Coll 28/97 ‘Persia. Diaries. Tehran Intelligence Summaries’ [‎367r] (733/749)

the supervising committee at each polling booth vrould not have been without
inf luence.
The National Council, now styling itself the National Parliament, opened
on 12th December. The Soviet Consul-G-eneral attended the ceremony. The British,
jjnerican, Turkish and Iraqi Consuls-General, though invited, did not attend. The
National Parliament proceeded to the election of a cabinet of eleven members. This
cabinet includes a Minister for War.
10. The Manager of the National Bank received instructions from Tehr?.n to hand
over his cash to the Imperial Bank of Iran for safe custody. Though informed by
the Manager of the Imperial Bank of his readiness to accept it, the National Bank
Manager feared to carry out his instructions lest the transfer of the cash should
be observed by the Democrats. The National Bank deposits are, therefore, now in
rebel hands.
11. The Press Attache of the American Embassy who has just returned from a
five day visit to Tabriz states that Pishaveri, in an interview with him, admitted
| that the democrats were receiving Fcussian support. The Press Attache found the
atmosphere of terror typified by the difficulty of getting interviews with non
democrats. He gained the impression that during the past few days events had been
speeded up, probably in order to confront the Moscow Conference with a fait accompli.
12. Pour British newspaper correspondents who applied to the Russian Consulate
in Tehran through this Embassy a week or more ago for passes to enable them to
proceed to Tabriz have *not yet received their passes.
The situation in Azerbaijan' from the military aspect is, briefly, as
follows:-
TABRIZ. The G.O.C. , of whose loyalty and vail to resist the Chief of the
General Staff and H.M,Consul-General have long been in doubt, sent a W/T
message to the General Staff to the effect that he and his garrison had been
invited by the Bemocrats to join their cause. The Democrats had started that
those officers who did not elect to join them would be free to go. The G.O.C.
asked what reply he was to make. He was told to resist. A later message
from his Chief of Staff said that the G.O.C. had personally gene over to the
rebel cause and that the remaining officers and men were still in barracks and
were being sniped. The C. G.S. prepared a message ordering them to resist to
the end but was prevented from despatching it by the "hrime Minister, Minister
of War and H. I.M. The Shah who substituted for it the message summarized in
para 2 above. A further message was received on the evening of the 14th to
the effect that the officers were ready to leave for Tehran. Since then there
has been no W/T comniunication with Tabriz and it is to be feared that the
garrison a.nd its arms are in rebel hands. The garrison, according to the
C.G.S., numbered only 750. Their anas consisted of rifles, light automatics
and three mountain guns.
REZAIfiH. W/T communication with Tehran has been re-established and the
garrison of two battalions is still in its barracks. Looting of shops by
democrats is reported. Some Caucasian immigrants have recently arrived from
Tabriz.
KHOI and SHAHHJR, are believed to be in rebel hands. There are no Persian
garrisons there.
MIANDOAB. The garrison, a weak battalion of 250, reports by W/T that it is
beseiged by a force of about 2,000 Kurds, Assyrians and Democrats. A break out
to the South to join the Saqqiz brigade .is impossible. It is, apparently,
still resisting. The C.G.S. has ordered a battalion from Saqqiz to. go and
/attempt