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7. Tribal.
Reference Intelligence Summary No. 20 (current), paragraph 10 (ii) and (iii),
it is reported that a tribal force is besieged on the mountains 40 miles east of
Haft Khel oil-field. Operations are stationary. Local security on the main roads
is said to be unaffected. No further large troop movements either to or from
the affected area are reported. ^
8 . Communications.
Roads. —Owing, it is stated in the Iranian press, to agricultural development
and the settlement of the tribes in Kurdistan, a large scheme for the repair of
existing roads and the construction of new roads in that province has been
formulated.
The various projects are as follows :—
(i) A new alignment between Qurveh (million sheet 2—square I.D.) and
Dosar (Dizeh) (degree sheet 9.A—square 4.A) on route 86 .
This has been levelled and is now being metalled.
(ii) The complete repair of the route Bijar-Hamadan (route 85).
(iii) The replacement of wooden bridges by stone bridges on the route
Miandoab-Kermanshah (routes 68 , 61 and 74).
(iv) The construction (reported complete) of the road Baneh-Sardasht
(route 62) via the Khan Pass and the River Kalan (Kalwah, million
sheet 1 —square 4.B).
(v) The Dhatavand Bridge (untraceable, but probably over Ab-i-Katavan,
degree sheet 2 . 1 —square 2.C)
9. Civil Aviation.
Reference Intelligence Summary No. 21 (current), paragraph 4. It is
rumoured that the Germans will accept the Iranian Government's terms
disadvantageous as they are.
10. Treaties.
The yearly quota list for the current economic year under article X of the
Irano-Soviet treaty of Commerce of 1935 was signed and exchanged on the
19th October.
11. The National Bank.
His Imperial Majesty the Shah is reported to have presented to the National
Bank all the gold belonging to him. The press suggests that this act of Royal
generosity should inspire all patriotic Iranians to sell their gold to the bank to
consolidate the structure of the nation's economies.”
A Bill has also been introduced in the Majlis to authorise the sale of a portion
of the Crown jewels of Iran to augment the capital of the bank.
12. The Iranian Press.
The two chief topics under discussion during the past fortnight have
been :—
(a) An article in the French paper Annates of the 15th September on the
subject of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company in which are stressed the
enormous benefits which have accrued to Iran from the company’s
activities in every sphere, and the slight measure of profit gained by
the company in return. The Iranian paper Ittelast concludes a
scathing review of the article with the following paragraph :—
‘ ‘ Why does the A nnales refer to the £2 million wagesbill of the com
pany without mentioning the millions of tons of petrol which the company
exports ? After all, is it for fun that the company pays its employees ?
No! indeed it is for their labour by which it gains exorbitant sums.
Apart from this, had the company not begun to exploit our petrol
we ourselves would have started to do so even if a little later, and
in this case, instead of receiving a royalty of approximately 20 per
cent., we would have made a profit of 100 per cent.”