Coll 28/98 ‘Persia. Grant of asylum to political refugees.’ [‎11v] (22/26)

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nationalism which is so much encouraged in Iran to-day, coupled with the tendency
of the lesser and more ignorant officials to act first and think latei, might result
conceivably in there being some difficulty in restraining these forces.
4. In order to facilitate a clear understanding of the causes giving i ise
to what is to-day an unusual request, I attanh hereto a memorandum giving a
survey of the existing political and economic situation in Kermanshah.
I have, &c.
CHARLES A. GAULT.
Enclosure 2.
Memorandum on the Political and Economic Situation in Kevmanshah, July 1935.
THE most important fact is that while two years ago the Shah was merely
disliked by the people here, to-day he is hated by all. 1 his fact overshadows the
whole scene and is a contributory force in most of the factors making for the
present feeling of uncertainty and extreme dissatisfaction in the town.
2. This restiveness has been developing for at least two months past and
has been much increased by recent events in other parts of Iran.
3. The first unsettling factor to come into play was purely local, namely,
the sudden drastic action taken by Tehran about six weeks ago to try and check
the immense amount of smuggling which was then going on here. This began
with the replacement in the middle of June of the Chief of Police, which was
followed by the arrest of one of the biggest smugglers. This in turn led to the
arrest of some fifty local traders on a charge of complicity. The examination
of one of these led finally to the recall of the Governor and the implication of the
commander of the Kermanshah garrison. It was believed that the Shah himself
was taking an interest. Since the town has lived for the past few years on
smuggling to a large extent and since the greater part of the population had
taken a hand in the game at one time or another, everyone became very nervous
and what little business was being done came to a standstill.
4. While this excitement was still at its height the decree announcing the
introduction of the European hat came out, followed almost at once by the
expression of the official desire that Iranian women should drop the veil. The
hold of religion, though it may have been driven underground, is still strong on
the people of Kermanshah, possibly because the town lies on the road from Meshed,
to the holy places of Iraq, and neither of these two measures found approval except,
perhaps, among the young people of the town. The dropping of the veil especially
was looked upon with great disfavour by men and women alike. People began
to remember Amanullah of Afghanistan. This distress of mind increased as
rumours came in to the effect that telegraphic appeals had been made from
Azerbaijan to a leading alim of Qum, Sheikh Abdul Kerim, for advice whether
to wear the infidel hat or not. Sheikh Abdul Kerim being a Naih-i-Imam and
his word on religious questions being, therefore, binding on all Moslems, declined
to give an opinion one way or the other in view of the conflict between the Shah
and established tradition. A few days later it was learnt here that the sheikh
had been sent out of the country, presumably to Iraq. This did not at all reassure
local opinion, and a new impetus was given to discontent on the news of the
Meshed disturbances coming out. Kermanshah was the more interested as Sheikh
Behlul, who is also believed to be a Naih-i-Imam, spent some days in Kermanshah
on his way to Meshed a few weeks ago. The latest rumour is that in the course of
the quelling of the disturbances the shrine itself was damaged. The extent of
local ill-feeling against Reza may be judged from the fact that during the last
few days a large number of the photographs of the Shah, which are obligatory
in all shops, have been quietly taken down.
5. Finally, there is considerable dissatisfaction locally over the question of
the price of wheat and bread. About a week ago it was announced that the
purchase of wheat in Kermanshah was to be a Government monopoly and that the
price was to be 120 rials a kharvar, compared with the open market price of about
80 rials a kharvar. Immediately following this came the forcible closing down
of half the bakers’ shops in the town and the raising of the price of bread from
1 rial a man to 1 -20 rials a man.