Coll 28/85S (2) ‘Persia; Abadan situation 1946; Policy to be pursued by H.M.G. (Recommendations & General Appreciation).’ [‎22r] (43/84)

MKn/
(1c
SECRET
Q^HRiL A?^Rii;CIiiTIG?T
Through ttu. agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. of the Communist Tarty, Russian
influence is being rapidly extended to every comer of
Persia. This process is the reverse of spontaneous. It
is a deliber tely planned nolitical offensive, inspired
and directed from abroad, and is being driven hone by
ruthless pressure upon all the weak note, economic,
social and political^ of this backward country. local
political leaders are compelled to adhere to a rigid party
line laid down in Moscow, but have discretion in the
application of that line to conditions on the rot. The
process is one of infiltration and will continue until
it is brought to a standstill by determined and well-
organised opposition on the spot, or by instructions
from Communist headquarters. The : urpo e of the offensive
is to replace the existing social and economic older by
a democrat 1c ,, regime, vowed to the introduction of
Communism as soon as it become.': practicable. From evidence
so far available here, it is not possible to deter ine
whether the ultimate ai of thir offensive is strategic,
economic or ideological, but it may well be a combination
of the three.
2. For the e ecution of such a programme on a
national cale, it is clearly indispensable that western,
and in particular British, influence should be co pletely
eli inated fr m Persia. The centre of British inflrience
in ttu: country is the orovince of Khuzietan, where the
property and installations of t e nglo-Irunian Oil
Company are situatid. For many years the nglo-Iranian
Oil Company has been the real authority throughout th t
nrovince and it in the purpose of the Co munist i arty to
destroy ^rtirh influence in Persia by severing it at its
roots. On this baei , the activities of the Tudeh are
perfectly intelligible. It does not aopear to be their
present purpose to out the Company out of business but,
on the basis of infor ation obtained from the Angl©-Iranian
Oil ^o pany in ifersia, it seems re-: onablp certain that
Thuzietan oil could be delivered to .the asoian in lar e
quantities by pioeline or rail, or a co-ibination of both. .
The possibility of a drive at some l> ter date to tav© over
the Co pany 1 ® prooertles cannot there fore be entirely
excluded.
3. -aa-rnrhlle, by mi represent tion, chioanerie
and open dellance, the Party are working to undermine
the Company’s authority and to demonstrate even to the
meanest intelligence the f^ct that it tu-s been und< r-
mined. In this they have so far succeeded that tne
Co oany is at pr sent oper ting on sufferance and is
losing authority over its own esy loyees. It is
unnecessar to elaborate the effect vhich this state
/of