Letter. V. Semenov to the CPSU CC, containing 'Annotation of the "Mardom" Newspaper No. 267 of 8 October 1955'

48702

Secret Copy Nº 1

TO THE CPSU CC

Attached we are sending you [issue] Nº 267 of the newspaper People's Party of Iran dated 8 October 1955 and an annotation on it sent from the Soviet Embassy in Iran.

ATTACHMENT: the aforementioned on three pages

DEPUTY USSR MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS 

[signature]

(V. SEMENOV)

28 December 1955

Nº 1468/obsv

[handwritten:]

Memo

The material was used in

the sector's work

Sector Chief [[signed]] I. Kozlov]

31 January 1956

[illegible signature]

[to the] archives

V. Gorbunov

2 February 1956

CC Department

29 December [one word illegible]

[Attachment]

Ref. Incoming 4581/obsv

ATTACHMENT to outgoing Nº 637

2 November 1955

ANNOTATION

of the "MARDOM" newspaper [issue] Nº 267 of 8 October 1955

The regular edition of the newspaper "Mardom", the press organ of the Central Committee of the People's Party of Iran, came out on the 8^th of October of this year.

The editorial was entitled, "A Dangerous Crisis Threatens Our National Economy". The article says that prices and poverty have grown in Iran, especially since the 19 August 1953 coup. As a result of the policy pursued by the imperialists with respect to Iran, when they ship unneeded goods to Iran and the goods produced by local industry in Iran, the mills began to close and unemployment increases. The government spends its budget not on public amenities but "on the construction of airfields, ports, and strategic roads…According to official information, the army budget constitutes 40% of the total budget".

The newspaper writes that the only way to save the country from the crisis is the way of expanding trade with the Soviet Union and the countries of people's democracy, a refusal of imperialist loans, the use of foreign credits only to purchase equipment and machines, etc.

In conclusion the article says that the current Ala government, a defender of the interests of the Anglo-American imperialists, and is not in a position to save the country from crisis. Only a national government is able to do this.

The newspaper calls upon all patriots to join together in a struggle to improve the economic condition of the country and improve the lives of the people.

In an article "For the Independence and Freedom of Morocco and Algeria" the newspaper defends the struggle of the peoples of these countries for their independence.

An article [entitled] "Several Comments About Ala's statement and the Shah's collusion with Bayar" was placed in the newspaper. The article said that during his stay in Iran Bayar prepared the ground for Iran to join a military pact. Touching on Ala's statement in the Majles and also the activity of the American military advisers, the newspaper stressed that an abandonment of neutrality and Iran's joining a military pact would put the Iranian army under the command of the British and Americans, who will use it in their own interests. The newspaper calls upon the people to raise their voices against Iran's participation in military pacts.

In the name of the CC of the People's Party the newspaper's editorial board appeals to all Party members, Party sympathizers, and supporters of the freedom and independence of Iran to give the Party financial aid, contributing a day's wages to the Party's treasury.

A poem, "In Memory of Fallen Fighters", was placed in the newspaper.

Drafted by Attaché of the

Soviet Embassy in Iran [signature] (V. Pankratov)

[a copy of the original Persian newspaper text follows]