Cable Nº 37172/37168 from Tehran

CABLE

STRICTLY SECRET

Copy Nº 1 – DISTRIBUTION LIST

Nº 2 – to Stalin

Nº 3 – to Stalin

Nº 4 – to Molotov

Nº 5 – to Vyshinsky

Nº 6 – to Dekanozov

Nº 7 – to Silin

Nº 8 – copy

Nº 9 – to the 10^th Department

Nº 10 – to file

[handwritten across the distribution list: to Cde. Dekanozov. Instructions!

Say that it is not our business, that we cannot interfere in Iran’s internal affairs]

37168

Spets Nº 1980, 1981

URGENT

Members of the CC of the People’s party have reported that Qavam has increased repression against the organizations of the populists and trade unions everywhere. Entire organizations are being liquidated. For example, the oblast’ committee in Malayer was expelled, the premises of local committees were closed, all 25 peasant unions were disbanded, and the prisons are overflowing with those arrested. Discharges and arrests of members of trade unions and the People’s Party have begun on the railroads in connection with the appointment of a new chief. The raids [pogromy] in the clubs of the People’s Party have also spread to Tehran. Some days ago one of the clubs in a suburb of Tehran was destroyed [razgromlen]. Everywhere officials suspected of loyalty to the populists (Qazvin, Mazandaran, Sultanabad, etc.) are being replaced. Qavam and Firuz are suggesting that prominent activists of the People’s Party publicly leave the People’s Party and join Qavam’s party, promising to put them in the Majlis and appoint [them] to leading party posts. All these facts show that Qavam is working toward a complete liquidation of the People’s Party. In Khuzestan all the legal organizations of the populists and trade unions have already been liquidated.

Every day demands come to the CC from the outlying areas to take steps against the attack of the reactionaries. Up to now the CC has limited itself to verbal protests, to which Qavam pays no attention. More realistic measures of self-defense are needed. [Translator’s note: the next  two sentence were highlighted in the left margin]. The leadership of the People’s Party and trade unions consider it necessary to hold a one-day general protest strike with this goal. The populists are asking our advice. The populists turned [to us] with a similar suggestion four days ago. We advised them against [it].

Yesterday Kombakhsh, Radmanesh, Eskanderi, Keshavarz, Ovanesyan, and Rusta against raised the question before me of a one-day general protest strike. They point out that the grassroots are expressing strong dissatisfaction with the inaction of the leadership, accusing [it] of opportunism, cowardice, and the like. [Translator’s note: the rest of the paragraph was highlighted in the left margin]. According to the protestation of the populists, Qavam will not decide on armed measures to put down a strike, but will feel the organized strength of the party of the worker’s movement. The populists point out that right now they can still carry out such a strike, but in a week they will be so powerless that they will hardly be able to rouse all the workers.

I request your urgent instructions [about] what to advise the populists.

2 November 1946 SADCHIKOV

10 copies ls

Sent at 0730 3 November

Done by Chalov

Authenticated [by]: [illegible name]

[handwritten:

7862

N 11370/[illegible letters]