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Coll 28/67 ‘Persia. Annual Reports, 1932–’ [‎250r] (499/644)

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The record is made up of 1 file (320 folios). It was created in 6 Dec 1933-27 Mar 1947. It was written in English and French. 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. .

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FT
JL * •
PERSIA
1368
February 10, 1940.
CONFIDENTIAL.
1940 j
Section 2.
(15824)
[E 584/584/34]
Copy No.
Sir R. Bullard to Viscount Halifax.—(Received February 10.)
My Lord. Tehran. January 17, 1940.
IN accordance with the instructions contained in your Lordship’s circular
despatch of the 4th November last, I have the honour to submit a political review'
of the past year in Iran. Having arrived only a few days before the end of the
year, I have been unable to contribute anything to this report, which is mainly
the work of Mr. Pink.
2. I am sending copies of this despatch and its enclosure to his Excellency
the Viceroy of India. His Majesty’s Ambassador in Cairo, and the Middle East
Intelligence Centre. Cairo.
I have, &c.
R. W. BULLARD.
Enclosure.
Political Review of the Year 1939 in Iran.
UNTIL the outbreak of war by far the most important event of the year
from the point of view of local opinion was the marriage in April of the Crown
Prince to Princess Fowzieh. sister of the King of Egypt. Admittedly, the
marriage has done little to improve Irano-Egyptian relations, for the Egyptian
visitors made no secret of their disappointment at the poverty and backwardness
of Iran, and their outspoken comments gave great offence here. There have also
been some rather undignified squabbles about the Princess’s dowry. From the
Shah’s point of view, however, the marriage was eminently successful in that it
definitely put the Pahlavi dynasty on the social map.
2. The sending of special delegations headed by such distinguished
personalities as the Earl of Athlone, accompanied by Her Royal Highness
Princess Alice, His Royal Highness the Duke of Spoleto and General Weygand,
gave an air of dignity to the wedding celebrations which might otherwise have
been more remarkable for pomp, ostentation and unpunctuality. I he Shah’s
intention, however, was to impress his visitors, and it may be said that,
considering the limited means at his disposal, he was eminently successful,
particularly since the problems of organisation, always difficult in the East, were
further complicated by the fact that no entertainments in European style on so
large a scale had previously been attempted in Iran.
3. Relations between Iran and the United Kingdom have been cordial,
though the decision of His Majesty’s Government to seize German exports has
caused serious concern to the Iranian Government, and has to some extent offset
the excellent impression made by Her Royal Highness Princess Alice and
Lord Athlone’s visit in the spring. His Majesty’s Government’s policy with
regard to German exports in effect prevents the Iranian Government from
continuing to trade with the one country on which they have hitherto almost
entirely depended for the materials necessary for the carrying out of their
programme of industrialisation. Since the United Kingdom is at present unable
to supply Iran with more than a very small proportion of her needs, it is not
surprising that the Government are both perplexed and indignant at the
workings of a policy under which in effect Iran is no longer able to trade with
her best customer, and has not been offered alternative export or import markets
of any consequence. Since in recent years Germany not only supplied Iran with
[2—104]

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Annual reports for Persia [Iran] produced by staff at the British Legation in Tehran. The reports were sent to the Foreign Office by HM’s Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary A diplomatic representative who ranks below an ambassador. The term can be shortened to 'envoy'. at Tehran (from 1943, Ambassador to Iran). The reports cover the following years: 1932 (ff 2-50); 1933 (ff 51-98); 1934 (ff 99-128); 1935 (ff 129-165); 1936 (ff 166-195); 1937 (ff 196-227); 1938 (ff 228-249); 1939 (ff 250-251); 1940 (ff 252-257); 1941 (ff 258-266); 1942 (ff 267-277); 1943 (ff 278-289); 1944 (ff 290-306); 1945 (ff 307-317); 1946 (ff 318-320).

The reports for 1932 to 1938 are comprehensive in nature (each containing their own table of contents), and cover: an introductory statement on affairs in Persia, with a focus on the Shah’s programme of modernisation across the country; an overview of foreign relations between Persia and other nations, including with the United Kingdom, British India, and Iraq; Persia’s involvement in international conventions and agreements, for example the League of Nations and the Slave Traffic Convention; British interests in or associated with Persia, including Bahrain and Bahrainis resident in Persia, the Residency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, established in the provinces and regions considered part of, or under the influence of, British India. at Bushire, the Anglo-Persian Oil Company, Imperial Bank of Persia, and the Imperial and International Communications Company; political affairs in Persia, including court and officials, majlis, tribes and security; economic affairs in Persia (government finances and budgets, trade, industry, agriculture, opium production); communications (aviation, railways, roads); consular matters; military matters (army, navy, air force).

Reports from 1939 to 1946 are briefer in nature, Reports from 1941 onwards focusing on the Anglo-Soviet occupation of Persia, and the role of United States advisors in the Persian Government’s administration.

The file includes a divider, which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.

Extent and format
1 file (320 folios)
Arrangement

The file’s reports are arranged in chronological order from the front to the rear of the file. Each report for the years 1932-1938 begins with a table of contents referring to that report’s own printed pagination sequence.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 321; 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.

The file contains one foliation anomaly, f 308A

Pagination: Each of the reports included in the file has its own printed pagination system, commencing at 1 on the first page of the report.

Written in
English and French in Latin script
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Coll 28/67 ‘Persia. Annual Reports, 1932–’ [‎250r] (499/644), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/3472A, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100056661168.0x000064> [accessed 29 March 2024]

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