Coll 28/97(1) ‘Persia. Diaries. Tehran Intelligence Summaries.’ [‎221v] (442/807)

the Tehran Garrison. The Turkish Military Attache was the only foreign military
attache to be invited.
On arrival, the Shah visited all the different dining rooms and then proceeded
to the Crown Prince’s private suite. Dinner ^as served to the Shah in the senior
officers' dining room.
After dinner the Shah made a short speech, which was relayed by loud
speakers to the various dining rooms. The Shah praised the progress, zeal and
loyalty of his armed forces as a whole. He concluded his remarks by proposing
the toast of the Imperial Forces.
Sarlashgar (Major-General) Muhammad Nakhchevan (Amir Muwassaq)
(Military Attache’s Personalities, No. 194—Foreign Office Personalities, No. 144)
replied for Sarlashgar (Major-General) Azizullah Zarghami, Acting Chief of
the General Staff, absent through indisposition.
Among those present was Sarlashgar (Major-General) Jehanbani (Military
Attache’s Personalities, No. 132—Foreign Office Personalities, No. 103), only
recently released from prison who appeared to be in a very weak state of health.
(ii) On the afternoon of the 23rd February, the nineteenth anniversary of the
coup d’Etat, the Shah, accompanied by the Crown Prince, and the Princes were
present at a review of the Tehran Garrison and youth organisations on the
Jalalieh Race-Course.
(iii) It is reliably stated that the Shah proposes visiting Khuzistan in the
near future.
2. The Iranian Army.
(i) Troops of the 1st and 2nd Infantry Divisions, 1st Cavalry Division and
the Mechanised Brigade took part in the usual Annual Military Review at the
Jalalieh Race-Course on the 23rd February, 1940.
(ii) A new division is to be formed at Khurramabad.
(iii) A consular report from Meshed confirms two cavalry regiments moving
to Kuchan, and two infantry regiments to Bujnurd (see Intelligence Summary
No. 3 (current), paragraph 3 (ii)).
3. British Interests.
(i) Mr. F. Knight, the service representative of Messrs. Hawkers Aircraft,
has returned to Tehran from leave in the United Kingdom. According to
Mr. Knight it is possible that a certain number of ‘ ‘ Blenheim ’ ’ bombing aircraft
will be released for sale to the Iranian Government in the near future.
(ii) Reference Intelligence Summary No. 3 (current), paragraph 4 (ii).
Mr. Knight states that the delivery of the fifteen “ Hurricane ” fighters is to be
expedited, but it is very doubtful whether they will arrive before the end of May.
(iii) The British Government have signed an agreement to grant £5 million
exports credit to Iran.
4. Italian Interests.
(i) Reference Intelligence Summary No. 3 (current), paragraph 4 (ii). The
Italian Naval and Air Attache has officially informed the Iranian Minister of
War that the offer of Italian military aircraft to the Iranian Government must
now be considered as lapsed. If the Imperial Iranian Government wish to
reopen the matter at any time, then the negotiations will have to begin on
some other basis. In this connexion a vague suggestion was recently made to
the Tehran manager of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company that perhaps the Iranian
Government might acquire Italian aircraft in exchange for oil.
(ii) Reference Intelligence Summary No. 3 (current), paragraph 8 (ii).
Negotiations between the Iranian Government and the representatives of the
Ala Littoria Airlines are stated to be still progressing favourably.
5. German Interests.
On the 19th February the new German Minister, his Excellency Herr von
Stantz Ettel, together with Frau Ettel, arrived in Tehran from Berlin. Within
two days of his arrival the German Minister addressed a large gathering of
the “ Arbeitsfront ” in the “ Brown House,” and warned his audience to read
only the German official news and listen only to the German official wireless.