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Coll 28/67 ‘Persia. Annual Reports, 1932–’ [‎273r] (545/644)

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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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which Qawam had to contend. It must be confessed that certain appointments
made by Qawam were most unwise and exposed him to accusations of favouritism
and nepotism; Kazemi soon resigned, after behaving most disloyally to his chief;
soaring prices exacerbated popular discontent, and the latent fear of the
Deputies that the Prime Minister might dissolve v the Majlis altogether inclined
them to oppose the Government in various ways. In November the Prime
Minister, not without justification, came to the conclusion that it would be
impropriate to ask the Majlis to give him full powers to cope with the very
.fficult situation. This proposal evoked the most violent opposition from the
Majlis, who seemed to see in it a scheme to make Qawam an uncontrolled dictator
who would be able to dissolve the Majlis and manage the next election as it best
suited him. At a stormy secret session on the 19th November the Majlis showed
determined and violent opposition to the Prime Minister, although they declared
themselves in favour of the Allies and ready to provide them with whatever
currency they needed. The dispute between Qawam and the Shah was brought
to a climax by an outbreak of looting and rioting in the streets of Tehran on the
8th and 9th December; the Shah behaved unwisely, and did his best to order the
Prime Minister to resign, in spite of having agreed with His Majesty’s Minister
that he was to stay in office. The firm stand taken by Qawam during this crisis
created a very good impression on this legation, but it was not long before
Qawam s efforts to please the Deputies caused him new difficulties, and at the end
of the year the harassed head of the Government was endeavouring to find new
members for his Cabinet who might be acceptable both to the Shah and the
Deputies.
63. Generally speaking, the successive Persian Governments showed them
selves weak, vacillating, corrupt and quite unable to cope unaided with the
difficult tasks of the times. It was impossible to get them to consider any serious
measures to protect the people against war-time hardship or against the
exploitation by the landlords and merchants. Taking a long view it seems almost
impossible that the present state of affairs can continue indefinitely, and many
people, including the Shah, according to some indications, consider that a more
radical type of Government will have to be found if revolutionary tendencies are
to be avoided. But the people of Persia are ill-informed, politically unconscious
and appear to be almost infinitely long-suffering.
Persian Army.
64. During the year the Persian forces have not contributed greatly to the
welfare or stability of the country. Although there has been no serious interfer
ence with the lines of communication used by the Allies, there has been a
progressive weakening of the authority of the Central Government in the pro
vinces and particularly in tribal areas, due. in part, to its own lack of policy, but
also to the unwillingness of Persian commanders to risk a conflict with the rearmed
tribes and to a newly-discovered conscientious objection to fratricidal warfare.
None of the several Governments that have attempted to hold power succeeded in
establishing more than a semblance of control over the army, reluctant to abandon
its freedom from ministerial control, or to admit that it should become the servant
of the country whose master it had been for so long. In this attitude it has been
supported by the Shah, who, doubtful of the popular enthusiasm for the dynasty,
has jealously resented any limitation of the personal control of the army which he
claims is his prerogative by virtue of his constitutional position as commander-in-
chief. It is clearly his desire that the army should look to him rather than to the
Government, and Ke is more concerned that it should be attached to his person
than that it should enforce the Government’s authority.
65. Although popular hostility has moderated as a result of greater
discretion shown by senior officers in their methods of acquisition and a less
obvious arrogance on the part of junior officers, the army remains unpopular
with the general public and appears to them to give a poor return for its heavy
cost. Some, though little, progress was made in the elimination of corruption,
but corruption must remain endemic until officers are paid a living wage. There
was little improvement in morale. Pro-German sentiments and the intrigues of
German agents and sympathisers produced a feeling of uncertainty and mutual
distrust and a reluctance to display any cordial desire to co-operate in furthering
the interests of the Allies. Allied successes in Russia and Africa have consider
ably reduced the influence of pro-German elements; respect for the Allies is
orowing, but the army remains without ideal and without inspiring purpose.
The ideal of reforming itself and of restoring law and order in the country does
not yet make sufficient appeal.

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Content

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–’ [‎273r] (545/644), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/3472A, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100056661168.0x000092> [accessed 29 March 2024]

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