Deputy Director of the International Department of the CPSU Central Committee V. Bagladin, 'Request from the Leadership of the People's Party of Iran'

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CPSU Central Committee

Request from the leadership of the People's Party of Iran

The People's Party of Iran in accordance with an agreement with the leadership of the Bulgarian Communist Party in the course of several years has sent illegal radio transmissions from Bulgaria to Iran in Farsi, Kurdish, and Azerbaijani. The transmissions were sent by short wave for three hours per day.

At the end of November of this year, our Bulgarian comrades informed the leadership of the People's Party of Iran that after December 1 they will stop these transmissions.

On November 26 the First Secretary of the Central Committee, Comrade I. Iskenderi sent a telegram to the General Consul in Leipzig addressed to the General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee Comrade L.I.Brezhnev, in which he asked to find a solution for continuing the work of the Iranian illegal radio transmissions (attached).

On November 27 Comrade I. Iskenderi was informed via the General Consul that the possibility of continuing the work of the radio station is being studied and explored.

The International Department of the CPSU Central Committee and Department of the CPSU Central Committee addressed our Bulgarian Comrades by connections with Communist and Workers' parties from Socialist countries on November 27 with a request not to stop the work of the Iranian illegal radio station on December 1. In response to this request the Director of the International Department of the Bulgarian Communist Party Central Committee, Comrade D. Stanishev, communicated on November 28, that a resolution to this question will not be reconsidered.

According to a directive from the Department the USSR Ministry of Communications studied the possibility of radio broadcasts to Iran from Mongolia (such an option is suggested by our Bulgarian comrades). As is evident from an informational note from the USSR Ministry of Communications (attached), there are only two short wave transmitters in Mongolia with a capacity of 50 kilowatts, used for internal and foreign broadcasts. It is impossible to use them to provide reliable radio transmissions and reception of information from Iranian short wave radio stations, which is necessary for the work of illegal Iranian radio stations.

Because of this, according to the opinion of the USSR Ministry of Communications, if it will be seen as expedient to organize organize broacdasts to Iran from Mongolia, it will be necessary, in addition to the Resolution from the USSR Council of Ministers from June 17, 1974 (500-173) on the reconstruction of an active radio center in Ulan-Bator between 1976 and 1980, to consider the delivery of a short wave transmitter with a strength of no less than 250 kilowatts, the construction of transmission antennas, radio studios, and the sending of Soviet specialists, etc. For this significant funds will be needed.

Because of the fact that organizing radio transmission to Iran from Mongolia is practically impossible in the near future, it would be expedient to conduct talks with the leadership of the Central Committees of the SED, CPC, HSWP, and RCP with the purpose of determining which one of these parties is capable of illegal radio broadcasts from the People's Party of Iran. In connection with this it is necessary to note that in the GDR two illegal short wave radio stations have been functioning with transmission antennas directed at Greece and Turkey. Our Greek comrades stopped the transmissions after the legalization of their party. Radio short wave transmissions from Romania were being sent directed at Portugal, which also have now stopped.

A draft CPSU Central Committee Resolution is attached.

Deputy Director of the International Department of the CPSU Central Committee

[Signature]

(V. Bagladin)

December 6, 1976

No. 25-S-2265