File 348/1913 Pt 2 'Persia: Kerman affairs' [‎95v] (195/284)

I think that the effect of being impelled into action by discredited Amir now
that he is in Tehran after having disregarded h.s official complaints for a year
would be unhappy. His own (group undecypherable) and h,s own determined
campaign against the Finance Office in October (group undecypherable ? 19.3)
which were reasonable from him some months ago (seem?) extremely ungrace-
In Vaio mrtnfVi nnw
I have never doubted Ibrahim’s guilt at any rate in his early days here.
But the Amir’s real object is to damage the Finance Department as a whole
The witnesses named have all been at loggerheads with the Finance Office and
The two first have now nominally made their peace but not the two last
who were among the Amir’s main agents in October _ and have bad previous
records. They have both in consequence had their pensions stopped by Lecoffre
anrl orp verv hitter.
The last is a man who is constantly making disturbances and defying all
authority. He successfully defied the Amir himself but is now coquetting with
the Sardar Leader of a tribe or a polity; also refers to a military rank or title given to a commander of an army or division. Muhtasham hoping to get him here to act as a protagonist against
the discourteous Finance Department. He is a man who in my opinion ought
to be deported. I consider it most undesirable that he as an arch-intriguer
should be countenanced in any way by the Consulate and have always acted
accordingly.
Number 3 is only a few degrees better. No revenue official ought, in my
opinion, to be condemned on verbal evidence given by the Amir or these people.
Asa possible means of bringing about Ibrahim Khan s fall without identi*
fying ourselves with the anti-Finance Department intrigue I would suggest that
the Amir should be referred to the Persian Government and Mornard while the
Persian Government might be reminded of its promises conveyed in your tele
gram No. 87 which ultimately go back to my telegram No. j 31 and would neces
sitate enquiry into Ibrahim Khan’s conduct.
Lecoffre once gave me to understand that he did not trust Ibrahim Khan
but that it was difficult for him to take steps against him because of the support
he had in the head office in Tehran. If this true Lecoffre would probably not
try to baulk a Government enquiry.
Personally I have always expressed the opinion that Ibrahim Khan should
be got rid of. If this suggestion does not commend itself to Your Excellency
I will, when allowed by the doctor to get up, and on your specific instructions,
consult the persons mentioned except Number 1 who has gone as Governor to
Rafsinjan under protest from a section of the population on account of his
previous extortions. But I would deprecate giving them assurances of protec
tion which would put the Consulate in extremely equivocal position towards the
two worst characters of Kerman ; I do not think they would demand them. It
is improbable that enquiries would long remain secret.
There is little question that the Amir himself is much the biggest offender
of all. Can anything be done to bring him to book ?
Telegram R., No. 15, dated (and received) 4th February 1914.
From—His Majesty’s Consul, Kerman,
To—The Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. .
My telegram No. 8.
I have received the following reply thereto from His Majesty’s Minister at
Tehran, No. 8.— Begins.
“Your telegram No. 4.
There is no question of being impelled to take action (against ?) anyone.
All I wished to ascertain was whether in your opinion it would be justifiable and
expedient to advise Mornard to order searching enquiry to be made into Ibrahim
jk/sfl* 4