File 6/1912 Part 1 'Persia: Shiraz affairs; attack on Mr Smart; Swedish gendarmerie' [‎393r] (279/472)

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From Viceroy, 5th February 1912. __
{Repeated to Sit 1/ 1 m' A i al/Bushire.)
Foreign Secret. Shiraz. Reference to your telegram of 31st Janoarv
general y approving onr proposals While awaiting instructions ' retaE
despatch of troops, location of which in the Gulf is an essential prelfminar?
LtherTeteils 11 of t, t 1 L pi ' 0p ,° Sed Ile f tia tions, we submit for general approval
taWin or er to ] subsequent steps which we should contemplate
objects !!_ 0r<lel t0 glve effect t0 tlle schp “e. We aim at achieving three
-To get the individual or individuals whom it is decided to hold
responsible for the attack upon Smart to settle accounts with
Lis. (In this settlement it may or may not prove possible to include
payment of cash indemnity, but presumably no specific amount
1 be claimed from Persian Government until the result of
negotiations is known.)
To induce persons above-mentioned and other headmen exercising
control on the road to come to an agreement with us for the
maintenance of order on it.
(3.) To discount probability apprehended by His Majesty’s Consul at
bhnaz of dangerous tribal fighting in the spring in the neighbour
hood of Shiraz.
( 1 .)
(2.)
s soon as troops embark from India we would propose to prepare the
ground for negotiations by influencing English and vernacular Press and the
Ufemas of Mesopotamia. To the former we recommend issuing of a full
less communique both in London and Calcutta briefly summarising outrages
and robberies to which British subjects and merchandise have been subjected
recently, and then going on to explain lines of fresh attempt we are about to
make to hud a solution short of intervention. As regards Ulemas of
Mesopotamia we would ask permission to instruct our Resident at Bagdad
to make a full communication to them on same lines as the Press communique,
and to endeavour to induce them to recant their recent incitations to the
priests and headmen of Ears, and to telegraph to same individuals expressino*
their belief in desire of Great Britain not to intervene in Southern Persia,
anc uiging them to placate her and promote the interest of their own country
by friendly attitude to British subjects and commerce, and by co-operation
for the maintenance of security on the caravan roads.
It is a matter for consideration whether Regent or Persian Government
should be pressed to telegraph in similar sense. In this connection we
agiee with Minister that we need say nothing at present regarding proposal
to subsidise headmen, but it will be pointless to withhold from them the
general exposition of our intentions which we communicate to the Press ;
and, therefore, subject to learning Sir G. Barclay’s views, we should recom
mend his inducing them to make communication both to clergy of Nejef and
Mullahs and extremists of Tehran as well as to the headmen on the road and
the tribal chiefs, whom we are anxious to deter from fighting in the spring,
urging them in the same sense as that set forth above.
Simultaneously we would propose that His Majesty’s Consul-General
should issue from Bushire to all the headmen in Ears known to and in touch
with the Consulate-General a brief exposition of British intentions and policy
in Persia above his signature.
The ground being prepared as above, Consul-General would then address
headmen concerned in attacks on Smart and those interested in road
explaining our intentions and inviting them, if they wish for a peaceful