Trouble Over Iran
Visson, Andre
Trouble Over Iran Security Zones at the Gate of Asia By Andre Visson THE stage is set for trouble in Iran. In this Near Eastern eoun-* try, located athwart important ^artvwci*! routes, and rich...
...in fact the Persian Gulf Service Command had begun to wind up its business Isst January, when shorter routes to Rusaia had been sectored...
...whose splendor and magnificence are equal'to that of the skies...
...battle would probably W fought otj Iranian soil,,and that the Vytttr might absorb Iran...
...H ia this: Satisfy all the legitimate, aspire, tions of Britain and Russia, and at I be same time safeguard Iranian independence...
...ia arrangement was upset in 1917 by the Russian revolution, and immediately the two powers clashed in Persia, , Out of tbe snuggle Persia emerged, > once again tinder its ancient name, of Iran, with the soldier/usurper Rise Khan on the throne...
...The Soviet administration in the five northern provinces has become a cause of concern both to the Iranians and the British...
...To this new friend they turned for help in putting their financial house in order...
...Soviet desires for Iranian oil could be satisfied by an American-British' invitation -to Russia to join the American-British oil agree, in.-in it was an error not to Invite the Soviets earlier than this...
...Otherwise, there will be dangerous conflict over Iran, and the United States will not be able to ignore It...
...Moreover, while the British fa%pt always overcome tbeii habit of looking upon Iranians aa...
...When war ended in Europe, Iran demanded that Britain, Russia and tbe United States live up to their pledges and,lake away their troops within six months...
...1 w^th 86*Jet attack* tti'.ttaa government in the...
...flasii-ud-Din,the Emperor cjt Persia, described in the Treaty as "exalted a; the planet Saturn...
...But this was no part of the' desires of Russia and Britain, who realized that if Shuster succeeded they and their Iranian projects would be badly handicapped...
...Hitler's attack -on Russia once more induced the Bear and the Lion to move together...
...But Moscow,pointed, ofl&tJl|at>,16a...
...Ojrer the yea,rs, the Iranians ,i.n self-protection have developed a foreign policy Which tries to make the best of a perpetually dangerous situation by plaj isg Russia and Britain against each eaWr...
...hen the British Ljon and the Rtis-*aj Bear move together," wrote, a 19f h 'wary Persian poet, "the fate of Irkn, *ut| be sealed...
...Ida government resigns every few months and is rapidly losing even its nominal authority...
...routes, and rich in oil aai nwtali, British and Russian in-Itrests collide head on...
...Should the Soviet Union try to go too far, a conflict could hardly be avoided—and we could not ignore auch a conflict...
...It is for the United stales to take the initative, by inviting tbe two powers to work out auch an agreement It must be based on Iranian independence, as a first essential...
...So Great Britain and "'greed to respect the integrity Independence of Persia...
...For, more than a cen-tury, the British have been worriedly blocking Russian penetration...
...When, in 1907, the division of Iran into British and Russian spheres was sharply criticized by American public opinion, the Iranians became gratefully aware of a new friend among the powers...
...They dread an armed conflict sstgiea the twot great powers, knowing tka| tbe first bjg...
...Their humanitarian activity won the confidence of the Iranians...
...v J American-Iranian rcintioaa were formally established th ltttbrthe "T.ciity of Amity and Commerce...
...On Iranian request, the United Stales Government in 1911 sent a financial mission headed by W. Morgan-Shunter...
...but in **» they divided the country into three j*f**~u northern one for Russian in-*'*Aco» • southern one, with the rich **peUs, for British control, and a mid-*j«ua which both big powers agreed alone...
...The results of ujat collision are already being felt half .world away, in America...
...It has the double advantage of being both moral and practical...
...When the Soviet-British occupation of 1941' struck Iran, the Iranians at one* asked Washington to send over as many A merlcan misskms" as « possible...
...Yet we are vitally concerned...
...Iran, which we used to call Persia, ¦hatches over 628,000 square miles of land, mostly sand and stone...
...Till', first Americans to appear in Iran, e\eti before the Treaty, were Presbyterian missionaries...
...The American government, again on request, sent another financial mission in 1972, under Dr...
...To hammer home that point, the Soviets make lavi-h use of propaganda literalure, radio programs and traveling theatrical shows...
...Rixa Khan had been aided by the Russians, but enco in power he became tbe "strung,man" of the country, shrewdly played Russia and Britain against each other in tbe best Persian tradition, and by vxni had the nation really on tbe way to political and economic independence...
...A British-approved Russian ultimatum to expel.the America* mission was sent to the Iranian govern* meat...
...Finally, a free eustoms harbor on the Persian Gulf, with use of the Iranian railroad to and from Russia would satisfy legitimate Soviet economic interests, and would not endanger Brltk** trade routes...
...President Pierce signed the treaty, with...
...Major General Clarence C. Ridley headed the American experts Invited to reorganize the Iranian amy, Colonel B, Norman Schwarzkopf, former head of ths New Jersey State Police, tame to organize the Iranian constabulary...
...inferior natives," the Russians bare made a point of tleating the Iranians , as, equals...
...But the Iranians want Ann > totftiere...
...the Sovereign to whom tin sun serves as a standard...
...At Potsdam the early withdrawal of Russian and British labor forces from Teheran was reaffirmed...
...But Russia haa isolated them, closed their borders to all travelers, even Iranian...
...snd there is i limit to the concessions the British en afford to make...
...and again one of their first moves was in Iran...
...On the other Mho, • hey are equally apprehensive of •otnplete agreement between the Rus-tiwsi amt the British, .fefriqg that such •rreement would result in a partition-•*t{»* their country...
...fl>e Lion and the Bear did move tourer, in 1907...
...British and Sjoviet armies mvsded Iran in August, 1941, snd in ihiee days oVar whelmed Jt be Iranian forces, Riza Khan was exib-d to the island of Mauritius and his son, Mohammed Risk, succeeded him in a country .occupied and partitioned by Russia snd .Britain...
...Soviet ¦restore today is severe...
...it is dangerous for Iran, dan-gerous for Britain and Russia, and daiy geroui for tha United States, now en* tangled and involved...
...and la maintain communication lines across Inn, te India...
...The Russians have even closed the borders to Iranian tax collectors...
...pledge was worded "after lite re/eat of...
...Its population is estimated at about 15,000,000, of which 3,800,000 are nomads...
...It stayed for five years and helped reorganise Iranian finances...
...For the security tone* of Great Britain and the Soviet Union, overlap in Iran, which is bordered en the north by Russia and on the east by British India...
...The groat majority of the people have a standard •f living too low to permit them to be istportsnt buyers of American goods, ass American imports from Iran- rugs, Issslisiht, Cashmere goat hair, copper- ^ ware, caviar—are not* vital to u...
...I hey are not certain they succeeded...
...The German Wolf was •a the prowl and it beeame necessary *srthe Lion-and the Bear to agree on ttefc respective hunting grounds in Asia, •* needed each other to fight the in Europe...
...a warm-water port on the Persian Gulf...
...Peak of Ibeir great propaganda effort is their support of "Tudeh," (Masses), a new pio-Soviet political pasty comTudeh insists on ths partition Oi> large jMohcJe^jtft atfiong thy.J!jtl«p^ and supports Russian .i.maitds for' oil con'«ess;<np^%sr aut iim>^jft,tt% *' Pro" -Soviet stjSeet .lemon lj»t»ns coprdli -.it...
...Arthur C. Mlllspaugh...
...An independent Iran, free, of all tor-sign troops and foreign interference, would constitute no threat either to Russia or to Britain...
...not endanger British .ititerpstx en tbd , Persian Gulf, Thus the two poweri", were brought to joint action.paftlyT^^ the necessity of mutual assistance, > partly by mutual distrust...
...The Soviet desire was to seat the hack door to the Caspian Sea and to Russia's Baku oil fields against a possible Ger» man attack, as well at to institute av -Russian Burma Road across Iran for American supplies...
...the monarch whose armies are in numbers as the stars...
...Thfi United States wants no special privilege...
...They did their beat to help Iran safeguard its independence...
...These provinces,are Iran's granary...
...Germany and' Aer iai*ilitt," and 'said Russian troops could not leave Iran tin" til said lit Japan was defeate.' And Britain would not consider lea-ing ss long as lhere were Soviet troops Ibout' There ensued months of procrastination and vague promisee, of future action...
...Meanwhile the domestic political «tt-uation is deteriorating rapidly...
...The Americans acted promptly...
...I Offhsnd it would seem that' we are Stat conee...
...Economic, comparison if definitely unfavorable to theiBriiti*h-c.ontroU|e4 south...
...i Some Americans went to Iran without invitation—the forees of the Persian Gulf Service Command...
...The Soviet press insist* en an Iranian government friendly to Russia Such a situation cannot last in' definitely...
...In Iran, Britain wants to continue atrekrpmeiit of the rich British-owned ail fields in the Southern provinces...
...Russia wants to get a share of Iranian oil and ores...
...This pledge, made in 1941, was reemphasized in 1943, at the conclusion of the Teheran conference...
...Dr.1 Millspaugh went back, with the authee> ity of a financial and economic dictator...
...ned m what happens in this remote and barren land...
...But they earns merely to assure the speedy flow of A me lie a ii lend lease across Iran In Russia...
...There Is a solution, difficult,, but po*«* sible...
...The special statement on Iran then issued by the Big Three was, made on American initiative...
...Russian armies crossed the u>t» der—and tbe Shuster mission was sent bock home...
...Me»..v other American advisers undertook *tV ministration of oil, food, agriculture, ir-i 'gallon and public health...
...In fact, of course, Iranian independence was suspended...
...aad the use of Iranian roads for transit ef goods to and from Central Asia...
...The disappearance of the tax collectors, and tha prohibition against exporting any food tu the deficient southern provinces under British control, have crested a fictitious prosperity, in the north...
...press ahi «ti^cte atr...
...To reassure one another, and incidentally to comfort the anxious Iranians, the British and the Russians promised to evacuate their forces from Iran six months after the end of hostilities against Germany and her satellites...
...the signature of President Roosevelt added to thpse of Stalin and Churchill publicly expressed the growing American interest in Iran, and the American desire to see that country remain independent...
...Britain's motive was to make sure that the presence of Soviet troops ir) northern Iran would...
...and the fact that their arrival was not followed by the American flag and soldiers increased Iranian confidence in the United States...
...Most of the American experts invited by the Iranian government got along first rale with the Iranians, but they had frequent conflicts with the Allied occupation authorities...
...The net result j*tW that trie government was forced te.vreeign., ' . , ' 'Feeling the tlghtenW <JT the .Soviet grip, distrustful of the .British, the I ran-ians look to the Aivierienas as theii last hope...
Vol. 28 • September 1941 • No. 39
