Coll 28/65 ‘Persia. Perso-Soviet Commercial Relations.’ [‎37r] (74/482)

THIS DOCUMENT IS THE PROPERTY OF HIp'BRITANNiC MAJESTY’S GOVERNMENT
PERSIA. ^
| ?> 5 7 / m]
[rch 30, 1937.
1 1
CONFIDENTIAL. | Section 4.
fE 1717/1717/34] Copy No.
Viscount Chilston to Mr. Eden.—{Received March 30.)
(No. 118.)
Sir, Moscow, March 18, 1937.
OF all the neighbours of the Soviet Union, Iran is the least-often mentioned
in the Soviet press. With the exception of a brief, but surprisingly warm, tribute
to the late Minister of Finance, Mirza Ali Akbar Khan Davar, I have seen
scarcely a reference to Iranian affairs during the last two years, and nothing
indicative of the slightest friction between the two countries. The accompanying
article, taken from the Journal de Moscou of the 16th March, is therefore of a
certain interest^ 1 ) Though it concludes with an expression of confidence that
the Iranian authorities will not tolerate the use of their country by Germany as
a base of operations, the article as a whole evinces the clearest concern at the
success of German propaganda in that country, and suggests that a number of
Soviet-Iranian difficulties which have arisen in the course of the last year are
due to this propaganda, if they are not actually “ 1 ’echo du germanophilisme mis
a la mode par certains fonctionnaires iraniens." It is also suggested that an
alleged recent cooling-off in the relations between Iran and ‘ ‘ such countries as
France and Czechoslovakia” may be attributed to the same cause.
2 . The article is padded out, in the usual Soviet fashion, with a good deal
that is far-fetched and absurd. The writer The lowest of the four classes into which East India Company civil servants were divided. A Writer’s duties originally consisted mostly of copying documents and book-keeping. does not hesitate, for instance, to
insinuate that as a result of Dr. Schacht's recent journey, Persia is now included
in the field of Germany’s colonial aspirations, and that the memoirs of Wassmuss,
which are shortly to be published in Germany, will serve as a useful handbook
for the emissaries of fascism now working in Iran. And in his review of the
growth of German influence since the war he conveniently forgets to mention
that that influence suffered an important set-back when the construction of the
northern section of the trunk railway was transferred from German to other
hands. He does, however, assert that apart from the few dozen German
specialists in the service of the Iranian Government, there are about 800 other
German subjects engaged in economic or cultural activities, and that these are
especially to be found in the regions bordering on the Soviet frontiers, where
they are in close contact with Japanese agents and Russian refugees. It would
be interesting to know whether there is any truth in this assertion, and whether,
in particular, the very large figure for the German colony is correct.
3. For the rest, the Soviet Government are evidently more than a little
nervous at the possibility of a German air service to Japan via Iran and
Afghanistan. I gather from the reports I have seen from time to time in the
print sections that the Afghan Government are not very likely to view this project
with favour, but in any event one would have supposed that Soviet influence in
Sinkiang was quite sufficient to give the Moscow authorities a deciding voice in
the matter.
4 . I am sending a copy of this despatch to His Majesty’s Minister at
Tehran.
I have, &c.
CHILSTON.
P) Not printed.
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