Coll 28/97(1) ‘Persia. Diaries. Tehran Intelligence Summaries.’ [‎373v] (746/807)

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Persian Forces.
8. The Majlis has approved the Bill authorising the payment to the
dependants of officers and men killed in the Anglo-Russian invasion of pensions
equivalent to the rates of pay being drawn by the deceased at the time of his death
(see Summary No. 5/42, paragraph 3).
A ppointments — Military.
9. Sarlashkar Riazi, from Deputy Chief of the General Staff to he Under
secretary of State for War (see Summary No. 22/41, paragraph 17).
Sartip Seifullah Shihab, from Director of the Ilnd Bureau of the General
Staff to be Deputy Chief of the General Staff.
Sartip Mohamed Hussein Firuz (M.A. 94; F.O. 75) to be General Officer
Commanding the Fars Division, vice Sartip Siahpush. It is understood that he
is to become Governor-General in addition.
10. With possibly serious disturbances impending in Fars. Bakhtiari
(possibly affecting the oil-fields area and the railway) and Kurdistan, the Persian
General Staff are hard put to it to find the necessary troops. They are unable
to take advantage of the permission of the Russians to send a brigade to Tabriz
and have to content themselves with a skeleton staff and the cadre of an infantry
regiment. The troops they have are in many cases unreliable and they are very
largely recruits. The sentiments of a number of the officers remain strongly pro-
Axis and anti-British. They are consequently not disposed to take effective
action in the protection of what they may consider to be British interests.
Internal Security.
Khorassan (see Summary No. 10/42, paragraph 4).
11. Saulat-es-Sultaneh has informed the Persian authorities that he is
willing to surrender if given a guarantee of life.
A zerbaijan.
12. With the arrival of Persian troops in Ardebil (see Summary No. 9/42,
paragraph 4, last sub-paragraph), Eastern Azerbaijan appears to have settled
down. The Russians have now agreed that Persian troops may be sent to Tabriz.
Owing to lack of troops, only a token force can be sent.
Kurdistan.
13. There are no further developments.
Khuzestan.
14. There are disturbances around Gach Saran, of which details have not
yet been received. These are probably connected with the unrest among the
Bakhtiaris and Boir Ahmadis reported in Summary No. 11/42. paragraphs 9
and 10.
Fars.
15. Although no serious incidents have been reported during the week, the
situation remains very unsatisfactory. Nasir Qashqai has again refused an
invitation, accompanied by a guarantee of his liberty, to come to Shiraz to discuss
the question of his lands. He has now' moved from his quarters near Firuzabad
to the country north-west of Kazarun, where he can get into touch with the
Kashquli, Darashuri and Boir Ahmadi.
16. It is now confirmed (see Summary No. 11/42, paragraph 9) that the
Boir Ahmadi chief who broke away from Tehran was Abdullah, son of the late
notorious Shukrullah. He was accompanied by Hussein Quli Mamassenni, son
of the late Imam Quli, and by Abdul Qasim Bakhtiari, son of Amir Mufakham.
All of them were under detention, although not imprisoned, in Tehran, and their
escape and their return to their tribes will probably lead to an increase of
disturbance.
Bakhtiari.
17. The appointment of Morteza Quli Khan as Governor of Bakhtiari (see
paragraph 7 (v) above) is in the long view a retrograde step forced on the
Persian Government by their weakness, and particularly that of their forces.