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Coll 28/67 ‘Persia. Annual Reports, 1932–’ [‎274v] (548/644)

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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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16
taken from them by Reza Shah, and to secure the appointment of a Bakhtiari as
Governor. The return of the oil shares was difficult to arrange for technical
reasons and was not welcome to the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company. In spite of a
certain amount of pressure by His Majesty's Legation, not much was done by the
Persian Government towards the settlement of land claims, and at the end of the
year it seemed clear that until a new Minister of Justice was installed, no
progress would be made. As regards the third desiderata, the khans chosen Iw
General Zahidi were anything but a success as will be seen from the preceedif^
paragraph.
74. It is only fair to say, in conclusion, that it is doubtful whether the
interests of the tribesmen coincide with those of the oppressed khans. British
prestige was high with the Bakhtiari, who were, however, disappointed that we
were not able to do more for them.
Fars.
75. Early in March it became clear that trouble was brewing in the Qashgai
country. There were rumours of an understanding between Qashgai, Bakhtiari
and Boir Ahmadi leaders, and of Germans being harboured in those regions.
Nasir Khan, the principal dissident Qashgai leader, was invited by the Persian
Government to come to Shiraz to discuss the question of his land claims. He,
however, refused and moved further into tribal territory.
76. The Persian troops in Fars were too demoralised to be able to take
action against Nasir Khan, and there was also a notable lack of enthusiasm on
the part of the Governor-General and General Officer Commanding in Shiraz,
Prince Firous. Negotiations with Nasir Khan continued throughout the summer
without making any headway. The situation at Fars was closely affected by the
military situation and, although it is a matter of conjecture, it seems probable
that the intention of those elements m Fars who opposed any action against
Nasir was that, in the event of a German victory in the Caucasus, they would have
handed over the Government of Fars to him as the preserver of local law and
order on behalf of the Germans. Nasir Khan was generally known to be in
contact with the Germans and to be harbouring German agents, and those elements
in Tehran and in the South of Persia who did not favour the Allied cause, used
their influence to ensure that no action should be taken against him,
notwithstanding the representations made by His Majesty’s Minister to the
Persian Government. The situation was more disquieting since the road from
Bushire to Shiraz passed near the Qashgai territory and any serious disorder in
the area would have affected the delivery of supplies to Russia by this route.
77. At the end of September Prince Firous and His Majesty’s Consul came
to Tehran, where conferences were held with His Majesty’s Legation and the
Persian authorities to decide what should be done. The general conclusion that
was reached by the Persian Government was that, pending a clarification of the
position, steps should be taken to prevent Nasir Khan from increasing his
authority. It was suggested to them that this could best be done by making
suitable arrangements with the leaders of the sub-tribes- and by re-establishing
the authority of the Government in the Firuzabad area, an operation that
appeared to be within the capacity of their forces.
78. While Prince Firous was still in Tehran, his subordinates in Fars posted
troops on the migration route of the Qashgai tribesmen on their way to their
winter quarters and attempted to disarm them with inadequate forces. A Persian
detachment was ignominiously disarmed. Nothing effective was done by the
Persian authorities either to reoccupy Firuzabad or to diminish Nasir’s authority.
However, the German defeats in Africa and in Russia, and the evidence that
the British authorities took a serious view of the situation in Fars made Nasir
Khan put some water in his wine, and towards the end of the year somewhat
desultory negotiations for his submission, involving a guarantee of his life and
property by His Majesty’s Government, were in progress. Meanwhile, serious
arrangements were being made, with the assistance of the British military
authorities and of the American gendarmerie adviser, to ensure the security of
the Bushire-Shiraz-Isfahan road, which, however, was only the scene of isolated
robberies during the year.
Khuzistan.
79. Lawlessness among the Khu-i-Galu tribes caused some anxiety for the
safety of A.I.O.C. installations in the Behbehan-Gach Saran area. Little
confidence was felt in the ability of the Persian forces to maintain order, and in

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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–’ [‎274v] (548/644), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/3472A, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100056661168.0x000095> [accessed 30 March 2024]

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