Coll 28/97 ‘Persia. Diaries. Tehran Intelligence Summaries’ [‎357r] (713/749)

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THIS DOCUMENT IS THE PROPERTY OP HIS BRITANNIC MAJESTY’S GOVERNMENT
PERSIA.
SECRET.
Wit* the Compliment*
of the
tinder S***'^’ 11 ' ^'’Y of St&t*
for Forok^n Affairs
1 6 1946 (VS’
December 8 , 1945.
Section 1.
[E 9591/70/34] Copy No. \ 4 2
Military Attache's Intelligence Summary No. 45, Secret, for the Period
the l§th-25th A ovember, 1945.— (Communicated in Tehran Despatch No. 413
of 21 th November; Received %th December.)
Persian Affairs.
Political.
I HE recent events in Azerbaijan have occupied the Persian Government’s
attention to the exclusion of nearly all other business. They are described in
paragraphs 3, 4, 5, 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14 below.
The Majlis.
2. At the session of the 18th November speeches on the situation in
Azerbaijan were made by Deputy Dr. Shafaq, the Minister for War and the
Minister without Portfolio. The debate on the Minister for War’s Bill was
concluded and the Bill was passed by 80 votes out of an attendance of 87. The
Tudeh members abstained from voting. For the text of the Bill see
Appendix B to this summary. On the 20th November, at a public session
following a secret session, a Kurdish Deputy expressed surprise at the announce
ment on Radio Paris of the existence of a separatist movement in Kurdistan and
reaffirmed the loyalty of the Kurds. A crowd of Azerbaijanis resident in Tehran,
said to number 1,000 persons, came to the Majlis, professed their loyalty to the
Central Government and asked for permission to go to Azerbaijan to defend their
homes against the rebels. On the 21st November there was a secret session. On
the 22nd November the Minister of Finance tabled a Bill to provide for the
participation of Persia in U.N.R.R.A., and a one-twelfth Budget Bill for the
month of Aban (23rd October-21st November). This was passed.
3. On the 17th November the Persian Government addressed a note to the
Soviet Embassy in which it stated :•—
(i) That a number of Kurds in Azerbaijan and Mahabad had obtained arms
from foreign sources to further aims which were at variance with the
territorial integrity of Persia.
(ii) That the Kurds had obtained a printing press and paper from the
U.S.S.R.
(iii) That a party of Kurds had visited Baku without completing the usual
formalities of passports and exit visas.
(iv) That Mulla Mustafa Baizani was allowed by the Russians to foment
trouble in Kurdistan.
(v) That the Russian authorities exercised a complete control by means of
passes and forbade entry into their zone.
(vi) That the Russians had stopped the despatch of food-stuffs from their
zone to the south, thereby causing a rise in price, losses to merchants
and a dislocation of the economic life of Persia.
(vii) That maintenance of law and order by the Persian forces had been
rendered impossible by the prevention of the despatch of
reinforcements.
(viii) That a cessation of Government administration had been caused in
certain provinces because no governors existed or could be sent.
(ix) That the Russians had removed the Persian frontier guards and officials
and had thus rendered impossible the prevention of smuggling of live
stock, &c.
(x) That the Russians had rendered impossible the pursuit of malefactors
though they themselves took very speedy action against any person
regarded by them as undesirable.
(xi) That the Russians had prevented Persian troops from maintaining
order or defending themselves in Mianeh on the 17th November and
Maragheh on the 26th August and that conversations with the
Russian authorities had produced no result.
[72—125]