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OCR
S INGLEASSIFIED
9
Nominally the head of the party is its secre-
including such elusive figures as Lahuti, Ka-
tary-general-a post held by Iraj Eskandari
vian, and Sultanzadeh.
from the founding of the party until 1946 and
since then by Dr. Reza Radmanesh, until
4. Organization.*
March 1949 an engineering professor at the
a. The Party Proper.
University of Tehran. However, field reports
Communist organizational concepts have
have suggested that liaison with the USSR
been applied throughout the structure of the
and, in effect, over-all control of the party,
Tudeh Party, the blueprint for which is con-
have been carried on through a secret section,
tained in Ovanessian's short and largely the-
which probably includes Ehsan Tabari,
oretical book, Fundamentals of the Organiza-
Ghazar Simonian, and Kambakhsh, and may
tion of a Party, which was first published in
also include Rusta and Ovanessian.
the Tudeh newspaper Rahbar in 1946. Under
Material at hand suggests that the prin-
the standard Communist concepts of "democ-
cipal liaison agent with the USSR, and thus
racy" and "centralism," which Ovanessian
the key figure in the Tudeh hierarchy, is
stresses as fundamentals of organization to
Kambakhsh, a member of a family closely re-
be followed as though they were "holy laws,"
lated to the deposed Qajar dynasty who stud-
the national party organization is a hierarchy
ied aeronautical engineering in Moscow dur-
on the Soviet model-nominally responsive to
ing the 1920's, was incarcerated for Commu-
the will of the rank and file but in fact tightly
nist activity in 1933, three years after his re-
controlled from the top.
turn to Iran as an instructor in the Iranian
The basic organization in this structure is
Air Force, and helped organize the Tudeh
the Annual Congress of the party, delegates
Party following his release from prison in
to which are elected, theoretically on the basis
1941. Kambakhsh reportedly went to Mos-
of one for each three hundred party members,
cow via Czechoslovakia in 1946, but is believed
by local conferences elected by ordinary party
to have returned to Iran in early 1948; in De-
members for the purpose.** The Congress,
cember 1948, a deputy to the Majlis from
after theoretically making the major policy
Mazanderan stated that at least twice in the
decisions for the year, proceeds to name two
previous six months a Soviet plane had
interim bodies, the Inspection Commission
brought in Kambakhsh and a Dr. Jahanshalu
and the more important Central Committee,
to confer with Tudeh leaders.
which functions for the Congress while the
The pattern established with other Commu-
latter body is not in session.
nist and Communist-front parties suggests
The Central Committee, to which about
that in the event of a Soviet-supported inter-
twenty members were named by the Congress
nal upheaval, the overt leadership of the
of May 1948, conducts plenary sessions about
party-Dr. Radmanesh and his intellectual as-
once every three months, leaving the continu-
sociates-would be used as a front during the
ous direction of policy to a five-man Political
opening stages of the action but then would
Bureau or Politbureau, selected from its own
be eliminated in favor of trained Soviet agents
ranks. The Political Bureau, in turn, names
who had been tested on the revolutionary fir-
three of its members as a Secretariat, headed
ing lines and who would be less likely to have
by the party's Secretary-General.
any scruples about Sovietizing Iran. Indi-
viduals such as Rusta and Pishevari, who have
In practice, as with the Communist parties
of the USSR and other countries, the top
failed to carry out their assignments in the
leadership is self-perpetuating and virtually
past, would probably not be given major posts.
The leadership would probably be entrusted
See Appendix B for a more detailed treatment.
to such men as Kambakhsh, although in the
The size of the two "annual" Congresses held
thus far, 164 delegates for the first Congress which
final stage control might well be taken over
met 1 August 1944 and 118 delegates for the meet-
by any of a number of obscure Iranian-born
ing of May 1948, do not furnish a reliable indication
Communist agents long resident in Moscow,
of actual Tudeh membership.
SUNCLASSIFIED
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"ocrText": "S INGLEASSIFIED\n9\nNominally the head of the party is its secre-\nincluding such elusive figures as Lahuti, Ka-\ntary-general-a post held by Iraj Eskandari\nvian, and Sultanzadeh.\nfrom the founding of the party until 1946 and\nsince then by Dr. Reza Radmanesh, until\n4. Organization.*\nMarch 1949 an engineering professor at the\na. The Party Proper.\nUniversity of Tehran. However, field reports\nCommunist organizational concepts have\nhave suggested that liaison with the USSR\nbeen applied throughout the structure of the\nand, in effect, over-all control of the party,\nTudeh Party, the blueprint for which is con-\nhave been carried on through a secret section,\ntained in Ovanessian's short and largely the-\nwhich probably includes Ehsan Tabari,\noretical book, Fundamentals of the Organiza-\nGhazar Simonian, and Kambakhsh, and may\ntion of a Party, which was first published in\nalso include Rusta and Ovanessian.\nthe Tudeh newspaper Rahbar in 1946. Under\nMaterial at hand suggests that the prin-\nthe standard Communist concepts of \"democ-\ncipal liaison agent with the USSR, and thus\nracy\" and \"centralism,\" which Ovanessian\nthe key figure in the Tudeh hierarchy, is\nstresses as fundamentals of organization to\nKambakhsh, a member of a family closely re-\nbe followed as though they were \"holy laws,\"\nlated to the deposed Qajar dynasty who stud-\nthe national party organization is a hierarchy\nied aeronautical engineering in Moscow dur-\non the Soviet model-nominally responsive to\ning the 1920's, was incarcerated for Commu-\nthe will of the rank and file but in fact tightly\nnist activity in 1933, three years after his re-\ncontrolled from the top.\nturn to Iran as an instructor in the Iranian\nThe basic organization in this structure is\nAir Force, and helped organize the Tudeh\nthe Annual Congress of the party, delegates\nParty following his release from prison in\nto which are elected, theoretically on the basis\n1941. Kambakhsh reportedly went to Mos-\nof one for each three hundred party members,\ncow via Czechoslovakia in 1946, but is believed\nby local conferences elected by ordinary party\nto have returned to Iran in early 1948; in De-\nmembers for the purpose.** The Congress,\ncember 1948, a deputy to the Majlis from\nafter theoretically making the major policy\nMazanderan stated that at least twice in the\ndecisions for the year, proceeds to name two\nprevious six months a Soviet plane had\ninterim bodies, the Inspection Commission\nbrought in Kambakhsh and a Dr. Jahanshalu\nand the more important Central Committee,\nto confer with Tudeh leaders.\nwhich functions for the Congress while the\nThe pattern established with other Commu-\nlatter body is not in session.\nnist and Communist-front parties suggests\nThe Central Committee, to which about\nthat in the event of a Soviet-supported inter-\ntwenty members were named by the Congress\nnal upheaval, the overt leadership of the\nof May 1948, conducts plenary sessions about\nparty-Dr. Radmanesh and his intellectual as-\nonce every three months, leaving the continu-\nsociates-would be used as a front during the\nous direction of policy to a five-man Political\nopening stages of the action but then would\nBureau or Politbureau, selected from its own\nbe eliminated in favor of trained Soviet agents\nranks. The Political Bureau, in turn, names\nwho had been tested on the revolutionary fir-\nthree of its members as a Secretariat, headed\ning lines and who would be less likely to have\nby the party's Secretary-General.\nany scruples about Sovietizing Iran. Indi-\nviduals such as Rusta and Pishevari, who have\nIn practice, as with the Communist parties\nof the USSR and other countries, the top\nfailed to carry out their assignments in the\nleadership is self-perpetuating and virtually\npast, would probably not be given major posts.\nThe leadership would probably be entrusted\nSee Appendix B for a more detailed treatment.\nto such men as Kambakhsh, although in the\nThe size of the two \"annual\" Congresses held\nthus far, 164 delegates for the first Congress which\nfinal stage control might well be taken over\nmet 1 August 1944 and 118 delegates for the meet-\nby any of a number of obscure Iranian-born\ning of May 1948, do not furnish a reliable indication\nCommunist agents long resident in Moscow,\nof actual Tudeh membership.\nSUNCLASSIFIED"
}