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gradually creating a position for himself where he might have been dangerous if
circumstances deteriorated. The disturbances in Tehran prevented his arrest
from creating the stir it might otherwise have done. Official protests have been
mild; some excitement and nervousness have been caused in the army, but Zahidi
was so generally unpopular and so notorious as a dangerous intriguer that his
arrest is a relief to many. The effect of his arrest on the situation in Ears is not
yet apparent.
j^'pointments — Military.
16.—(i) Sipahbod Ahmadi (M.A. 23; F.O. 16) to be Military Governor of
Tehran and commander of all forces in the capital.
(ii) Sartip Abdul Ali Etemad Muqaddam, from Deputy Chief of the
Gendarmerie, to be Chief of Police.
(iii) Reza Quli Kerim Quvanlu is reinstated in the army with the rank of
Sartip and is appointed to the gendarmerie.
(iv) Sarlashkar Muhammad Nakchevan (M.A. 194; F.O. 145), formerly
Minister for War, has been awarded the Order of Humayun.
Internal Security.
Fars.
17. An additional battalion of infantry and four mountain guns have
reached Shiraz from Tehran. The situation as regards Nasir Qashgai remains as
it was. There were two hold-ups of lorries between Kazerun and Shiraz early
in December. The robbers were pursued by the gendarmerie and the robbed goods
recovered. More activity is being shown by the Persian forces on the road, but in
Tangistan there is still lawlessness and insecurity.
Khorassan.
18. Villages south and east of Meshed are suffering much from the depreda
tions of small armed bands who are too mobile to be dealt with effectively by the
gendarmerie. After six weeks without incident, the main road between Meshed
and Turbat-i-Haidari was raided early in December and 80,000 rials carried off
from eight lorries. Further south, some 50 miles from Zahidan, raiders from
Afghanistan carried off some twenty-five cases of tea from a convoy.
jo2>
Russian Affairs.
19. The Soviet authorities in Tabriz have asked the local A.I.O.C. agent to
provide them with 5,000 empty petrol tins for packing meat for despatch to the
Caucasus.
20. The Russian garrison at Turbat-i-Sheikh Jam (see Summary No. 48/42.
paragraph 15) is now reported to have been increased to a strength of 500.
21 . Supplies for Russia are again reaching Zahidan from India.
Tehran, December 15, 1942.