Ext 6552/41 ‘Security Organisation in Persia’ [‎48r] (95/320)

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troops the Russians must be responsible for securing the arrest of suspects; if
they like to leave the suspects for the Persians to keep in detention, that is their
affair. In places where there are British troops, we should not ask the Russians
to intervene with us if we wished to eliminate dangerous elements.
6. To sum up : the agreement is inapplicable in areas where there are
Russian troops because the Soviet Embassy were not a party to it, and we cannot
Accept the odium of participating in their requests for arrest and detention,
v'specially when, as happened in Tehran recently, they want to secure the arrest
of people against whom we have nothing at all. In areas where there are British
troops, exceptional action may sometimes be necessary, e.g., it may prove essential
to remove from Abadan considerable numbers of persons whose presence is
considered dangerous but who cannot be sent to Sultanabad, because the evidence
against them is embarrassingly weak for production before the Persians on the
board of interrogation. In these cases it may be necessary to turn minor suspects
loose in £C unoccupied ” territory, though it is assumed that this would be done
through the intermediary of the Persian police, and not by any British authority
direct.
7. The Persian Government recently arrested several persons on suspicion
of having a share in some plot against the Government and applied to us to see
whether we could supplement their evidence. This was encouraging, since our
great difficulty has been that the Persian Government and people have hitherto
paid little attention to our warnings about the fifth column, partly because they
have had no direct experience of the danger, and partly, of course, because they
thought that any danger there might be was directed only against the Allies. If
the Persian Government would take action against some suspects, it would justify
our suspect policy; moreover, the Persians could inflict heavy punishment,
whereas all we can do is to detain suspects indefinitely at Sultanabad.
Unfortunately, after a few days, all the persons arrested at the instigation of the
Persian Government were released.
R. W. BULLARD.
Tehran, September 25, 1942.
Sub-Enclosure 1.
Sir R. Bullard to the Minister for Foreign A ffairs.
Tehran, September 28, 1942.
Your Excellency,
I HAVE the honour to confirm that I accept the Imperial Government’s
text, dated the 20th Shahrivar, 1321 (17th September, 1942), of the conditions
governing the detention and interrogation of Persian suspects arrested by the
Persian authorities at the request of His Majesty’s Legation.
2. I also confirm the oral agreement made between your Excellency and
myself, viz., that these conditions refer not only to suspects already in detention
on the 17th September, 1942, but to any other Persian suspects whom the Persian
authorities may arrest in future at the request of His Majesty’s Legation.
I avail myself of this opportunity to renew to your Excellency the assurance
of my highest consideration.
R. W. BULLARD.
Sub-Enclosure 2.
(Translation.)
Agreement concerning the Detention and Interrogation and Supervision of the
Persian Suspects at Sultanabad (Arak).
THE Persian suspects are to be sent from the place where they are now under
detention to Sultanabad (Arak), in which city a place of detention will be
appointed for them.
2. In accordance with the legation note No. 1241 of the 5th Shahrivar, 1321
(27th August, 1942), the Persian suspects who are now in the hands of British
officials, whether in Tehran, or in Ahwaz, or elsewhere, will be sent to Sultanabad
(Arak).
3. In accordance with the legation’s note No. 1231 of the 23rd Murdad, 1321
(14th August, 1942), Persian officials may co-operate with the British officials
in guarding and in interrogating the suspects.