File 1110/1916 Pt 2 'Persia: SITUATION Miscellaneous' [‎76r] (156/276)

forcibly, by the Gendarmes who had prepared, and now served out, dinner for
a very large party.
Here a peculiarity of Persian revolutionary movements should be noticed.
In other countries revolutionaries are compelled to attack Government offices
and threaten, or take possession of, the seat of Government before they can
gain the points for which they are contending. In Persia it is only necessary
fora crowd to assemble in some building or garden, and, for some inexplicable,
perhaps psychological, reason, the Governor-General, or even the Shah if he is
concerned, trembles with fear and becomes utterly incapable of coherent
thought or energetic action. Thus the Persian Constitution was won by a big
crowd assembling in the British Legation in Tehran.
The Governor-General of Kerman, though a half-civilised Bakhtiari, was
no exception to this rule. His own Secretary told me that he was “ walking
in his garden trembling like the leaves of trees ” and vowing what he would
do when this affair was over. He took no action to save the situation. He
did not attempt to disperse the assembly in the Gendarmerie, neither did he
prevent the assembling of a much larger crowd next morning. A few Bakh
tiari, with rifles, across the road leading to the Gendarmerie would have
effectively prevented a big crowd congregating there. But he did nothing,
not even when emissaries from the Revolutionary committee (formed of and
by the persons named in the first part of my report) went to the Bazar and
compelled the shopkeepers to close their shops and go to the Gendarmerie.
Throughout the day the agitation was kept up, deputations from the
Gendarmerie were sent to fetch Persis, Jews, Mullas, certain Khans, represent
atives of all trades and even school children.
A deputation sent to the Governor-General obtained from him a telegram
addressed to the Cabinet at Tehran withdrawing his opposition to the Gendar
me force, and requesting that it might be permitted to remain.
By this time the speeches in the Gendarmerie, of which there was a con
tinuous flow, had taken on a different complexion.
Newspapers from Shiraz had reached Kerman telling how the Gendarmes
there had acted towards the British Colony.
The questions now put by the speakers were, “ Are we less than the people
of Shiraz ? Are we not as patriotic as the other towns of Persia ? Can we not
do as they have shown us how to do ? ”
The meeting was continued throughout the night. Next morning, Sunday,
T)ecemher 12th, together with the Manager of the Imperial Bank I was asked
to go to the Consulate to meet the Governor-General.
At this meeting the Goyernor-General told us that he could not stand
aeainst the will of the people. He could fight one man, ten men, 100 or 1,000
men but he could not fight against the whole city, and he was compelled to do
whatever theywished. They had sent him a deputation dur.ng the mght
Sting that all English and Russians should leave Kerman He professed
W ' Aelnless in t h e matter and said that he was compelled to agree to their
. demands. They were now preparing an ultimatum to this effect to be present-
e“m on his return, but he would guarantee our lives and safety as far as
The Governor-General, it will he seen, had no intention of protecting us
if we remained and we could not protect ourselves. Moreover it was now
cenerallv known that the Germans had seized Yezd and taken the Rn i
prisoners, and that they would arrive in Kerman in a few days time to do the
BameOim^. compplled to ace ept the Governor-GenoraTs intimation
that we had to leave Kerman. He promised to provide for hi " 3 if a ^
to send a sufficient escort to see us safely to the coast VVe^aske^hirnff^e
would P^^Aidl'maUeV saving thattlmtown wa^ now in the hands of the
’’ (Representatives’of ihe people) and that they would doubtless make
all arrangements.