Coll 28/97(2) ‘Persia; Diaries. Tehran Intelligence summaries. No 1 to 50 of 1946.’ [‎13v] (26/292)

to the Majlis and, on receiving a vote of confidence, that Cabinet would continue
to govern the country between the dissolution of the present Majlis and the
election of the next. Again, he might, though this is improbable, contrive to
delay the presentation of his Cabinet till the dissolution and, under khose
circumstances, he would continue to direct Persia’s affairs single-handed. A
third possibility is the prolongation of the life of the present Majlis by special
enactment. A fourth possibility is the repeal of the recent law for postponement^
of the elections. Yet a fifth course has found an advocate in Dr. Musaddiq. He
proposes that, as Tehran itself is not occupied by foreign troops, the elections
for the Tehran Deputies for the next Majlis should be held on the original and
not the postponed date and that, when elected, these Deputies (to be increased by
a special law from twelve to thirty), by virtue of Article 6 of the Constitution,
should direct the affairs of the country.
3. According to Persian law an official against whom an indictment is
pending cannot continue to serve in a Government appointment until the case
is concluded.^ It will be recalled that some two years ago an indictment was made
-against Ali Soheili, the then Prime Minister, and Tadayyun, the then Minister
of Interior, for having illegally interfered in and having derived pecuniary
benefit from the Majlis elections. Dr. Musaddiq, in a Majlis session of the
11th November. 1945, asked that speedy action be taken to conclude these two
cases Apart from this, little more has been heard of the matter and it was
thought that, as usually happens in Persia, the cases would fizzle out. Recent!v,
however, on hearing that Soheili had been instructed to approach M. Vyshinski
in London to learn what he meant by the phrase “direct negotiations,”
Dr. Musaddiq went to the Ministry of Justice and demanded a report on the
progress of the case against Soheili and an assurance to the effect that it had not
been dropped. Dr Musaddiq does not like Soheili but, in this instance, his
motives were probably not those of revenge but arose from his crusade against
public dishonesty.
Interned Security.
Azerbaijan.
4. As the result of a recent visit to Senneh by His Majesty’s Consul at
Kermanshah some interesting news has been received from him and also from
other sources concerning the relations between the Kurds and Democrats. A
reference to this subject was made in paragraph 19 of Intelligence Summary
No. 50 of 1945 and paragraph 4 of Intelligence Summary No. 4 (current). The
first issue seems to be that of a Kurdish refusal to admit Democrat officials into
the zone they claim as Kurdistan, Mahabad being one of the places mentioned.
The second dispute concerns the degree of control which the Democrats shall
exercise over the foundation of an autonomous Kurdistan. Ghazi Muhammad
of Mahabad was summoned to Tabriz and instructed to form a local Government
under Democrat superintendence. This he refused to do, saying that he had
direct relations with the Russians and that, according to his instructions from
them, Kurdistan was to be independent of and not subordinate to Azerbaijan.
To this the Democrats are reported to have at first demurred but finally agreed.
(Indeed, without Russian armed support it would be impossible for" them to
dictate terms to the Kurds.) Ghazi Muhammad is now reported to have assumed
at Mahabad the Presidency The name given to each of the three divisions of the territory of the East India Company, and later the British Raj, on the Indian subcontinent. of the “ Kurdish Republic,” to have appointed
Haji Baba Sheikh as his “Prime Minister ” and to have hoisted a flag of his
own design. The third difference of opinion is that of the proposed boundary
between Azerbaijan and the “ Kurdistan Republic.” His Majesty’s Consul
reports that the Kurdish area is from Miandoab to Sardasht, but other sources
report (with what seems to be more probability) that the Kurds are claiming
Maku, Khoi, Shahpur, Rizaieh to the west of the lake and Miandoab and
Maragheh to the east of it.
Kurdistan.
5. His Majesty’s Consul, Kermanshah. reports that Hama Rashid, whose
escape from residence forcee in Kirkuk and whose entry into Persia was reported
in paragraph 7 of Intelligence Summary No. 1, after satisfying the Russians of
his bona fides, was presented by them with a sword of honour and a medal and
was appointed commander-in-chief of the Kurdish forces in Mahabad. His
personal following is estimated at ISO mounted men. One of his Begzadehs has
returned to Panjwin and has made his peace with the Iraqi authorities. His wife
is said to be under Iraqi surveillance in Daru Khan.