'File 3/8 Affairs of Sh. Khaz`als sons.' [‎138r] (275/508)

.... KHDRRAidSHAHR/-
9
SECRET
told the Political Adviser at BASRA that he was intending to lead a
revolt. In the midst of this CHASSIS suddenly wrote a letter from TEHRAN
to ABDULLAH saying that he had heard rumours that he was indulging in
activities harmful to KHAZ*ALI interests: he ordered ABDULLAH to take no
action likely to interfere with the rim of their affairs. It was later
strongly suspected that this letter was sheer humbug designed to allay
suspicion,
32* On the night of January 9/lOth ABDULLAH suddenly crossed into
KHUZISTAN with a small following of about fifty men, and established himself
in his late father’s palace at FAILIYA, disarming eight Gendarmes and evict
ing a Persian Customs Post, He then sent a letter to the Governor • .
of KHORRAMSHAHR, with a copy to the British Consul saying that he had come
back only to look after his own personal interests. But although -t^raD
rumours had predicted four thousand supporters for him 'by nightfall, the
CHA'B refused point blank to O oin while the LTJHEISIN would say no more than
that they would help if he was still taeie after two days. In the Soutnem
part of ABADAN island the NASSAU tribe was porsuaued by its Shaikhs noc to
join in the rebellion, Persian Gendarmes with half a battalion of troops
threw a cordon round the FAILIYA area to stop any would-be recruits for the
KHAZ’ALI cause. There v/as some sniping and at nightfall on the 10th
reinforcements including artillery arrived from AHwAZ, led by the Divisional
Commander. At dawn the Persians attacked, but found the palaces deserted,
ABDULLAH, having fled by launch during the night* For two days ABDULLAH’s
whereabouts wex , e a mystery, and although an Iraqi gunboat patrolled the
river, no trace could be found of him. On the 13th of January he turned
up in KUWEIT, where he successfully sought sanctuary with t he Ruler* He
declared that he was staying there till he could make his peace either with
Persia or Iraq* In KUWEIT, the Ruler forbad ABDULLAH to carcy on any
political activity and gave categorical assurances for his good behaviour to
the Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. .
33* Bail had been put up for ABDULLAH at the time of his release from
forced residence in BAGHDAD. The sum involved was ID*3000 but as the
guarantor was a deputy and shortly afterwards became a Senator the Iraqi
authorities do not seem to have pressed the matter* ABDULLAH'S attempted
rebellion was the subject of great interest by the Russian Consul in AHWAZ,
and a few days afterwards PRAVDA printed an imaginative account of it stating
that 300 armed Arabs had sacked KHORRiAKHAHR: in the light of subsequent
Tudeh development in this area, Russian interest in possible Arab opposition
is not surprising. Meanwhile there had been no word of CHASSIB in TEHRAN*
3A. Towards the middle of June 1^46 Tudeh Party penetration of the
KHUZISTAN area rapidly assumed menacing proportions* To meet this threat
a number of prominent Arabs proposed the idea of an Artb Union. At first,
it seemed that one of its aims would be the promotion of KHAZ’ALI interests
and the records of most of the leaders of the movement showed them to be
pro -KHAZ * ATT . However, this possibility seemed to be cut out when ADD UR
HEZZAQ JABBAR al CHA’B one of the leading CHA’B Shaikhs ana a well-known
opponent of the KHAZ’ALs associated himself with the movement. At a
meeting on the 11th of June agreement was reached on general principles
and the Union v/as officially constituted on 15th June at a luncheon party
at the house of one Hajji HADDAD, a. prominent contractor, near UIOHRA-SHAHR?
The Headquarters of the Union were set up at KUT es SHEIKH. Further and
larger meetings were held on 13th June and 23id; at the seo.-nd gathering, a
crowd of some 10,000 Arabs were reported to have been present, including
Sheikhs from ail over KHUZISTAN. The aims of the Union (as proclaimed) wore
local autonomy for KHUZISTAN on the lines of that given to AZERBAIJAN and
the stamping out of Tudeh interference in Arab affairs.
33. On ?th July, with a steadily deteriorating security situation in
KHUZISTAN (there had already been dangerous and large scale Tudeh strikes
in various parts of the AlOC.area) Sheikh CHASSIB suddenly arrived in