Coll 28/115 ‘Persia. Khorramshahr – intelligence summaries.’ [‎10r] (19/52)

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-mJUJMUM
British Consulate f
Khorramshahr*
Khorramshahr Consulate Diary Bo* 2 for the month of
TObRlIAtty, , ^ 1942
bkitim; oi?>iciitU:
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9 vy-
20* His Excellency the British Ambassador and his family arrived
in horremshahr on the 8th and left on the 11r
21* iiir. A.C* lrott f GBE, t H.M* Ccnsul-Cenerkly ahwas t arrived in
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»rWri~i
Kl.orramshahr on the 15th* Accompanied by H*)fl* Consul y Khorra^iShahr y
he visited Basra on the 17th f and returned to Ahva* on the 18th*
FOhllCK Off* IIIaL;
22. B* Kaaelofy Hepresentative of the ^oviet Trade Delegation to
Iran f visited Khorramshahr on various occasions during the month*
He paid visits to a nuiaber of well-known Tudeh sympathisers*
23* Sir* Chase, the American Vice-Consul at Basra, visited Khorram
shahr on the 17th and returned the same day.
Aghal Jawad Vosauq. the Civil Governor of Abadan, has been
erred to Susan-Gera and left Abadan on the 5th* He was re-
24.
transferred
lieved by Aghal Hurmus Ahmadl*
m£kim
26* The General Elections to the 15th Majlis took place in tills
area during the month. Aghai Mir Afzali, the Government Inspector
of the 1 lections, arrived here from Tehran on February 2nd and im
mediately set about electing the tlectoral Committees. Separate
Comrlttees, each consisting of nine persons, were elected for Abadan
and Khorr&mshahr and the period 14th-18th February inclusive was
fixed for polling*
26* There was no election campaign or canvassint of votes by the
candidates as it is known in the western sense* Canvassing was
confined to a few private meetings at which prospective candidates,
after being introduced to the audience by well-wishers, proceeded to
make short speeches of little or no Importance* In the meantime all
Government Departments had received instructions from the Governor-
General at Ahwaz to the effect that their support should be given to
Dr. Rajah, the Chief Medical Officer of the Banque-i-Melli and an
ex-Anglo-Iranian Oil Company employee* Any attempts by other candi
dates to press their campaigns were quiclly and effectively smothered
by Government officials, and it soon became evident that Dr. Rajeh
would heve no difficulty whatever in being elected from this area*
Shaikh Abdul Axis Faxeli, of the Matur tribe, was at first w*
popular choice of the rhusistan Arabs. He went to Ahwas on the^_
4thlto discuss his candidature with the Governor General, but was
given the discouraging news that the Government were strongly in
favbur of the election of Dr. Rajeh. He returned, somewhat discora-
fltted, to Khorramshahr, where he informed his supporters that he no
longer wished to contest the seat and that their support should be
given to Rajeh* Niqabat, the ex-deputy, and Bahreni were also sum
moned to Ahwax during the polling and instructed to cease canvassing
\ for votes immediately* They returned to Khorramshahr and took no
further part in the proceedings*
28* Though the polling itself was conducted in an orderly manner,
it cannot be said that it was entirely "free". Most of the voters,
on approaching the ballot box, were handed voting papers, already
prepared (in the same handwriting) in favour of Dr* Rajeh, which they
placed
* • • •