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ANNEX II.
Copy of Foreign Office Himtes on Tehran Telegram No.29 of 1st February, 1940.
151
This telegram raises two matters:-
(1) the supply of aircraft to Persia, and
(2)
the degree of help which His Majesty's Government
would be willing to afford the Persian
Government in the event of the latter's being invaded by the Soviet Union.
With regard to (1) the question is under consideration by the Air Hinistry, but they do not hold out much hope of the possibility of supplying any planes of either kind - at any rate as soon as the Persians evidently wish to have the...
as the
It is difficult enough to spare bolbers in a good cause without trying to find them for persia where, Persians had been told over and over again, they must be less effective then fighters.
Koreover, their attitude is that if there is to be any question of using British aircraft for the defence of Persia they would much prefer to have them used by the Royal Air Force rather than by the Persian air force.
The position is the same, incidentally, in regard to other arms. We are giving the persians a credit for £5,000,000, but we have had to make it plain that this does not mean that we shall have any arms to sell under this credit for a considerable time to come.
As regards (2) the conclusions of the War Cabinet meeting of 7th February have reached the department, showing that the Chiefs of Staff have been asked to consider:
(1) their views as to the vulnerability of Russian
oil supplies in the light of this information as to Iran's attitude,
(ii)
what action should be taken to follow up the
Linister of Man's suggestions.
As regards (2) the attitude of the Service Departments has hitherto been, I believe, that there is no hope of our being able to make available the forces necessary for the defence of Tehran and the Iranian plate cu generally and that, whatever the Persians themselves might do to resist the invader, all the British forces could do would be to hold the roads leading from the plateau to Bagdad and Khuzisten (where the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company oil-fields are situated) if possible with the concurrance of the Persian Goverment, but if necessary without it.
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