Soviet Translation, 'A Brief Summary of the 1 January 1955 Issue of the Newspaper Mardom Nº 261' (Attachment)

A BRIEF summary of the 1 January 1955 issue of the newspaper "Mardom" Nº 261

An editorial, three large articles, and an appeal from the editorial board was published in the newspaper. An appeal in a large font was on the top of the first page:

"America and Britain have turned our country into their own colony. Only a union of all the patriotic people into a single united national anti-imperialist front can put an end to the sinister domination of the colonizers. We call for the Movement of National Resistance to cooperate with the People's Party of Iran to carry out preparatory measures to create such a front".

The editorial, entitled "The signing of an agreement to settle differences between Iran and the USSSR again clearly demonstrated the foreign policy of Iran's northern neighbor, a policy of peace and friendship", informs its readers about the signing of the Soviet-Iranian agreement, quotes excerpts from the agreement, and gives an assessment of this agreement.

Reporting that a signing ceremony of the Soviet-Iranian agreement settling financial and border issues was held on the 11^th of Azar (2 December 1954), the newspaper notes in the editorial that "the signing of this agreement, in which all the border and financial differences between the sides found their solution on the basis of mutual respect, was welcomed by the entire public of Iran and was perceived as one more great manifestation of the fair policy of our neighboring socialist state toward small countries based on mutual respect".

The editorial quotes the place from the speech of the Soviet ambassador during the signing of the agreement where it says that the Soviet Union has no territorial claims toward any country, including not a single one of the countries which border it. The content of articles 1 and 4 of the agreement are quoted at the same time.

Commenting on article 1 of the agreement, the newspaper notes that this "article of the agreement confirms the groundlessness of the propaganda of the American and British imperialists and their Iranian agents who declared that the Soviet Union is encroaching on the territory of Iran…"

Regarding the history of the negotiations, the newspaper notes that  Iranian governments used the existence of differences between the Soviet Union and Iran for incitement against the Soviet Union and always obstructed the successful conduct of the negotiations. "During the recent Soviet-Iranian negotiations", the newspaper stresses, "imperialist circles and their Iranian hirelings did not stop at hindering these negotiations. However, the proposals of the Soviet Union were so strongly supported by the Iranian people that an objection to these proposals would have incurred great shame. That is why they (the imperialists and their hirelings - our note) did not manage to wreck the negotiations".

In conclusion the editorial says that "the Iranian people received the new agreement between Iran and the Soviet Union with joy and consider the Soviet Union their real friend, and the American and British robbers, their implacable enemies!'

One of the articles is devoted to the 75^th anniversary of the birth of I. V. Stalin. The article is entitled, "I. V. Stalin, the great genius of mankind".

In an article under the headline, "Who bears responsibility for all these crimes[?]", it tells of the tortures to which patriots, even women, are being subjected. The article quotes the words of one of the jailers (the name is not given), who said: "The Shah and Zahedi assured us that we can do what we want. The People's Party is not doing any work. The newspapers and the Majles are also in the hands of the government. And if the people begin to stir then we will shoot them".

The newspaper considers Majles deputies, the Minister of Justice, and the prosecutor of the Supreme Court, who do not want use their rights and put an end to all these crimes, to be responsible for these crimes.

The third article entitled, "The stupid propaganda of the murderers from the military governorship" concerns a statement that the People's Party supposedly has its own terrorist apparatus.

The newspapers refutes this statement and writes that not only the people, but the military governorship itself is convinced that the People's Party is an opponent of terror and fights against terror. The military governorship will not manage to deceive the people with such a maneuver.

In a small appeal placed in the newspaper the editorial board calls upon Party members, friends of the Party, and all who fight the colonizers to use every opportunity to distribute the Mardom newspaper.

THIRD SECRETARY OF THE SOVIET EMBASSY IN IRAN

[signature] (D. Baranov)

ATTACHÉ OF THE SOVIET EMBASSY IN IRAN

[signature] (V. Pankratov)

3-ru

14 January 1955