Coll 28/9 ‘Persia; Internal affairs; Shah’s tours in Persia: general situation reports’ [‎358v] (729/1038)

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Bagdad ever since. He has been engaged in discussion with the Iraqi Government
on the vexed questions of the frontier and of the Shatt-el-Arab, and I imagine
that his appointment to the post of Minister for Foreign Affairs may reflect the
importance which His Majesty attaches to such questions. A report was current
a few days ago that Kazemi was shortly to proceed to Angora m order to negotiat. ’
a new agreement with the Turkish Government; he certainly went from Bagdad
to Angora a short time ago, and is either at Angora or on the road from Angora
to Tehran at this moment. . , , n
5 The new Minister of the Interior, previously known as Mudir-ul-Mulk,
is an old friend of this Legation, as well as a personal friend of my own. He was
originally the munshi A term used in the Middle East, Persia and South Asia to refer to a secretary, assistant or amanuensis. Munshis were employed in the British administration in the Gulf. of the French Legation here, and has held various posts
mnder the Pahlavi regime. In the then Sardar Leader of a tribe or a polity; also refers to a military rank or title given to a commander of an army or division. Sepah (now Riza Shah)’s Cabinets
'of 1923 and 1924 he was Minister of Finance; and in 1928 he was Minister of
Public Works. In the following year he went to Khorassan as Governor-General,
and has been employed in that capacity ever since. He is a brother-in-law of
Abbas Quli Khan Nawab An honorific title; an official acting as a provincial deputy ruler in South Asia; or a significant Muslim landowner in nineteenth century India. .
6. The new Minister of Justice is a comparatively unknown person. I learn
that lie is definitely one of the old school; he was previously known as Sadr-ul-
Ashraf, and has served in the Ministry of Justice and in legal appointments for
many years. A sayyid and a mullah of previous days, he has been a member of
the Cour de Cassation at Tehran in recent years.
7. Prince Doulatshahi has been recently acting as a kind of head
Chamberlain at the Court. He succeeded in that capacity his late brother, whose
title was Mujallal-ed-Howleh, the Shah’s father-in-law. It will be remembered
that the latter’s sudden death after a game of cards with Abdul Hussein Khan
Diba precipitated, if it did not initiate, the latter’s downfall. The new
Minister’s previous title was Mishkat-ed-Dowleh; he is related to the present
Governor of Tehran.
8. Ali Asghar Khan Hikmat is a graduate of the American School at
Tehran. A relation of Mushar-ed-Dowleh (Nizam-ed-Din Khan Hikmat) and
Sardar Leader of a tribe or a polity; also refers to a military rank or title given to a commander of an army or division. Fakhir (Riza Khan Hikmat), he is one of a well-known Shiraz family.
He is well known to members of this Legation and has always proved himself
intelligent and helpful. He was in charge of the Public Instruction department
of the Ministry of Public Instruction for some years. About two years ago he was
transferred to the Ministry of Justice and sent to Paris in order to pursue legal
studies there.
9. Bahman, after serving for more than five years as Persian Minister at
Brussels, returned to Tehran last spring and was appointed Master of Ceremonies
(Foreign Section) to the Pahlavi Court. He is a pleasant little man; his activities
in selling carpets at Brussels may have been a useful introduction to his present
duties.
10. Bayat, previously known as Samsam-ul-Mulk, was for many years
assistant to the Minister of Public Works, before that Ministry was split up in
March 1930. Since then he has been unemployed. He is reported to be a capable
and industrious official.
11. I am sending copies of this despatch to His Majesty’s Ambassador,
Bagdad (INo. 77), and to the Foreign Secretary to the Government of India.
I have, &c.
V. A. L. MALLET.
Secret^
I’onuni