Coll 17/10(3) 'Internal: political situation; relations with HMG' [‎40r] (79/513)

[Cypher]
DISTRIBUTION B.
From; IRAQ.
From BAGDAD to FOREIGN OFFICE.
Sir B. Newton.
No. 258. IMPORTANT .
April 1st,1941.,
D. ll.SO.p.m. April 1st,1941.
R* 2.55.p.m, April 2nd, 1941.
Repeated to Cairo,
copies by bag to
Government or India,
Jerusalem,
Angora,
Jeada,
Bushire. oOo
My telegram No, 254.
The Regent told me this morning that as all political
leaders including Madfai have advised him to receive the four
officers he feels obliged to do so, if only to receive their
apologies and promises of good behaviour, little as he values
the latter, ne then proposed to go off with the King to stay
for a while in his villa in the summer hill station near Arbil,
2. I suggest that he might profit from the audience
given to the officers to obtain from them unconditional promises
to obey orders and eschew politics in future and use these
promises to clinch the transfer of Kamil Shabib and expedite the
dismissal of the officers. I pointed out that the latter
promise.would provide the officers with a line of retreat from
the position which they had previously taken up- in regard to the
j-talian Legation, and I repeated to him the observation which I
had made to the [gr.undec. J yesterday that it was incompre
hensible that the present Iraqi Government should continue to
sacrifice good relations with His Majesty's Government for the
sake of harbouring an enemy agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. in Iraq,
3. I told the Regent that if he went to the summer hill
station he might be cut off from help and strongly advised him
to go to Basra instead, adding that a visit to Basra was already
overdue and would need no explanation.
4, Pending the above-mentioned interview with the
officers, there would be and has been a danger of a military con-n
| The Regent thinks that General Taha will probably resign beioro
! long and perhaps retire altogether from active politics. His
Royal Highness believes that the people in Iraq are getting tired
of Palestinian agitators and that the majority of responsible
leaders favour co-operation with Great Britain but are too timid
to assert themselves.
5. I think that he is right and that as Taha will not give
a sufficiently strong or reliable'Head in this direction it is to
be hoped that he will be replaced before long by Madfai, Mean
while it is just possible that if the interview with the officers
goes off Taha may be able to nerve himself to break off relations
with Italy.