Skip to item: of 519
Information about this record Back to top
Open in Universal viewer
Open in Mirador IIIF viewer

File 3516/1914 Pt 7 'German War: Persia' [‎75r] (154/519)

This item is part of

The record is made up of 1 volume (257 folios). It was created in 20 Mar 1915-3 Dec 1915. It was written in English and French. The original is part of the British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .

Transcription

This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.

Apply page layout

deal with the question afresh. As ,to the north of Persia, the matter is one which
concerns Russian interests rather more than our own, hut M. de Etter informs 'me that
at present he is disposed to think tha/t the force should be maintained.
"A His Majesty s consul at Shiraz has recently informed me by telegraph that Captain
If Pousette, who is now in command there, is seriously concerned as to the outlook of the
gendarmerie from a financial standpoint and is demanding the imposition of a tax on
animals to meet the requisite expenditure, failing which he would march the Ears
regiment to Tehran as a demonstration. The gendarmerie in that province, so I learnt
from Major Pravitz, who called on me on his way to Sweden on three months’ leave,
have been paid up to the end of May, so that the need of money is not so urgent as I
have hitherto been led to suppose, but there are certain arrears dating from rather more
than a year back, which amount to 60,000 tomans 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value. (12,00oL) in round figures. The
want of money is, however, likely to be felt in an acute form very shortly, and in the
present embarrassed condition of the Persian Treasury it appears to me very certain
that, except under very strong pressure from us, the means will not he found to provide
the necessary funds; in that event I understand that the Swedish officers, who are not
particularly enamoured of their work here, will be quite ready to resign provided that
their salaries, &c. are paid. It would therefore seem that it rests with us whether the
gendarmerie in Ears is maintained or not; and that if at any moment we decide against
them, we have only to remain passive, and the force will melt away for lack of funds to
carry it on.
I am well aware that the opinion held by His Majesty’s consul-general at Bushire
is that the Swedish officers have shown themselves consistently disinclined to recognise
our paramount influence in the southern provinces, and since the war (^ye)have openly
abetted the agents of the German Legation in their efforts to injure our interests and
prestige in every possible way, and that therefore it is our best policy, even at the risk
of seeing the whole of the south of Persia fall into a condition of anarchy, to bring
about the recall of the Swedish officers, and that to endeavour to maintain them is
merely to throw good money after bad. Indeed I have just received a telegram from
Major Trevor strongly advising this course.
But in my opinion the better course for us, as I have said before, will be to retain
the Swedes, at all events until the end of the war. If, as I believe, they have now
recognised the immense harm they have done to Persia and to their own credit in our
eyes by their pro-German attitude, there is at least a good probability that they will
succeed in maintaining some degree of tranquillity, which is surely a reasonable set-off
against a temporary continuation of the anti-British Swedish proclivities, and even
supposing that my belief in their change of attitude is falsified by events the worst
that can happen is that the Germans may succeed in bringing about the state of chaos
which must occur if they are wuthdrawn. As to the prospect of this contingency
which the Germans are apparently endeavouring to achieve, by creating a coalition
against us among the tribes of Ears, I must confess to entertaining great scepticism.
Most Persians and many Europeans in a position to form a useful judgment dende the
mere idea, but in the face of the evident apprehensions entertained by His Majesty s
consular representatives at Bushire, Shiraz, and Ispahan, I am not prepare to say" tpat
the thing is impossible. That the attempt is being seriously made cannot be denied,
but I am quite certain that the Persian Government is doing what A can to thwart the
German efforts, and will, with our support, in all probability succeed m aoing so, and A
would, I submit, be a mistake for us to bring about the disbandment of the gendarmerie
which is already showing itself much more obedient to the Government than at any
other period in its existence, and which would prove itself a very useful instrument m
the hands of the Minister of the Interior. . . , m i +
If His Maiesty’s Government should concur m the view that A would be to om
policy to maintain the gendarmerie of Pars by means of financial support for the
duration of the war, or until such time as we may find it convenient to make other
arrangements for carrying on its work, the simplest wa) won appear o p •
the event of His Majesty’s Government consenting to agree to giving the Persian
Government financial Lpport, a certain monthly sum. should be earmarked ^
purposes of the Pars regiment, or failing any such agre^eme^
S should be made wlich would of course be terminable at our pleasure but in any
arrangement that might be made, we should have to stipulate for the transfer elsewhere
of any officer, Swedish or Persian, whom we might designate at any time as shov mg
m
5 °^"rtTe above I have received a further telegram from Major OVonnor
which he expresses strong dissent from the views entertained oy His Majes.ys
r- -.1 B 2
[2449 a —2]

About this item

Content

The volume concerns the Persian Gendarmerie in southern Persia (Fars), and the pro-German feelings of the Swedish officers who were part of it.

The volume covers:

  • Accusations against Swedish officers employed by the Persian Gendarmerie in Fars, suggesting that they have been abandoning their neutrality to support German interests.
  • Anti British attitude of Swedish officers; request for their withdrawal.
  • Consignment of arms and ammunitions at Bushire, for the use of the Persian Gendarmerie.
  • List of Swedish officers in service for the Persian Gendarmerie.
  • Alleged intrigues by Major Previtz and other Swedish officers.
  • Conditions offered to the Swedish officers of the Gendarmerie for their withdrawal from Fars.
  • Proposed subvention for the Gendarmerie.
  • Situation at Tehran.

The volume’s principal correspondents are: Charles Hardinge, Viceroy of India; Percy Cox, 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 Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. ; Walter Beaupre Townley and Charles Marling, British Ministers at Tehran; the Swedish Legation in London; Edward Grey, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs; Esme Howard, British Consul at Stockholm; Eyre Alexander Barby Wichart Crowe and Maurice de Bunsen, Foreign Office; Thomas William Holderness and Arthur Hirtzel, India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. ; William Frederick Travers O'Connor, British Consul at Shiraz; George Buchanan, British Ambassador in Russia.

The volume contains some letters in French, from the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and from Gustav Edwall and Gustav Hjalmar Previtz, Persian Gendarmerie.

Extent and format
1 volume (257 folios)
Arrangement

The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the volume.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 259; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.

Written in
English and French in Latin script
View the complete information for this record

Use and share this item

Share this item
Cite this item in your research

File 3516/1914 Pt 7 'German War: Persia' [‎75r] (154/519), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/10/484, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100047817321.0x00009b> [accessed 28 March 2024]

Link to this item
Embed this item

Copy and paste the code below into your web page where you would like to embed the image.

<meta charset="utf-8"><a href="https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100047817321.0x00009b">File 3516/1914 Pt 7 'German War: Persia' [&lrm;75r] (154/519)</a>
<a href="https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100047817321.0x00009b">
	<img src="https://iiif.qdl.qa/iiif/images/81055/vdc_100000000419.0x00017b/IOR_L_PS_10_484_0154.jp2/full/!280,240/0/default.jpg" alt="" />
</a>
IIIF details

This record has a IIIF manifest available as follows. If you have a compatible viewer you can drag the icon to load it.https://www.qdl.qa/en/iiif/81055/vdc_100000000419.0x00017b/manifestOpen in Universal viewerOpen in Mirador viewerMore options for embedding images

Use and reuse
Download this image