File 3516/1914 Pt 14 'German War: Persia; general situation' [‎39v] (83/532)

Some 4 months a?o Haji Alt saw the three Indians mentioned above
at Shiraz, where they attended a secret conference with Wassmuss. Aga
Sufi and Wassmuss were shortly to proceed on a political mission into
Afghanistan, where a number of German Military officers had already col-
lected to take over command of the Amir’s troops.
(S') Mr. Wassmuss had informed him (Haji Ah) that certain Greeks
had recently arrived at Basrah, with false passports, Irom Shanghai. Ikey
had instructions from the German Consul at Shanghai to set the Aiabs at
Basrah against the British, but they had tailed in their mission as they had
been arrested. Wote.-'f'hese Greeks were undoubtedly (1) Caravolos, now
in iail in Bombay, who had a Greek passport, 0) Christos Nicolas Laondis,
who had a Breach passport though he has been given a permit (No. 4/85 W.,
dated the 7th July 1915) to leave Bombay as a Greek subject (this man died
at TWah't and (3) Neofitor Pisanis, who had an Italian passport, who left
Bombay With permit No. 4819 W., dated the 8th July 1915. Pisanis was
denorted from Basrah to Bombay, whence he sailed by the Italian Line for
Eavut en route io Greece-wde permit No. 5560 W., dated ttie aOth August
1915. A separate report is being submitted in another connection on tue
movements of these three men.
(6) Mr. Wassmuss informed Haji Ali that a large consignment of
firearms was on its wa^ to India from Snanghai.
(7) Telegrams from Germany had been received in Askhabad to the
following effect :—
(a') Laro-e Turkish forces, under German officers, had collected at
Baghdad, and it was believed in Persia that the Turks would soon reconquer
the territory they had lost to the Biitish.
(&) There was strong anti-British feeling amongst the Indian Prisoners-of-
war interned in Germany.
(c) Seventeen thousand Indian Muhammadan soldiers had deserted to the
Turks in the Dardanelles and were fighting against their former masters.
(d) The Kaiser was very ill.
(<?) Great dissatisfaction was being felt in military circles against the
conduct of the Crown Prince.
(/) It was widely believed in Germany that a separate peace with Kussia
was imminent.
(g) Had it not been for the kindness of Roumania in permitting German
officers and supplies to pass through, the Dardanelles would have fallen long
ago.
As regards item (6) above, Haji Ali did not divulge this information until
he had been well primed with brandy (neat) and several glasses of bear at
Delhi Station and was in a State of semi-intoxication. When he came to his
more sober senses he was very much exercised at having said so much and
hound Sub-Inspector Schiif to secrecy by all the oaths in the Arabic vocabul
ary. He expressed great surprise at the extraordinary lack of arrangements
existing in India for the search and examination of ships coming from the
east. He said that the Germans had found it impossible to elude the surveil
lance of the Customs approaching India from the west, but it was com
paratively safe and easy to send ship-ioads of arms into the country from the
Par East. He did not say that any arms had yet come into the country, but
that the Germans had discovered an easy route by which to send them.
Haji Ali also said that, shortly before the outrage at Bushire resulting in
the assassination of two British officers, Wassmuss, accompanied by a number
of Germans from Baghdad, distributed arms amongst the Persians in Bushire.
Sub-Inspector Scbiff is of opinion that Haji Ali is not a true patriot and
that kind treatment and bribery would probably induce him to make more
revelations of interest.