36. Memorandum for the Record1
The following points were made by the Qashqai brothers at a luncheon party June 27 and a dinner party June 28. I have added my personal comments:
1. Ten members of the Qashqai ruling family and tribe arrived in New York June 25. The purpose of the trip was stated to be to establish a home for Mrs. Nasser Khan, the wife of the Il-Khan, and her children as well as for the pregnant Mrs. Mohammad Hosein Khan. This home will be in Santa Barbara, California. The Khans have deliberately planned that Mrs. Mohammad Hosein Khan will give birth to an American citizen. In my opinion this indicates that the Qashqais have chosen sides already in any eventual conflict between the Soviets and the West in Iran. Their dependents already are being “evacuated” to friendly territory.
2. It appears that one of the four Khans (on a rotating system) will be in the United States at all times. This, in my belief, looks like the beginning of a liaison arrangement.
3. Khosrow Khan is here as an emissary of Prime Minister Mossadeq. One of his missions is to influence American public opinion in favor of Iran. I have seen the letter from Mossadeq to Khosrow Khan instructing him to carry out this mission.
4. The Khans believe there are two stable forces in Iran; one the Tudeh Party and the other the Qashqais. What they appear to mean is, two well-organized forces who can count on disciplined followings. In their opinion the Western world would do well to cultivate the only one of these two forces available to them, namely, the Qashqais.
5. Khosrow Khan states that the Iranian Army’s effectiveness was shattered by the bullet that killed Razmara.
6. They believe that for $3,000,000 the four most important army garrisons in Iran could be purchased by any bidder. And for $10,000,000 the entire army could be bought. I detected in these statements the desire that some wealthy uncle place these sums at the Qashqai’s disposal when such purchases became desirable; namely, if there were a Tudeh coup in Tehran or other cities.
7. The Khans seem alarmed at the prospect of disorders in Abadan when the workers remain unpaid. They think that Tudeh might make quick capital of such a situation.
[Page 112]8. The ruling family (the Khans) seem much more confident this year about their control over the tribe. They talk of 200,000 effective fighting men among the Qashqais and other Southern tribes, but also mention the figure of 75,000 “picked men”.
9. The Qashqais express great love and admiration for Dr. Mossadeq. On occasion they wink when they say this. They have no use for the other National Fronters.
10. As successor to Mossadeq they talk of either Sardar Fakher Hekmat or Dr. Baghai. I believe their candidate is Hekmat.
11. The Qashqais never liked the Shah. Four years ago they feared him. Last year they despised him. This year they find him ridiculous.
12. Their expenditures in New York make it apparent that this was a good year for the Qashqais.