Coll 28/111 ‘Persia. Kermanshah – Political diaries.’ [‎13v] (27/751)

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so long as the difficult economic situation is not remedied and the Persian public
remains in ignorance of what the Allies have done to aid Persia in her present
difficulties, which are popularly believed to be due to our presence here.
VII.— Material Aid to Russia via Persia. 0^
23. Only a small percentage of the total flow of war materials, &c., which
have been entering Russia via Persia during December have passed through
Kermanshah, and it is satisfactory to note that the scores of lorries which were
lying idle at Khanikin rail-head a month or so ago, awaiting the arrival of loads,
have for the most part loaded up and left Khanikin for North Persia.
VIII.— German Efforts to trade with Persia.
24. There is good reason to suspect that pro-German Persians and Iraqis
are continuing to trade with Germany via Turkey—or at least trying to do so.
The method whereby the British blockade is avoided is simple : {a) The Persian
exporter declares to the Persian and Iraqi Customs authorities that the goods he
is exporting from Persia are destined for either Egypt, Palestine, United
Kingdom or United States, via Iraq in transit; {h) the goods at the time they
enter Iraq are marked “ Via Iraq in Transit ” and pay the small transit duty;
but when once they are within Iraq the bales or boxes (while remaining
unaltered as regards weights and markings) are prepared for export to Turkey
and, in the place of the supposed United Kingdom consignee, a consignee in
Istanbul or Izmir is substituted; (r) the goods are sent by rail to Turkey, where
the consignee takes them over and redirects them to Germany.
25. Unless a close watch is kept upon all exports to Turkey from Iraq and
Syria, there is the possibility that some merchandise will trickle into Turkey
en route to Germany or Axis-controlled countries in Europe; it is believed,
however, that the volume of this traffic is not likely to be large.
IX.— Reopening of a Russian Consulate at Kermanshah.
26. There has been no Soviet representative here since the end of 1937, when
the Russian Consulate in Kermanshah was closed. It is reported that two officials
of the Russian Embassy at Tehran are due here shortly and will make preliminary
arrangements for the reopening of the Russian Consulate. Reactions in local
Persian circles—official as well as private—at the presence in their midst of
Soviet consular officials are certain to be unfavourable.
J. R. VAUGHAN-RUSSELL.
Kermanshah, December 31, 1941.