what the son of an Iranian commander promised Stalin

75 years ago, on August 7, 1948, Nader Jahanbani, the son of a Russian noblewoman and former Minister of Defense of Iran, a descendant of the Shah family of the Qajars, Amanullah Mirza Jahanbani, who studied in the USSR, turned to I. V. Stalin with a request for help in solving the problems that had arisen; moreover, the text of the letter testified that during his studies, the future Iranian general not only mastered the profession, but also learned the wisdom of Kremlin etiquette.

From the note of the government of the USSR to the government of Iran, August 25, 1941.

… During the time after the German attack on the USSR, the Soviet Government three times – on June 26, July 19 and August 16 of this year. drew the attention of the Iranian Government to the danger posed by the subversive and espionage and sabotage activities in Iran of German agents …

The Iranian Government refused, unfortunately, to take measures that would put an end to the turmoil and unrest started by German agents on the territory of Iran, thereby encouraging these German agents in their criminal work. As a result, the Soviet Government was forced to take the necessary measures and immediately implement what belongs to the Soviet Union, by virtue of Art. 6 of the Treaty of 1921, the right – to temporarily send its troops to the territory of Iran for the purpose of self-defense …

From TASS reports, August 25, 1941.

Reuters is transmitting a lightning telegram stating that British troops crossed the Iranian border this morning…

Reuters notes that Iran was a nest of Nazi intrigues aimed at outflanking the Soviet Union and creating a springboard for a German attack on India. A large number of German residents who filled Iran were intended to carry out German military plans …

As the British Ministry of Information points out in its report, “it has now become clear that further friendly representations would be useless and that therefore the British and Soviet Governments are compelled to resort to other measures to protect their vital interests. These measures will in no way be directed against the Iranian people.”

From a TASS report, September 16, 1941.

Reuters reports that, according to the Tehran radio, the Iranian Shah has abdicated his throne and that the Shah’s successor is his son.

From a TASS report, September 22, 1941.

Yesterday, at a meeting of the Iranian Majlis, a new cabinet formed by Forughi was presented.

The following persons were included in the new cabinet: Prime Minister Forugi… Interior Minister Amanullah Jahanbani…

(Amanullah Mirza Jahanbani until 1942 headed various ministries, including the Ministry of Defense. From 1951 to 1974 he was a senator.— “Story”).

From a letter from Lieutenant Nader Jahanbani to I. V. Stalin, Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR, August 7, 1948.

Dear Comrade Stalin!

Five years ago, in 1943 (at the age of fifteen.— “Story”), according to your personal kind permission, I, Nader Jahanbani, the son of the Iranian Army Marshal Amanollah Jahanbani (such spellings in the text.— “Story”), came to the Soviet Union to get an education as a military pilot. In view of your attention to me, I graduated from school with an excellent mark and became a fighter pilot, which I dreamed of since childhood and which I was able to achieve thanks to your direct concern for me and the creation of advanced Stalinist aviation.

Then, in order to get a higher education from a political and technical point of view and become a fully competent pilot engineer, I again took advantage of your kind consent and in 1945 entered the Academy. Zhukovsky, where I am currently in my 4th year. But I ran into some difficulties.

Since last year, despite all my requests through the Academy to the Ministry of the Armed Forces that I be allowed to conduct flight training during the holidays, which is extremely necessary for me as a young pilot, to my great regret, I have not achieved any positive results.

This year I have a new difficulty: I am not allowed to take some subjects, without knowledge of which I will be an inferior engineer, since they are the main subjects in aviation, for example: flight dynamics, jet aircraft engineering, etc. Therefore, I appeal for help to you, and knowing your great attention to the pilots, I am sure that I will be supported by you.

Returning to my homeland in Iran, I will strive to apply all the knowledge gained in the USSR, both political and technical, for the benefit of my homeland, to create a progressive, truly democratic country, which I learned about and could feel to the depths of my soul precisely in your country in the Soviet Union. With such convictions, I am thinking of returning to my homeland and starting this difficult struggle against conservative and reactionary forces and will tirelessly fight them, being confident in our friendly relations and confident that I can be a useful and true friend of the Soviet Union, and thank you all my life for the great attention and help rendered to me both during my studies and in my further activities in Iran.

I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart for granting my request.

Nader Jahanbani graduated from the N. E. Zhukovsky Air Force Engineering Academy, returned to Iran and began serving in the Imperial Iranian Air Force in 1950 with the rank of senior lieutenant. Since 1951, he was trained to fly American jet fighters at the Fürstenfeldbruck airbase in West Germany. In 1958, Major Jahanbani created and led the Iranian aerobatic team Golden Crown. Later he became the Deputy Commander of the Imperial Iranian Air Force, had a military rank sepahbod – lieutenant general After the 1979 revolution, he was arrested and sentenced to death. Shot on March 13, 1979.

Publication by Evgeny Zhirnov