File 1110/1916 Pt 2 'Persia: SITUATION Miscellaneous' [‎74r] (152/276)

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subject, who was in a position to know and in whom I have great confidence,
when discussing the matter told me most emphatically, “ I know he is doing
so”.
(2) The “ Karguzar ”, Mostam-ul-Mulk.
The Karguzar is an official appointed by the Persian Government to faci
litate business between Persians and Foreign subjects.
This man was strongly anti-Foreign and later became more particularly
anti-English.
Instead of facilitating business with foreigners he impeded it by such acts
as instructing Persian debtors how to declare themselves bankrupt with regard
to their British creditors, and sending a Parsi debtor to take “Bast ” (religious
sanctuary) in the house of a Persian Mulla. Finally no European merchant
could deal with him and requests were made by the British and Bussian Con
suls for his dismissal.
But this man had a father-in-law in the Foreign Office at Tehran, and for
two years or more it proved to be beyond the powers of the British and Russian
Ministers in Tehran to obtain the dismissal of this obnoxious official.
Reference to my weekly and other political reports during the years
1914-15 and 1915-16 will show that I was continually representing the danger
to British interests accruing through this official being allowed to remain in
Kerman, and my reports throughout the summer of 1915 intimated that he
was politically active in the German interests, and was doing our cause much
harm.
(3) Hossein Ali, “Mofatish ” (Inspector) of the Post-office.
This young man, speaking French fluently, was sent on a tour of inspec
tion of the Post Offices throughout Persia byM. Molitor, the Belgian Post-
Master-General of Tehran. Soon after his arrival in Kerman he began to mix
in political matters. He was strongly anti-Foreign. In the first interview
that I had with him, before there was any trouble in Persia he suggested to me
that it would be better for Persia if all Europeans cleared out of the country
and left Persians to manage their own affairs.
This man was a great friend, I believe a relative, of the Karguzar. After
he had succeeded in dismissing the Post Master of Kerman, he himself always
opened the post-bag, took out what letters he liked, and, accompanied by the
Karguzar, took them to the so-called German Consul’s house.
I reported these matters to the Director, Persian Section, and that this
Inspector was mingling in political matters, and was becoming a source of
danger to us. M. Molitor replied to me through the Director, Persian Section,
“ J’ai parfait confiance en lui ”.
The sequel will show that this confidence was not justified.
The Rais-i-Mo’aref, the master of the boys’ school set up in opposition to
the C. M. S. school.
This man was strongly “Democratic” and actively anti-British. (The
term “ Democrat ” in Persia implies “ revolutionary ” or Anarchist. Thus the
political murders committed in Tehran in connection with the start of the con-
The Rais-i-Mo’aref was close friends with the K.arguzar and the Post
Office Inspector, and attended all seditious meetings in Kerman.
(5) The Gendarme native officer.
The Swedish officers with the hulk of the Gendarme force left Kerman in
the spring of 1915 leaving some 60 or 70 men under the charge of a native
officer. This officer soon displayed anti-British proclivities, and at our
ren nest, he was relieved bv another native officer sent from Shiraz.
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Be regarded himself as the servant of the Germans, sending detachment
-of Gendarmes as escort with any German who travelled Irom Kerman.