Skip to item: of 6
Information about this record Back to top
Open in Universal viewer
Open in Mirador IIIF viewer

'Statement [on the expedition to Mesopotamia] by Political Secretary, India Office' [‎2r] (3/6)

The record is made up of 1 file (3 folios). It was created in Sep 1916. It was written in English. The original is part of the British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .

Transcription

This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.

Apply page layout

3
" party of Germans, strengthened by men locally recruited, and Austrian prisoners of
" war, who have escaped in some numbers from Trans-Caspia via Meshed, is starting for
" Birjand and Afghanistan, and another similar party, under Zugmeyer and Griesinger,
" for Kermau. l^ugin is leaving for Meshed. At Ispahan, thanks largely to German
" connivance, murderer of Russian bank manager is still at large. . . . Prime
" Minister is falling more and more under influence of pro-German Democrats, and,
<£ though he makes profuse promises that he will check German intrigues, nothing
" effective is done. . . . Russian retirement in Galicia is not without its effect at
" this moment. . . . 1 do not think that Persia will intentionally join enemy :
" danger is that (bands employed by ?) German agents are so powerful (in one or
" two instances they number 50 or more armed men with probably a machine gun,
" while German Consul at Ispahan is said to have ^00 retainers) that they cannot be
" arrested without actual fighting, for which no Persian Cabinet cares to be responsible.
" Thus it is possible that mission to Afghanistan will reach its destination, while
" other will succeed in producing in Kerman state of things that made murder of
" Russian bank manager possible."
During the summer of 1015 the situation steadily deteriorated, and our difficulties
were increased by the attitude of the Swedish gendarmerie officers, most of whom
_ XT were at little pains to conceal their German
.28 OH,C0 ' ^ ■ 'WtWes. Mr Marling; reported on the 6th
.1 uly that several of these olhcers were exhibiting
marked pro-German bias," in particular the Commandant at Teheran, who was stated
to be "entirely in the hands of pro-Germans."
On the 3rd August Mr. Marling- telegraphed in the following terms ;—
" His Majesty's Consul-General at Ispahan has reported that he has reason to
believe that there will shortlv be some
^ So - 300 G ~ a " d A ^rr ( ¥ er bein «
prisoners 01 war escaped from Iranscaspia)
assembled in that town. They are camped a short distance outside the town and
possessed of large quantities of rifles and ammunition, besides machine-guns, bombs,
and a wireless telegraphy apparatus, and allow no one to approach their camp.
They have also considerable number of Mujahid in their pay. Small parties of
Germans are continually coming via Kermanshah, and amongst them probably
Oppenheim. Attitude of Bakhtiari at Ispahan is exceedingly dubious. Germans
have more than once interrupted Indo-European Department wires south of Ispahan,
and German Consul there has even written to Department's officers threatening
to do so. Acts of this kind and this considerable concentration at Ispahan
obviously implies more than a mere attack on our Consulates, and popular rumour
here asserts that German design urged by democrats is to carry off the Shah
and Government to Ispahan. This is far-fetched, but it is not improbable that
hostile Legations contemplate flight to Ispahan should Russian troops arrive at
Kasvin and threaten the capital. Idea was currently talked of three months ago.
From this centre, with communications open to Turkey via Kermanshah, they would
hope to throw all Persia into disorder, and paralyse the Persian Government's action
by destruction of telegraph lines, and trust to a chapter of accidents to involve her in
war with us. It has also occurred to me that they might be contemplating an attack
on oil fields or threatening our position at Basrah. These speculations may seem
far-fetched, but I can offer no better guess at the objects of German preparations at
Ispahan. '
Towards the end of August news was received ihat, as Mr. Marling had
anticipated, German emissaries had succeeded in making their way into Afghanistan.
Their arrival at Kabul and their reception by the Amir produced an acutely critical
situation. The Amir had hitherto firmly maintained his neutrality, despite consider
able pressure from his own entourage and from the more fanatical elements of his
people, who were constantly urging him to assume the true role of a " King of Islam "
and to range himself beside the Snltan of Turkey in the "Holy War" against the
infidel. But his position was an extremely difficult one, and there was every reason
to doubt whether his power of resistance to popular clamour could stand much
additional strain. The appearance at Kabul of German and Turkish officers,
representing themselves as the advance guard, of a Turco-German army, was bound
S 323 A 2

About this item

Content

This printed memorandum, marked 'Secret' is a statement by Sir Frederic Arthur Hirtzel, Political Secretary, India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. , dated 30 August 1916, concerning the British campaign against Turkey in Mesopotamia [Iraq] in the context of the First World War, in particular British intentions to advance on Baghdad. The memorandum is divided into three sections titled as follows: 'The Political Reasons for the Expedition', 'The Importance of Bagdad [Baghdad]', and 'The Advance on Baghdad'. References are made in the text to correspondence between Sir Charles Murray Marling, British Minister at Tehran, and the Foreign Office in 1915.

Extent and format
1 file (3 folios)
Physical characteristics

Foliation: The foliation sequence commences at the front cover, and terminates at the inside back cover, these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio. Pagination: The volume also contains an original printed pagination sequence.

Written in
English in Latin script
View the complete information for this record

Use and share this item

Share this item
Cite this item in your research

'Statement [on the expedition to Mesopotamia] by Political Secretary, India Office' [‎2r] (3/6), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/18/B236, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100023961066.0x000004> [accessed 29 March 2024]

Link to this item
Embed this item

Copy and paste the code below into your web page where you would like to embed the image.

<meta charset="utf-8"><a href="https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100023961066.0x000004">'Statement [on the expedition to Mesopotamia] by Political Secretary, India Office' [&lrm;2r] (3/6)</a>
<a href="https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100023961066.0x000004">
	<img src="https://iiif.qdl.qa/iiif/images/81055/vdc_100000000833.0x00025e/IOR_L_PS_18_B236_0003.jp2/full/!280,240/0/default.jpg" alt="" />
</a>
IIIF details

This record has a IIIF manifest available as follows. If you have a compatible viewer you can drag the icon to load it.https://www.qdl.qa/en/iiif/81055/vdc_100000000833.0x00025e/manifestOpen in Universal viewerOpen in Mirador viewerMore options for embedding images

Use and reuse
Download this image