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Coll 28/39(2) ‘Persia. Printed Correspondence, 1937–’ [‎3v] (6/320)

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The record is made up of 1 file (158 folios). It was created in 11 Oct 1937-25 Nov 1942. It was written in English and French. The original is part of the British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .

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4
in the streets where there were thousands to greet the Shah on previous
visits when veils were still worn. The mollahs had been told to stay at home,
so that there were neither veils nor turbans to offend the bhah.
8. Havincr disappeared into the barracks, His Majesty did not emerge
until Tuesday? He spent the remainder of Sunday and the whole of Monday
inspecting the troops and receiving reports from officials. Meantime reports
had begun to circulate to the effect that the Shah was in excellent humour.
He had made a joke about the beard of one of the merchants who met him
on his arrival at the entrace to Tabriz. He had found the garrison m good
shape and had congratulated the general m the presence of the troo P s -
had even, according to one report, remarked to the Acting Goyernor-Gent c 1
that he had been misled by Ali Mansour about the people of Azerbaijan and
was only now realising their fine qualities. This affable condenscension
persisted through Tuesday, when the Shah came out to m spect the new
municipal buildings now being constructed, the barrage and other works
designed to protect Tabriz against floods, the recently completed P ol iyf head
quarters, the public gardens and the new large and weff-eqmpped KhoBr vi
leather factory An East India Company trading post. . The officials were, of course, relieved and delighted, but
the public as a whole remained apathetic.
9 When he met the officials and merchants on arrival, the Shah
had enquired about conditions in general, and was assured that, thanks
to him everything was going well. He asked what factories had been erected
since Ust he 7 was here, Ld how matters stood as regards the produce of the
distried. He was told about the new leather and textile factories, ^ ex
cellent crops, and listened to praise of the control system, and of the wheat
control Tn 1 particular which has yielded high prices for the growers His
Majesty made reference to the district, rich in minerals, through which h
had just come, and expressed a wish that it should be spec i y eve p
for the benefit of all classes. He advised the authorities to improve the
Ahar-Tabriz road, and apparently mentioned the desirability of linking
Tabriz with Tehran by rail.
10. The Shah has an apparently well-earned reputation for perspicacity.
He knows his countrymen well and is capable of delbmg beneath the fair sur-
fece of things at monients most inconvenient for them. On this visit, how
ever, he has been remarkably docile. He has e W p ^ e d
washes walls, seen the things he was meant to see, listened to the Prepared
sneeches and reports. It almost seemed as if he had decided beforehand that
harmonviWOuld P attend his visit to Azerbaijan and his dealings with its officials
The Ali Mansour story, if true, probably means that he wished o ma
oesture of approach to the people as a whole, despite his rather grim, eyes-fro
Attitude on^arriving, which probably derives from the fact that he has been
an iron-fisted martinet too long ever to acquire the gracious, kingly touch
towards a crowd. At all events, he failed completely to create goodwi
Imong the people. The essential fact is that many people in this city go
huncrv to bed while the great majority are labouring under^economic
oultieJ The Shah has taken upon himself to regulate their activities in
every sphere of life, and since times are hard, they argue that he is to ^“! e *
Th17v^t has been judged by one thing only, by its f J^^rom
i qhah has done nothing to improve that lot, the visit irom
the people’s 6 mrint^of^ view 8 is'a'faduie, a° waste P of public and private money,
and ^confirmation that the hopes they placed in him ten years ago are never
to be fulfilled Nor was there anv evidence that the prince may be expected
to bridge the gap between the throne and the people He was his father s
shadow throughout the visit, taking no initiative People ^
terested to see what he looked like, how big he had grown, but if there was
anv snark oHov over his first visit to Azerbaijan, it was quenched by the
resentment oveTthe recent rise in the price of bread and incident which was
not "ted to His Majesty when the officials told him how excellently the
grain control was operating. _ v xt, a*™*
11. In these days, however, there are standards other i e arif ,
eratic by which to estimate the success of a regime. His aj y ’ r
many intelligent people do, hold the view that discontent does not matter

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Content

Printed correspondence from the Government of India’s Foreign and Political Department (later referred to as the External Affairs Department), collated into yearly collections under the heading ‘Iran Series’. The original correspondence was sent by British representatives in Iran (chiefly the British Legation in Tehran) to the Foreign Office. The correspondence concerns: the announcement of laws, decrees, regulations, and budgets by the Government of Iran, the texts of which were frequently published in the newspaper Le Journal de Tehran ; reports from British consular officials covering a range of subjects, including commercial activities, foreign relations and the commercial activities of foreign individuals and companies in Iran, provincial affairs, and the activities of the Shah; in 1939 and 1940, reports concerning the impact of the Second World War on Iran, with a large number of reports from the Press Attaché to the British Legation in Tehran, reporting the dissemination of propaganda and public opinion in Iran.

At the end of the file is a single item of original correspondence, sent by the Secretary to the Government of India. Dated 24 August 1942, it announces the discontinuation of the printing of the Persia [Iran] series for the duration of the war (f 159).

A large number of items in the file are in French. These include the texts of Iranian Government laws, regulations and announcements that were published in Le Journal de Tehran .

The file includes a divider, which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.

Extent and format
1 file (158 folios)
Arrangement

The file’s contents are arranged in approximate chronological order, from the earliest item at the front to the latest at the end.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 160; these numbers are written in pencil and are located in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio.

Written in
English and French in Latin script
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Coll 28/39(2) ‘Persia. Printed Correspondence, 1937–’ [‎3v] (6/320), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/3443, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100044336375.0x000007> [accessed 29 March 2024]

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