Coll 28/97 ‘Persia. Diaries. Tehran Intelligence Summaries’ [‎98v] (196/749)

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He is reported to be collecting grain in those areas of Fars where the harvest is
already cut, from the sale of which on the black market he hopes to accumulate
funds. His brother Khosrow is reported to be with the Kashquli and Darashuri
Khans.
Bakhtiari. .
6 . The operations for the relief of the Persian garrison at Qaleh J ul werer
successful. There was some opposition to the relieving column, but Persian
casualties were light and the tribes dispersed. Trouble is, however, likely to
break out again until the Persian Government is in a position to concentrate
sufficient forces to compel the submission of Abul Qasim and to overawe the
Bakhtiari tribes.
Khuzestan.
7. Taking advantage of the preoccupation of the Persian forces on the
eastern side of the province, Sheikh Chassib, the eldest son of the late Sheikh of
Mohammerah, who has for some time been residing in Basra, provided himself
with a bodyguard of 200 armed Arabs and announced that he intends to settle
down on the ancestral lands belonging to his father. He may be able to get
considerable Arab support and to incite the Arabs to combine against an attempt
by the Persian authorities to continue the disarmament interrupted by the
withdrawal of troops for the operations against the Bahmai and Bakhtiari.
Russian A /fairs.
8 . The Russians have as yet gained little from the contract they made with
the Persian munition factories for the manufacture of rifles and ammunition.
They have hitherto failed to provide the raw materials and certain machinery
which they had undertaken to supply. The machine-gun factory An East India Company trading post. , which is to
produce machine pistols, has not yet been put into operation although work is in
progress. Of 13,5(H) rifles due by the 1 st May, only 5,000 have been delivered,
and these had been made up from parts already in stock. Of 8 million rounds of
ammunition due on the same date, only 700,000 had been delivered. The Russians
have failed to supply any percussion caps. It is reported that they intend to
introduce some ten to twelve of their own specialists into the factories.
9. Although reports from Persian sources are certainly exaggerated, there
seems little doubt that the Russians are now taking an interest in the forthcoming
elections, not only in their own zone. If the tone of the papers they support can
be taken as due to Russian inspiration, they resent the maintenance of military
governorship in Tehran and its ban on political meetings. They are credited,
possibly unjustly, with encouraging the opposition to Dr. Millspaugh, and they
certainly give no support to any of the American advisers, ihey ha\e asked foi
payment in advance for the first instalment—15,000 tons—of the wheat they have
promised to deliver to Persia.
British Affairs.
10. His Majesty’s Minister has left Tehran to attend a conference in Cairo.
Appendix.
Millspaugh Powers Bill.
POWERS of the Director-General of Finance Law passed by the Majlis on
the 4th May, 1943 :—
Article 1.—Authority is given to the present Director-General of the
Finances, Dr. Millspaugh, to take under his own control the obtaining of com
modities other than food-stuffs, and of all raw materials and manufacture)^, the
importing and exporting of commodities and the transporting, storing and dis
tribution thereof, and likewise the rents of buildings and the wages of all public
works and services.
Note 1 .—The control and organisation of the rents of buildings will be
effected by means of regulations which will be drawn up by the Director-
General of the Finances and the Ministry of Justice.
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