The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-08-25

and on the southeast based on Ba. ssfcnistan, and e Russian army or the north on both sides of the Gas. plan sea.
 Britain and Russia had left nC doubt that they regarded the pres. ence of thousands of German agent: in Tran and urgent danger, especial 1y in view of the possibility of 6 German march through the Ukraine to and beyond the Don Basin and of German demand on Turkey fol troop facilities to attack the Rus sian caucasus oil fields. Turkey, mo- Eninally allied with Britain, had given increasing indications that il would not fight even to resist a German attack.
 German Agents Employed
 Britain and Russia assert that there are German agents in key pos itionS in Iranian railroads, power plants, engineering projects, war in- dustries and government depart .ments including the post office They charge that the Germans were plotting to overthrow the Shah in favor of a pro-G German government and were plotting sabotage against Russia.
 By their action Britain and Rus sia at once moved to end the Ger man threat and to ensure Russia its communications with the out side world through the Persian gulf.
 Of vital importance to Russia was the railroad which crosses Iran to link the Caspian Sea and the gulf, held by the British fleet The railroad was important to Britain as the link with the British con- trolled Anglo-Persian oil field, larg- est single field in the world. It was important for the British and Rus sians that they take the railroad intact and the possibility that they had used air borne troops to do so was not ruled out here.
 The foreign office, announcing Britain's own action, said:
 'The reply of the Iranian gov- ernment to communications ad- dressed to them Aug. 16 shows that they were not prepared to give ade- quate satisfaction to the recommen- dations of his majesty's government and the Soviet government
 Friendship Failed
 'It is now clear that further friendly representations to the Iranian government along the same lines as hitherto would serve no useful purpose and that his majes- tvs government must have recourse to other measures to safeguard es- Sential interests.
 "These measures will in no way be directed against the Iranian peo- pie. His majesty's government have no designs on the independence or territorial integrity of Iran and any measures they may take will be di- rected solely against attempts of the Axis powers to establish their con- trol of Iran"
 The foreign office said Iran had been reluctant to offend the Ger man government "even in defense of their own vital interests"
 It added that the British and Russian governments had told Iran that they accepted and en- dorSed the Iranian policy of neu- trality and desired sincerely to maintain a policy of frienships and cooperation with Iran.
 It disclosed that as a last resort Britain and Russia had proposed that Iran retain temporarily few German technicians engaged in es- pecially important work while Brit ain and Russia aided Iron by find ing suitable experts to replace oust- cd German technicians.
 Moscow radio, announcing For eign Commissar Molotov's note to 1 the Iranian ambassador, emphasiz- ed that Russia and Britain had acted "protectively. He gave a re- view of the long friendly relations between Russia and Iran and ex- pressed the hope that they would continue.
 Since the German attack on Russia the Soviet government has three times, on June 26, July 19 and Aug. 16, drawn the attention of the Iran government to the dangers ! arising from (German) espionage ! activity; Molotov's note said after reviewing the relations of Russian | and Iran since 1918, when they con- Cluded their first friendship treaty |
 "On Aug. 26 the Soviet govern ment presented to the Shahs gov ernment data regarding the coup d'etat which is being engireere d by | German agents in Iran"
 Soviet Troops Move In
 Moscow, Aug. 25 - CUP.) - The | Soviet Unions armed forces, in the first joint military operations with Great Britain, moved into Iran to- day to oust German agents, protect | the backdoor to RusSia's oil fields | and ekep open the vital Near East ern route for war supplies from the United States and the British Em- l pire. The action against Iran, which is rich in oil and mineral resources, i was described officially as due to threatened German plan to strike at | Russia'S great Caucasus oil fields ! from the south. The Soviet Union acted, it was added, under the treaty of 1921 to oust NaA agents (estimated at 4,000) whom the Teh- ran government has failed to eject. | Foreign CommisSar Viacheslav Molotov announced the march to Mahommed Saed, the Iranian am- early this morning.