IOR/L/PS/12/397

The file contains correspondence regarding Radio broadcasting in India and Iran. Included are two telegrams (folios 2 to 3) from Edward Walter Fletcher, Secretary. One is addressed to the Government of India in the External Affairs Department, to HM’s Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary at the Court of Iran, Tehran, from the Secretary of State to the Government of India, External Affairs Department and proposes the building of relations between ‘All India Radio’ and publicity organisations in Iran, in particular a new radio station in Tehran. The reason of which is to limit the influence of German broadcasts from Iran, and to demonstrate the promotion of the Iranian regime in India to Iran. The second telegram is addressed to HM’s Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary at the Court of Afghanistan, Kabul and proposes cooperation with publicity organisations in Afghanistan for similar reasons. This telegram also refers to an earlier correspondence dated at 1 May 1940 which is not in the file.

The main body of the file contains correspondence and a report (folios 4 to 10) from Reader William Bullard (British Ambassador at Tehran) to the Viscount Halifax at the Foreign Office detailing work undertaken by the new broadcasting station ‘Radio Tehran’. Copies of which have been forwarded to the Secretary to the Government of India in the External Affairs Department, the Ministry of Information, and to HM’s Representatives at Baghdad and Kabul; these copies are not included in the file. The report includes information regarding the hours of broadcast, individual broadcasters (including the Minister of Posts, Telephones and Telegraphs), the mechanics of frequency and transmission, current and future scheduling, and opinion on the and style and content of programming (including a negative assessment of the available news service).