Coll 28/97 ‘Persia. Diaries. Tehran Intelligence Summaries’ [‎194r] (387/749)

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opium. They gave exhibitions in Bushire of posters and photographs, not
- concerned with opium, which they had brought with them: Another party,
including two military officers, recently visited the Georgian villages of Feraidan
district in the Isfahan Province. These Georgians were brought from the
Caucasus by Shah Abbas. It has inevitably been said that the purpose of this
visit, as it may well have been, was to make contact with Persian minorities of
j^licasian origin. The Armenians of Julfa, near Isfahan, also come in for
Ivussian attentions. Three hundred of their children under 16 are now learning
Russian from teachers specially brought by the Russians for the purpose.
12 . The Irano-Soviet Cultural Society (see Summaries Nos. 9/44, para
graph 18, and 6/44, paragraph 20 ), which now calls itself the Iranian Society for
Cultural Relations with the Soviet Union, has now published its statutes
contained in twenty-five articles. The second article sets out the main objects of
the society under eighteen headings, which are mainly concerned with methods
of making known the literature, art, drama, music, science, educational methods
of one country to the other. It is clear that in practice the society will be used
to make Soviet culture known to Persia and to spread Soviet ideas rather than
to make Persian culture known to Russia. Ordinary members, who pay
3,500 rials a year as subscription, must be Persians, but Soviet citizens may be
admitted as honorary members. A member of V.O.K.S. (Society for Cultural
Relationships between the Soviet Union and Foreign Countries) must be a member
of the committee. Branches may be opened in the provinces.
13. Questions have been asked in the Majlis by one of the Azerbaijan
Deputies whose election was opposed by the Russians why the “Allies ” were
preventing the export from Azerbaijan of the dried fruit crop and other products.
They had put Azerbaijan into a state of siege and the Governor-General was
without authority.
14. The Soviet authorities have given contracts for the asphalting of the
road from Astara via Resht to Kazvin and for some masonry bridges on the
section between Astara and Resht. The rates they have accepted are higher than
those normally paid by the British authorities. The specification they have laid
down is for a more enduring type of surfacing than has been used by the British
authorities, and it seems that they have some longer-term object in view than their
war-time needs, for which, indeed, the construction of the road seems to come
rather late in the day.
15. It has now been ascertained that among the conditions attaching to
Stalin’s offer of tanks and aircraft to the Shah (see Summary No. 48/43, para
graph 8 ), which included the formation of regiments of mixed Russian and
Persian personnel, were the following :—
The commander of the regiment was to be a Russian officer.
The Persian personnel were to be selected with the approval of the
Russian commander.
The Soviet Government would pay the Russian personnel.
The regiments were to be under the command of the Red Army.
The regiments oould not be moved from their appointed places of
training—Meshed and Kazvin—nor could the material be diverted to any
other purpose, without the approval of the Red Army.
Corrigendum.
In Summary No. 21/44, paragraph 8 , for “ Abadan ’ read “ Abadeh.”
Tehran, Ath June, 1944.