Coll 28/97 ‘Persia. Diaries. Tehran Intelligence Summaries’ [‎374r] (747/749)

Fars.
17. Mehdi Farmkh, the newly appointed Governor-General, has had a chilly
reception. A movement to boycott him and force him to return to Tehran, largely
the work of Khosrow Qashgai, was frustrated by the efforts of the Qawam-ul-
Mulk, who persuaded Nasir Khan Qashgai to desist from this unwise plan.
Nasir Khan is reported to have realised that any disturbance in Ears at this
yuncture will only embarrass the Central Government at a time when their hands
!l,re full and play into the hands of the Russians.
18. The announcement of the general amnesty (referred to in paragraph 15
of the last Intelligence Summary) has had a good effect according to a consular
report from Shiraz. It gives both sides cause for satisfaction. It removes from
the tribes the fear of the consequences of their acts in the Semirun affair of
two years ago and also rallies them to Tehran at a time of crisis for the Central
Government. Indeed, a noteworthy feature has been the flow of messages to
Tehran conveying the loyalty and support of nearly all the tribes of Persia.
Kurdistan.
19. During the past few weeks the Democrats have occupied the stage in
Azerbaijan and very little news has been received about Kurdish affairs or Kurdish
reactions to the seizure of power by the National Government of Azerbaijan.
According to Kurdish sources of doubtful value in Tehran the Kurds are far from
happy at the turn which events have taken. They have been drawn into the
Russian orbit and have obtained some arms and ammunition, a printing press and
a free excursion to Baku. On the debit side they have estranged the Governments
of Persia, Iraq and Turkey and have suffered military defeats at the hands of the
first two. So far no Russian promises of an independent Kurdistan have been
fulfilled. They are not interested in agrarian or labour reforms. They have not
been given posts in the new Azerbaijan Cabinet. They may well be thinking
that all they have achieved is the exchange of a Persian Government for an
Azerbaijani Democrat Government.
Persian Army.
20. Reference paragraph 13 of Intelligence Summary No. 48, the General
Staff has decided to find the battalion for Hamadan from Saqqiz so as not to
decrease the Tehran garrison. . .
21. After the elimination of the Persian army garrisons m Azerbaijan, the
only Persian troops remaining inside the Russian Zone (stretching from the Perso-
Iraqi frontier near Ushnuyieh to the Perso-Russian frontier near Sarakhs) are
the following :—■
At Meshed, one infantry regiment, one artillery battery, one battalion
of engineers.
At Bujnurd, one cavalry regiment.
22 .
(i)
(ii)
(iii)
(iv)
(V)
(vi)
(vii
(viii
(ix)
(X)
(xi)
A ppointments.
(“ A ” : Civil)—
Abbas Quli Ardelan to be Treasurer-General in the Ministry of Finance.
Ahmad Salahi to be Governor of Hamadan vice Sardar Leader of a tribe or a polity; also refers to a military rank or title given to a commander of an army or division. Akram.
Hurmuz Ahmedi (Bakhtiari) to be Governor of Burujird.
Burzu Kalhor, an Inspector in the Ministry of the Interior, to be
Governor of Firdaus (formerly known as Tun) in Khorasan.
Dr Muhsin Nasr, formerly Governor of Mazanderan, to be Director-
General in the Ministry of the Interior. , tt l 0
Dr. AH Akbar Itimad (Hakim-us-Saltaneh) to be Under-Secretary in
the Ministry of Health. A . . , i
Ismail Hakimi to be Governor of the Agricultural Bank
Musa Shaibani (Zika-ud-Dowleh) to be Director of the Direct and
Indirect Taxation Department of the Ministry of Finance.
Abdul Husein Bihniva to be Director-General oi the Accounts and
Audit Department'and Chief of the Budget Department m the
Ministry of Finance. , . . T . ta + - •
Muhsin Gharib to be Director-General of the Inspection Department m
the Ministry of Finance. , * n u u r>
Munir-ud-din Ahmedi to be Director-General of the Ceded Properties
and Public Domains Department in the Ministry of Finance.