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(ii) Seventeen Czechs have succumbed to pressure and taken out German
papers. The fact that only one Czech has been accepted so far for armaments
work in India is said to have discouraged the Czechs, but, on the other hand,
the Czechs have been very dilatory in producing their record of service and
qualifications for transmission to India.
7. U.S.S.R. Interests.
Reference Intelligence Summary No. 6 (current), paragraph 6 (iv), ( 2 ) and (3).
(i) The Baku-Ordubad-Julfa railway line is not yet open for traffic. About
30 kilom. of rails have still to be laid.
(ii) The new branch line Aji Kabul-Lenkoran-Astara is stated to have been
begun. The following are the stations :—
Aji Kabul.
Zubishi (Bishli Bigli ?).
Bichoff ?
Perishoff ?
Hasanli ?
Yeddibimakh.
Nikolayevka.
Bura Digya.
Lenkoran.
Shah Agach.
Archevan.
Astara.
(iii) The Soviet Ambassador, M. Filimonov, is being replaced very shortly
by M. Smirnoff, formerly counsellor to the Soviet Embassy at Berlin. It was
stated that he would “ enter into negotiations,” and it is thought that these
negotiations may have something to do with Russian fears of Germany.
8 . Iraqi Interests.
(i) Saiyid Shakir-al- Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. , Iraqi Charge d ! Affaires, has been recalled to
Bagdad. He left on the 13th May. Papers requesting the Iranian Government
to recognise Talib-al-Mushtaq as his successor are on the way. Mushtaq was
Iraqi Consul in Jerusalem until recently, when his openly anti-British attitude
compelled the High Commissioner to ask for his recall.
(ii) Hikmat Sulaiman, who became Prime Minister of Iraq after the coup
cTEtat of Bekir Sidqi three years ago, and was afterwards exiled, recently
received permission from the Iraqi Government to come to Iran. He is living-
in Tehran.
(iii) Two anti-Rashid Ali refugees have reached Tehran—Saiyid Baqir, of
the Regent’s entourage, and Salih Jabar, who was arrested by the Rashid Ali
Government because of his inactivity when the Regent fled to Basra.
9. Polish Interests.
A party of twenty-eight Poles (Jews) of military age who arrived from
Russia have been held up in Iran for Iraqi transit visas. The police have now
transferred them to Meshed, and are endeavouring to expel them from Iran. The
Government of India have refused them the right of transit through India.
Further numbers of Poles and Czechs are expected here now that the Balkan, and
possibly the Turkish, route is closed.
It is reported that General Headquarters, Middle East, advised all British
Missions in the Middle East that Poles were urgently required for military
service and that every endeavour should be made to help them along.
10. German Interests.
The German Legation here is very active in organising help for Rashid Ali's
Government in Iraq. Several parties of Germans have left for Northern Iraq
and Kurdistan. An application for a transit visa for Herr Grobba, the late
German Minister in Bagdad, to return to his post is stated to have been presented
to the Iranian Ministry for Foreign Affairs, but was refused. It is reported that
Dr. Grobba has since arrived in Bagdad via Turkey.
H. J. UNDERWOOD, Lieutenant-Colonel,
Military Attache.
Tehran, May 17, 1941.