Coll 28/97(1) ‘Persia. Diaries. Tehran Intelligence Summaries.’ [‎245v] (490/807)

they are stationed. For police administration work, they come under the local
civil authorities. < ,
The gendarmerie force consists of ten regiments and fifteen independent
battalions. A location statement of these units is given as Appendix C ( ) to
this summary.
(ii) According to a consular report from Khorramshahr, a detachment of
50 men with 2 tanks, 4 anti-aircraft guns, 2 field guns and 6 machine guns
arrived at Abadan for the protection of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company.
It may be presumed that these reinforcements were supplied by the
6 th (Khuzistan) Division.
(iii) All units of the 1st and 2nd Divisions are now in summer training
camps to the north of Tehran. Two infantry regiments have been warned to
stand by for entrainment to Gurgan at twenty-four hours notice.
(iv) Tanks are being overhauled and put into condition for active service.
Stocks of p.o.l. and ammunition have been replenished and checked.
4. British Interests.
On the 7th July in the Majlis, the Minister for Finance (General Amir
Khosrovi) repeated once again to a crowded house the Iranian Government’s well-
known grievances against the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company, and accused the
company of failure to fulfil certain articles of the concession. He said that,
according to the promises of the company, production ought to have risen to
14 million tons per annum instead of diminishing. The Imperial Government
would do all they could to rectify this state of affairs.
Three Deputies, MM. Sadr, Tabatai and Lighvani, followed and spoke more
violently. M. Tabatai, editor of the Itila'at, quoted Bahrein (which he described
as Iranian property) as totally disproving the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company’s
argument that production is limited by markets. The only concrete proposal was
that the Government should demand either increased royalties at a fixed rate
regardless of output, or else the abandonment by the company of those fields,
especially Gach Saran and Pazanan, which they cannot exploit to the full. The
Prime Minister (his Excellency M. Ali Mansur) wound up the debate with a
further assurance of Government action, and a promise to keep the Majlis fully
informed.
It is interesting to note that no reference was made throughout the debate
to the arbitration clause of the concession. On the other hand, the Prime Minister
told His Majesty’s Minister a few days before the debate that the Iranian
Government did not intend to cancel the concession and wished to work with the
Anglo-Iranian Oil Company. It is, in fact, a question of blackmail.
If the threat to cancel the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company concession faded
away, it was probably thanks to the Shah’s anger against the Germans for their
broadcasts in Persian. Almost at once, however, Great Britain again became
unpopular owing to the references in the latest German white book to the possible
bombing of Baku by the Allies and to the participation of Iran, at British
instigation, in land operations against Russia. The Russian wireless and press
began to threaten Iran for complicity in the Allied scheme against Russia, and
in order to conciliate her powerful neighbour Iran made attacks on Great Britain
in the controlled press, referring to deprivation of rights (i.e., in regard to oil),
to Great Britain’s alleged lack of sympathy for Iran, and to the impropriety of
engaging in diplomatic talks involving Iran without Iran’s knowledge.
His Majesty’s Government have sent a final reply to a request from the
Iranian Government for permission to transfer sterling to the United States, up
to £3 million sterling a year, at the Government rate, to cover purchases in
America. The reply concedes all the essential part of the request, but points out
that this is exceptional treatment.
5. French Interests.
The French Military Attache, Commandant Alessandri, deplores the Oran
and Richelieu incidents, and states that this will undoubtedly affect Anglo-French
relations and recruiting for General de Gaulle’s Legion. He and his colleagues,
however, remain the same friendly collaborators as before. Commandant
Alessandri intends to visit Beirut in the near future for'instructions as to whether
his post is to be retained or not.
P) Not printed.