خارجي ٤١/٥٠٠١ "بلاد فارس - الشؤون الداخلية (إرساليات متنوعة)". [ظ‎‎١‎٠‎٨] (٢٤٨/٢١٦)

10
35. Arrangements have been made with General Headquarters, Paic, for the
use of back-loading facilities in U.K.C.C. transport carrying supplies to Russia
for essential Persian civil requirements. It is hoped in this way to make the
utmost use of all transport facilities available, whether in the service of the
U.K.C.C. or of the Persian Government, for essential civil needs; and the Road
Transport Board will maintain constant touch with the D.Q.M.G. (Movements),
Tehran, to maintain the efficient use of these facilities. It is hoped, however,
when the Persian Government builds up its own fleet of lorries the calls on ti
U.K.C.C. for help in providing transport will be correspondingly reduced. At
present it is necessary for the latter to provide transport which often conflicts
with the needs of supplies to Russia. The more the Persian Government can do
for itself, the less this service will be interrupted. Similarly, it is most necessary
that the Persian Government should have its own stocks of tyres and spare parts
with which to maintain the vehicles under its control, and it is hoped that
arrangements now being made by the M.E.S.C. and the agreement of General
Headquarters, Paic, to return a number of tyres consigned to the Persian Govern
ment requisitioned earlier in the year will before long result in the Persian
Government having at least the minimum of tyres and spares necessary for this
purpose.
Conclusion.
36. The disorders of the 8th December have cleared the air somewhat.
Those who troubled the waters, or tried to fish in them, have been taken somewhat
aback by the courage shown by the Qawam and the support accorded to him by
the Allies, while the Qawam,'apparently grateful for this support, has settled
two or three questions which had been discussed fruitlessly for some time, and
has made oil the Tehran wireless the first strongly pro-Ally speech made by a
Persian since the occupation. But it must not be concluded that the danger is
over. The Shah has been humiliated, and the fact that it is his own fault does
not make it any easier to bear; nor will the army cease their attempt to remain
outside the competence of the Ministry of War and under the nominal orders of
a Shah whom they in fact influence strongly if they do not actually control him.
The Deputies have been brought to order for the moment, but, like most Persians,
they are incurably light-minded, and they will always prefer the intoxication of
irresponsible criticism to more useful labour on urgent unspectacular reforms.
The press is closed down for the moment, except for a Government sheet, and the
Government have not yet decided what to do with the newspapers—factious and
irresponsible at the best, and, at the worst, organs of almost open blackmail. The
prospects of the Allies in Persia are brighter as a result of the victories in North
Africa and Russia; but the food problem, the problem of the rise in prices which
the growing expenditure in currency is bound to accentuate, and the confusion
which seems likely to characterise the period of transfer of railways and other
means of aid to Russia from British to American hands will occupy our minds
and energies for the next few months, when we are not busy with one of the
frequent and harmful political crises which the Persians regard with such
childish equanimity.
37. I am sending copies of this despatch to His Majesty’s Minister of State;
to Minbranch, Bagdad; to the General Officer Commanding, Paiforce; to His
Majesty’s Ambassador at Kuibyshev; and to the Government of India. ,
I have, &c.
R. W. BULLARD.