Coll 28/39(2) ‘Persia. Printed Correspondence, 1937–’ [‎97v] (194/320)

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[Enclosure in Air Mail letter No. 34, dated 19th August 1938, from
Secretary, Political and Secret Department, 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. .]
[E 3913/127/34]
PERSIA.
July 4, 1938.
Letter from His Majesty’s Ambassador, Bagdad, to the Foreign
Office, London, No. 274, dated the 22nd June 1938.
I have the honour to report that on the 21 st June, during the course
of my weekly interview with the Minister for Foreign Affairs, his Excellency
spoke to me about the news which he had recently been receiving from Iran.
u He mentioned first the rearming of the Persian army, and told me that
he had reliable information that the Persians had purchased from Czechoslo
vakia fifty batteries of field and fiftv batteries of mountain guns (he did not
know how many guns there were to each battery). This information has caus
ed some alarm to the Iraqi General Staff and had increased their desire to
strengthen their own artillery without delay.
3. He went on to say that he had received a number of reports from the
Iraqi consul at Tabriz which indicated that relations between Iran and Soviet
Russia were becoming strained. According to these reports the trouble had
started about a deal in cattle. In fulfilment of their trade agreements, the
Persians had gathered for delivery to the Soviet Government large herds of
cattle at some point close to the Azerbaijan frontier. There had, however
been sorme hitch in settling the details of the transaction and the Persians had
delayed the handing over of the herds. Thereupon Soviet troops had actually
crossed the frontier and carried off the cattle from Persian territory.
4. After this incident the Persian troops in Azerbaijan had been reinforced
K AAA tW0 dlvlsl0ns ’ the second and the fourth, with a total strength of over
5,000 men, were now concentrated in the province.
^ c 5 ‘ T ^ fiq Suwaid ! on t0 ex P lain that > according to his information,
the Soviet Government disliked the Saadabad Pact and were bringing consider
able pressure to bear on the Persian Government to withdraw from it He
had further evidence of the serious attention which the Persian Government
were giving to the possibility of trouble with the Soviet Government. Quite
recently a party of Persian staff officers, accompanied by a French general
had carried out an extensive tour of the north-western provinces of Iran with
the intention of preparing a defence plan against a Russian invasion.
3 u , estioned t . he Persian Minister in Bagdad on this subject, but
situation 1 ^ 6VaS1Ve and was P robabl y well informed about the
7 : } said that I had no information to confirm these reports of the Iraqi
con u in Tabriz, but puma facie it seemed to me improbable that the Soviet
Government would wish tp become entangled in difficulties with Iran as thev
•”
weeks they had outwardly improved, but that feelings of real confidence Ind
sympathy had not yet been established. He thought, however that the Sbab
had recently given orders that care should be taLn toTvofd difficulties de
velOping between the two countries. cuities a
9. He concluded by telling me that the Iraqi Minister at Tehran would
be coming to Iraq soon on leave prior to retiring. A successor would bp
appointed in the autumn who would also be accredited to Kabul.
10 . The Persian Prime Minister is stopping for a dnv nr ^
on his way back from Egypt, arriving on the 26th June 7 Bagdad
Affaires at Tehm!^*" 8 a C ° Py ° f deSpat ° h to His Majesty’s Charge d’