File 3852/1912 Pt 2 'Persia. Conditions in South Persia. German Documents' [‎250r] (131/280)

which the Russians wanted to occupy ... Hjalmarson sent
an impudent letter a few days ago to Korostovetz, which
Korostovetz showed to Townley wherein Hjalmarson said
that unless the Russians wanted to cause a clash, they had
better leave the gendarmes at Kazvine alone. Townley
^aid to Korostovetz. Do your best to get Hjalmarson out
™ once and I will give you my full support.“
In March 1915 the Swedish officers on the active list who
had been recalled by their government, had left Persia; only
officers of the reserve remained behind. The high command
was transferred to Colonel Ed wall. The acknowledgment of
his and his subordinates’ work from their arch enemy, Merrill,
who was incessantly striving for the Swedes’ dismissal, weighs]
therefore, all the heavier. “I must say“, he writes on March
6 th to the British Consul at Shiraz, “the Swede reserve officers
seem to be doing well.“ Nevertheless, the old system of
thumbscrews is also applied to them, particularly by the
Belgian financial administrators, as they are suspected of
being pro-German. Merrill reports on March 4 th to Shiraz:
“From confidential, and very reliable sources I learn that
Heynsens, Treasurer-General, will do his best in the next
few weeks to prevent the Swedes getting any money for the
Gendarmerie so as to force all of the Swedes to go.“
Although pro-German utterances by the Swedes were
considered to be such grave charges that they gave rise to
a busy exchange of cablegrams between Teheran and London,
neither the Belgians nor the English could bring home to the
Swedish officers disloyal actions. Again and again the alter
native had to be faced, either to worry the Swedish officers,
who were so popular with the Persians, into taking their
departure or to revert to the former chaos, which would have
handed over British commerce and probably all political
advantages which England had gained in Southern Persia
to Russia. The lesser evil was chosen, although with gnashing
of teeth. Grey, the much travelled psychologist, hit upon a
proposal which would have been fine had it been made to the
grandees of Bukarest and Constanza, instead of Swedish
subjects. He offered the Swedish officers money through his