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Ext 5000/41(11) 'Persian Situation. Miscellaneous Reports' [80r] (159/1028)
The record is made up of 1 file (571 folios). It was created in 26 Sep 1943-4 Dec 1945. It was written in English, French and Farsi. 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. .
Transcription
This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.
Copy,
(Enclosure)
No* 93/45,
I was invited to pay the Shah a farewell visit on.the 19th
July* It lasted over two hours* He looked ill and was
extremely depressed, almost weeping, about the situation in
Persia - Russian aggressiveness, Persian treason, the
irresponsibility of the Majlis, the complete unfitness of Persia
for democratic Government (democracy, he seemed to think, had
been imposed on Persia by the British because they thought
Muhamnad Ali Shah was too pro-Russian), and the general decadence
of the upper classes. The necessity for elementary social
measures, he said, was so obvious and their accomplishment was
so easy - if only there t was a stable government. The financial
situation of the country was chaotic; in a few months they
might not.be able to pay Government employes, and then what a
chance for the Russians and the TudehJ -What would happen if
'the Russian troops did not leave Persia before the elections?
There would be at least forty deputies bound to the Russians.
.A block of 40 deputies in an otherwise disunited Majlis would
control the Government.
What answer would Stalin give if Mr. Churchill asked him
what business Russian troops had in Persia now? Would he
say that Russia could not afford to have a reactionary Fascist
Government on her borders and that the Russian troops would stay
until there was a change of rdgime? Could a Government be called
Fascist that allowed a number of uninvited foreigners, posing as
the guests of some unrecognised Persian organization, to have
free intercourse with Persian working classes and to listen to
statements made by spokesmen selected and instructed by the
Russians?
Were the Russians seeking only security, or were they
preparing for the next war? If they sought only security how
could their policy in Persia be explained? Persia could never
be a danger to them. (The Shah, fortunately, does not wait for
answers to his questions).
He talked about his ideas for the Army of the future. He
would like to have three armoured Brigades, 6 motorized Brigades,
some horsed Cavalry and two Infantry Divisions; an airforce of
about 100 machines; a total of 70,000 men. He hinted plainly
that he would welcome assistance from us in the equipment of his
armoured Brigades. The Americans were asking very high prices
for equipment. He envisaged a regiment of medium tanks (he was
enthusiastic about the Comet); a regiment of lighter tracked
vehicles and some mechanized infantry in each armoured Brigade.
The role of the Persian Army, as he saw it, was the preservation
of national honour, the maintenance of internal security and
delaying action in the event of Russian aggression until
assistance came from Great Britain or the United Nations.
He was loath to discourage the enthusiasm of Colonel
Schwarzkopf, but he did not think that Persia could afford a
Gendarmerie on the scale planned by him. His view was that
the functions of the Gendarmerie should be those of provincial
police/
About this item
- Content
This file consists of miscellaneous reports regarding internal affairs in Persia (later referred to more frequently as Iran). Most of the correspondence is between His Majesty's Ambassador in Tehran (Sir Reader William Bullard) and officials of the Foreign Office.
Other prominent correspondents include the following: His Majesty's Chargé d'Affaires in Tehran (Daniel William Lascelles; Herbert Reginald Dauphin Gybbon-Monypenny); His Majesty's Consul, Isfahan; His Majesty's Consul General, Tabriz (Thomas Cecil Rapp); His Majesty's Ambassador in Washington (Edward Frederick Lindley Wood, referred to in the correspondence as Viscount Halifax, and later, as Earl of Halifax); His Majesty's Ambassador in Moscow (Archibald Clark Kerr); officials of the Foreign Office and the 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. .
The correspondence includes discussion of the following:
- Political affairs in Persia, including elections, resignations, and the reconstruction of the Cabinet.
- Reports of the theft of telephone cables used by the British military in Persia.
- The Shah's [Muhammad Reza Khan] personal finances.
- Reports of Russian interference in Persian elections.
- The procedural and administrative arrangements of the Persian National Consultative Assembly (mainly referred to in the correspondence as the Majlis; the file also includes a list of the deputies of the 14th Majlis, with biographical notes).
- The tenability of the position of Dr Arthur Chester Millspaugh, United States financial adviser to the Persian Government and head of the Millspaugh mission.
- Anti-British opinion in the Iranian press.
- Details of the main political parties in Persia (particular coverage is given to the Tudeh party).
- Radio broadcasts in Persia, and the proposal from His Majesty's Ambassador in Tehran that the British should begin producing regular radio reports in Persian, which should be broadcast by the BBC in London.
- The question of whether the British should agree to the release of Persian internees described as 'fifth columnists'.
- The case for abandoning political censorship (as a response to Soviet censorship in press telegrams).
The French language material consists of extracts and cuttings from two French language Iranian publications, Journal de Tehran and Messager de Téhéran ; the Farsi language material consists of a copy of an aide-memoire by His Majesty's Ambassador in Tehran, which is dated 25 January 1945 and appears in English and Farsi.
The file includes five dividers which give a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. These are placed at the back of the correspondence.
- Extent and format
- 1 file (571 folios)
- Arrangement
The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the file.
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 573; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, 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, French and Farsi in Latin and Arabic script View the complete information for this record
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Ext 5000/41(11) 'Persian Situation. Miscellaneous Reports' [80r] (159/1028), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/561, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100048203395.0x0000a0> [accessed 24 April 2024]
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Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- IOR/L/PS/12/561
- Title
- Ext 5000/41(11) 'Persian Situation. Miscellaneous Reports'
- Pages
- front, front-i, 2r:67v, 71r:187v, 195r:277v, 279r:288v, 290r:314v, 317r:376v, 378r:400v, 403r:410v, 412ar:412av, 413r:459v, 461r:486v, 488r:512v, back-i, back
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence