfa (Military Attache's Personalities, No. 37; Foreign
Office Personalities, No. 30), are reported to be strongly pro-German. Since the
commencement of the new session in October both colleges have been studying
German military text-books in preference to the French.
6. The Iranian Army.
(1) During October Colonel Henriet, chief of the French Military Mission
and Adviser in Defence, visited the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. ports together with a party
of students from the Staff College. The party visited Bandar Abbas, Lingeh
and Bushire. A similar tour was carried out last year, and it may be assumed
that the problem of the defence of these ports was again studied.
(2) It is reliably reported that a company of Alpine troops, equipped with
skis, is about to be formed in the Iranian army. A Swedish or Swiss officer
instructor may be engaged. There are excellent training slopes close to Tehran.
(3) On the evening of the 29th November a fire broke out in the old arsenal
in the centre of the city, now used as an ordnance workshop. The damage is
stated to be in the neighbourhood of 160,000 rials (£20,000). Specially seasoned
wood for rifle stocks, &c., and expensive machinery was totally destroyed. His
Imperial Majesty the Shah himself visited the scene of the fire, and on the
following day inspected the powder factory An East India Company trading post. at Parchin and the central supply
depot, where he made careful enquiries as to the precautions taken against fire
in these establishments. The Ministry of War, acting on the Shah’s instructions,
have given a contract to a French firm for the immediate reconstruction and
re-equipping of the destroyed ordnance workshop.
(4) The following quantities of explosives for the new Stokes Brandt 81 mm.
mortars have been delivered :—
7,500 shells.
7,600 cartridges.
7,600 fuzes.
45.600 exploders.
(5) Owing to the dismemberment of Czechoslovakia, the Ministry of War
have been anxious about the delivery of the remainder of the order for 200,000
Brno rifles. Czechoslovakian armament firms have, however, reassured the
Ministry that all outstanding contracts can easily be fulfilled. As a result an
order for a further 250,000 rifles is reliably stated to have been placed, and at