File 3852/1912 Pt 2 'Persia. Conditions in South Persia. German Documents' [‎253r] (137/280)

The American, Merrill, is the chronicler, who recorded the
nrigues and the state of feeling at Teheran during the first
half of the year 1915 . He had come to Persia with his greater
compatriot, Shuster, and was the only American amongst the
helpers of the late Treasurer-General who had not declared
his solidarity with him after the presentation of the Russian
ultimatum.
Shuster and his staff went; Merrill remained behind. The
British Legation got him at once into the gendarmerie com
manded by Hjalmarson, and in February 1913 he was proposed
to Grey by Sir Walter Townley as Chief of the Police force of
the Governor-General of Pars 1 ). An illustration of how this
honest person, who was in the pay of Persia, went about his
work is given in his own words: “I did my best to serve English
interests in Pars.”
Mukhber-es-Sultaneh, a statesman who had been edu
cated in Germany and in whose honourability the English
had great confidence, or they would not have advocated his
appointment to the post of Governor General of Pars, one of
great importance in their eyes, soon discovered that Merrill
had been put to spy upon him. Merrill with his inferior menta
lity looked down with contempt on all Orientals. Already
in September 1914 he was relieved of his post and went to
Teheran where he plotted modes of destruction against the
Governor General of Pars and the Swedish officers.
In Teheran he lived the life of a fortune hunter of the
type, many and varied specimens of which are to be met
with in Oriental capitals. He was charmed when he was asked
to tea or dinner by the English minister and could snatch some
information from his small talk; he conversed and dined with
foreign ministers and secretaries of legation; he hobnobbed with
the Persian Armenians, went to the receptions of Persian
l ) English Blue Books Persia No. 1 (1914) No. 2 . „I have proposed Co
lonel Merrill, an American who remained behind when Shuster went."