File 2626/1905 ‘Persia:- Military Attaché at Meshed’ [‎241v] (487/532)

increased since the Political Attache is my confidential clerk, and what he has not
time to do falls largely on me. It results, therefore, that the assistance m the work
"me iX one lection by the appointment of a Military Attache threatens to
be more than neutralized by the loss of my Political Attach^ in another.
The Political Attache deals with the large number of Consular cases always on
hand with the Governor-General, the Karguzar, the Customs, and the Russian
Consulate, and these have lately fallen much into arrears, to the great detriment of
our traders here. My Political Attache also accompanies me at the many visits 1
have to pay or receive?he also often accompanies the Medical Officer; he has also to-
constantly visit and make friends with the leading Persians and keep himself perfectly
iii touch with all classes of people to ascertain what is going on, and last, but by no
means least, he has to assist mo in collecting the mass ot information icquncd foi my
“"YwotM Srther point out that if at any time the Consul-General were required,
to n-o on tour and took his Political Attache with him, the Military Attache s work is
liable to be seriously interfered with unless he has a separate ofhee establishment of
his own, which, again, he can take with him should he also in his turn require to go
Besides, however, absorbing my Political Attache, the increased expenditure by
the Military Attache in collecting intelligence falls on my Secret Service lund here,
a^ain crippling the political work for which the Consul-General is directly responsible,
in short, the more the Military Attache does under present conditions and the more
efficient he strives to make his Department, the more he causes inefficiency m the
^ The intelligence ivork of this agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. is just at present of the highest importance
and even after the conclusion of the present war is likely to remain so.
I would ask, therefore, that the Intelligence Branch may be asked to provide the
Military Attache not only with an entirely separate clerk of his own, hut also with a
separate Secret Service grant.
I attach two statements showing what funds are required m this agenev, under
the two heads:— i
Statement (A) gives the present establishment of news-agents, the pay they
receive, and other expenses incurred for purely Intelligence Branch purposes, including
a clerk for the Military Attache. The pay of this clerk may seem high, but it must
he remembered that he has the lives of our news-agents, or most certain!} their
liberty, in his hands and must be a picked man and absolutely trustworthy.
Statement (B) shows the present expenditure for political purposes.
The present combined Secret Service grant for this agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. is 14,40 rupees Indian silver coin also widely used in the Persian Gulf. , hut
I would ask that from the 1st April, 1905, the following grants may he allotted
■
The latter would, I conclude, he found by the Intelligence Branch.
Captain Smyth is, I understand, separately addressing the Intelligence Branch
as to the individual he would wish to be sent here as his clerk.
It is for consideration whether His Britannic Majesty’s Legation at Tehran might
not be asked to share the above expenditure. The Legation seem quite w illing to
place funds for Secret Service purposes at the disposal of the Consul-General here, and
though I have not myself asked His Britannic Majesty’s Minister for any money,
the latter placed a sum of 300/. at Lieutenant-Colonel Temple’s disposal in 1901—
1902.
I would ask that early orders may kindly he passed on the questions raised
above.
X liave
(Signed) C. P. MINCHIN, Lieutenant-Colonel,
His Britannic Majesty's Consul-General, S;c.
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