مجموعة ١٠/١٧(٣) "شؤون داخلية: الوضع السياسي؛ العلاقات مع الحكومة البريطانية" [و‎‎٣‎٦] (٥١٣/٧١)

O
[Cypher].
DISTRIBUTION B.
From: IRAQ .
S'Jr
FROM BAGDAD TO FQRFi.TCT OFFICE*
Sir K. Cornwallis.
No. 265.
April 3rd, 1941.
D. 2.50 p.m.
R. 10.15 p.m.
Repeated to Cairo [grp. undec.J
Grovernment of India No. 56
Angora No. 88
Jedda No. 31
Tehran No. 50.
ii ‘ wlA Li BEG I
5rd April, 1941.
3rd April, 1941.
mmirmiinimm
My ■ te l e g ra -m No. 262.
Rashid Ali this morning gave the followin
oi his position to Adviser to Ministry of the
Taha had resigned and had refused to carry on until
new Government was formed. Regent had disappeared so no
new Government could be set up constitutionally. In these
circumstances the army, as de facto source of authority, had
asked him to take over the administration of the country
temporarily and to direct public security pending formation
of constitutional Government.
Rashid Ali affirmed what he called his '’fidelity to
Anglo^Ira^i alliance" and mentioned that his action had
been inspired solely by consideration for the welfare of
the country. He claimed that he had consulted all
available ex-Ministers who had unanimously urged him to
assume control.
Position was very different from [?grp. omtd.: that]
describedto me by Taufiq Suwaidi. He said that it was
'Rashid Ali and his mob of friends who had made it impossible
for the late Government to continue in office or even carry
on after the Prime Minister’s resignation until another
Government had been formed. It was moreover Rashid Ali who
had devised plan that he should himself govern as mandate
for the army and who had insisted on carrying out this plan
in spite.of appeals of most of the responsible men in
public life including Naune Suwaidi.
Rashid Ali’s intention now seems to be to extort from
the Regent ah irada making him Prime Minister or failing
that to force the Regent to resign. He is unlikely to
succeed if the Regent carries out firm and prompt intentions
which he described to me yesterday (see my telegram No. 267).
g explanation
Interior.