ملف ١٩١٦/٣٨٣٩ جزء ١ "بلاد فارس: - مقدار النفقات - مسألة مراجعة اتفاقية سنة ١٩٠٠" [و‎‎٣‎٩‎٣] (٨٨٠/٨٠٢)

certain fi Gow P t l' 0 % and Auditor-General quotes
certain te.egiains in March 1916 as showing the immediate obieet of
Sn ercy cvices s Mission and the Force raised by him locally These
telegrams were contemporaneous with our proposal to the Foreign Office as
to the incidence of cost of the Force, so that Sir Richard Gamble is not
ft a the n Im°e" h nAm t0 ^T 8 ^ C °i d hare el " ded observation
at the time hen that proposal was made. But the telegrams he cites do
not really show the object or character of the South Persia Rifles For
facility ot examination i quote the passages to which lie appears to refer :
(1) Telegram f rom Secretary of State to Viceroy, 2nd March 1916.
’ i ’ ’ ‘ ^^ss Mission. In view of differences of opinion
between your Government and Minister at Tehran as to what his
pi unary object should be, War Committee have decided that he
s louici m nrst instance discuss situation fully with Ivawam
: * *. c r 1 r ease ln ( onn °-f character of proposals suggested
xf ooa- °/ lm p er f al general Staff [see my telegram (Military)
m,o. ooOi of to-day] and say that desire of His Majesty’s Govern
ment is to lend all possible support to enable Kawam to recover
Shnaz and clear Germans out of Fars. To that end thev are
prepared to supply him with arms, ammunition and money, and,
1 Of Indian troops from Egypt. fuithei^to send to Bunder
Abbas Force 1 described in my
telegiam 3291 of 12tli 1 ebruary, but only if Sykes considers its
presence there desirable for Kawam’s support For
operations inland His Majesty’s Government will lend a few British
officers, to recruit locally under Kawam’s authority such force as it
nnu be possible to arm His Majesty’s Government
will consider any proposals which Sykes may wish to suggest after
consultation with Kawam, on understanding that we cannot send
regimental troops inland. Sykes should report with least possible
dela} T .
War Committee think German activity can be most effectively met
by counter-activity of similar kind. Apart, therefore, from above
operations, which are dependent on nature of Sykes’s report, they
wish recruitment of Irregular Force in Seistan proceeded with at
once. They consider that such force, led by active and enter
prising officers, and 'stiffened by cavalry now there, could take
offensive in detachments and hunt down German parties.
“ Please suggest names of officers and I will ask War Office for release
of any under them. Could not employes of Indo-European
Telegraph Department and Imperial Bank he used tor this
purpose, and younger civil political officers with some military
experience? . . . .”
It will be seen that this telegram deals with four forces,—
(i) The Kawam’s men.
(ii) The Indian troops proposed to be sent from Egypt for Bunder
Abbas.
(iii) Local force proposed to be recruited under Kawam’s authority.
(iv) Irregular Force in Seistan.
No reference is made to the South Persia Military Police.
(2) Telegram from Secretary of Stale to Viceroy, 31st March 1916.
“ My telegram 2nd March. Persia. 1 shall be glad to
learn Sykes’s views as to requirements and possibilities at Bunder
Abbas, and also what action has been taken, or is proposed,
„ • C( . a-mr-o nv 011 second and third para-
2 ? Such as S.P.M.P. would become. , c , t -
graphs oi my telegram. It
will be borne in mind that what War Committee desire now is not
a highly-trained force for eventual restoration of order, 2 but
earliest possible action against German parties and rebels.
1