File 2626/1905 ‘Persia:- Military Attaché at Meshed’ [‎12r] (28/532)

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[This Document is the Property of His Britannic- Majesty’s ^P^r-'^oment. I ■
73
PERSIA.
CONFIDENTIAL.
[September 26.]
Section 5.
No. 1.
Sir A. Hardinge to the Marquess of Lansdowne .— (Received September 26.)
(No. 197. Secret.)
My Lord, Meshed, September 9, 1905.
IN my despatch No. 113 of the 22nd May last I had the honour to inform your
Lordship that I proposed, after my contemplated visit to Meshed, to report more fully
to your Lordship than I then felt able to do, on the question of the maintenance there
of a Military Attache.
I have satisfied myself from what 1 have seen of the work here that it is impossible
for the duties now devolving upon Captain Smyth to he properly performed either by the
Consul-General or by the Indian * c Political Attache,” who acts as the latter’s Oriental
and Diplomatic Secretary. The business of the Consulate-General at Meshed is very
heavy: its mere regular routine, the Indian accounts, the requirements of the
Consular guard of sowars, the work in connection with the upkeep of its extensive
buildings, and the ordinary correspondence on current matters, such as the every day
cases and affairs of the British Indian Colony and pilgrims, not to speak of Afghan
and other proteges, both with the Persian authorities and the Government of India,
quite apart from the Political and Intelligence Deports, keep the ordinary staff busy
from 9 a.m. to 5 or 6 p.m. every day, longish hours in an eastern climate, and it
is rare that they have a whole holiday on Sunday, though since Major Sykes has
been in charge he has endeavoured to arrange that their Sunday work should
terminate by noon.
The political work, properly so-called, at so important a post of observation and
centre of Russian activity as Meshed, absorbs all the time which the Consul-General
can spare after the supervision of the routine business above described, and much of
it is done by the Indian Attache, who has to keep in close and regular touch by
personal intercourse with the Governor-General, the Shrine officials and other local
authorities, and to manage under the Consul-General s orders the Persian Political, as
distinct from the Military and Russian Secret Service Department. I have no
hesitation in saving, from what I have seen here, that as the work increases, moie,
rather than less,‘assistance is required by the Consul-General, and that it would be
impossible for him to combine with his present duties the efficient discharge of those
now performed by the Military Attache. #
4, The question which has therefore to be considered is whether, especially now
that the political situation in Asia, which existed when I last had the honour to
address your Lordship on the subject, has been modified by the conclusion of peace
between Russia and Japan, it is necessary to maintain at Meshed an Intelligence
Department for Central Asia. I am inclined to answer tins question in the affirmative,
at any rate for the immediate present. It is possible that the most important part
of the work, which is now done by the Military Attache here may, at no distant
date, be performed by a British Consul at Tashkend. I believe that the appointment
of such an officer has been for some time past under consideration, and that the
Russian Government have not refused it in principle, though taey lave a ac icc
certain conditions to it. It could obviously not well be opened at res h so long as t _ie
Japanese war was raging, but if the conclusion of peace is followed by a detente m
the relations of tluAwo Powers in the Middle East, it might perhaps be advan
tageously rediscussed. A British Consul at lashkend, vho won presuma } je a
military officer, would be able, without depending upon the reports of spies, whom, as
he would be verv closely watched at least at first, he Mould ha\o o c \ery care u
about, employing, to furnish much of the information as to t le s ren^, '■ a q
ments of the Russian troops and other military matters m Central Asia ioi which the
Government of India and Intelligence Department must now largely re^ on news
supplied from Meshed. Until, however, we have not merely obtained fiom
Russian Government the recognition of a British Consul at/lashkend o! elsewhere m
Central Asia (I have merely suggested Tashkend as the capital of luikcstan and a
point more or less equi-distant from the Persian, Afghan Myp‘> me se tenitoies),
have tested by a year or so’s experience the practical possibilities ol obtaining «nou 0
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