'File 11/44 Leading Personalities in Iraq, Iran & Saudi Arabia' [‎15v] (30/96)

out of these transactions, and that he is one of
the wealthiest landowners of Persia at present.
In the ninth Majlis of 1933 he was a Deputy
for Baluchistan. He had also accompanied Keza
Shah on several of his journeys, and was generally
supposed to enjoy His Majesty’s full confidence.
In November 1933, however, on the arrest of the
Minister of War, 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. Asad, while in attendance
on the Shah at the Turcoman races, the Qawam
seems to have become the object of suspicion, and
he was placed under arrest with Asad.
He is an attractive personality to meet. Very
pro-British in sentiment, he sent his two sons
(Ali Muhammad Qawam and Muhammad Reza
Qawam) to England to be educated. Until his
arrest he appeared to have settled down permanently
as a peaceful courtier at Tehran. Quiet in voice
and retiring in manner, he is yet capable of driving
a very hard bargain with his own countrymen. He
does not appear to have much ambition. Though
his name is still a household word at Shiraz, he
cannot be considered a tribal leader in the sense
that the Qashqai chiefs are; he is best considered
as a Persian noble whose family had for some
time held suzerainty over a group of tribes and
who attained great wealth and influence in Ears,
partly through backing the right side in the 1914
war.
His son, Ali Muhammad, married Princess Ashraf
Pahlavi in March 1937 but the' marriage was dis
solved. He subsequently married a girl of the
Sheibani family, daughter of Muhasib-ul-Mamalik.
He had previously been an undergraduate at Bristol
where he did badly. The other son, Reza, married a
daughter of General Muqaddam : one daughter is
married to Asadullah Alam son of the late Shaukat-
ul-Mulk and the other to Dr. Abul Qasim Nafisi.
Played his part in the “events of 1941’’j he
and his family at one time “ took bast ’’ in the
British Legation at Gulhek; and when Reza Shah
abdicated and went to Isfahan it was Qawam who
was sent by the Government to obtain Reza’s
signature to documents handing over his properties
and private fortune to the State and to his son
respectively.
Visited India 1941-42 and bought a house at
Bangalore.
Sent back to Shiraz to help Marshal Shahbakhti
with his attack on the Qashqais in June 1943.
His elder son, Ali Muhammad, went to
Washington as Assistant Military Attach^ at the
end of 1941.
Appointed Governor-General of Ears September
1943, but could not agree with any of the military
chiefs about tribal policy, and returned to Tehran
November 1943. He still enjoys considerable
influence in Ears but resides generally in Tehran.
The general tendency among his own family, whose
obedience but not consciences he commands, is
to regard him with the utmost respect as the
survival of a day that is gone. He himself does
not seem to be conscious of, or will not admit,
this passage of time. His elder son, Ali
Muhammad, has now returned from Washington.
122. Qavam, Ahmad (Qawam-us-Saltanah)
A brother of Hassan Vossuq, than whom he is
younger by a few years. Began his career in the
Ministry of Finance. Became Minister of War,
July to October 1910, and Minister of Interior,
July to November 1911, and again in December
1911. Minister of Finance, July to August 1914,
and Minister of Interior, November 1917 to January
1918. Appointed Governor-General of Khorassan
April 1918 and remained there for three years,
during which he administered the province with
uniform success during troublous times. Became
Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, June 1921
to January 1922, and again Prime Minister and
Minister for Foreign Affairs from June 1922 to
February 1923. Banished to Europe in October
1923, being accused of having plotted against the
life of Reza Khan (Reza Shah). Was allowed to
return to Tehran at the end of 1928 and arrived in
March 1929, when he went to reside quietly on his
property at Lahijan near Resht.
Came back to live in Tehran after the fall of
Reza Shah. Prime Minister, August 1942, after
the fall of Soheily. Worked hard, but gradually
surrounded himself with his own relations and
friends. Tried hard to gain control of the Ministry
of War, but failed to counteract the young Shah’s
enthusiasm for the control of the army. The Shah’s
opposition to him was shown in the disturbances
of the 8th December 1942, in which Qavam did
extremely well and undoubtedly performed a great
public service in re-establishing governmental
authority. Thereafter, however, he became more
and more involved in petty intrigues and
favouritism, and had to resign in February 1943;
since when he has been more or less openly accused
of being the real instigator of the riots of December
1942.
Believed to have been in touch with the Japanese
Legation early in 1942, and to have received, when
Prime Minister in 1942, messages from persons
whom he knew r to be German agents, without
informing us. This was brought to the notice of
Shah in January 1944.
Became Prime Minister in February 1946 with
additional offices of Minister for Foreign Affairs and
Minister of the Interior. His policy was to seek
reconciliation with the Soviet Government. For this
purpose he went to Moscou r in February 1946.
Responsible for the arrest of Sayyid Zia and
General Arfa in March 1946, probably at Russian
insistence. In April 1946 concluded an agreement
wdth the Russians granting them an oil concession
in the north, to be presented for approval to the
fifteenth Majlis. Submitted to Russian pressure to
settle the Azerbaijan problem by conciliatory
methods in return for which the Red army was with
drawn early in May. During his first year of office
he destroyed the autonomous regime of the Azer
baijan Democrats, broke up the Tudeh Party and
their affiliated trade unions and established the Iran
Democrat Party with which he won a big majority
in the general election held in 1947.
Sly, intriguing, ambitious and fond of money
of great experience and competence. He
genuine patriot and has generally been friendly
His Majesty’s Embassy.
123. Qubadian, A bbas {A mir Makhsus)
Born about 1900, son of Daud Khan, first
paramount chief of the Kalhurs. Suspected of
being pro-German in 1917-18 when Turks and
Germans occupied Western Persia. Seized power
in the tribe after the murder of Sulaiman Amir
A'zam by Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. Khan, Qubadian’s brother, in 1922.
He led a revolt against him, was captured and
imprisoned. Vain and obstinate, he is at logger-
heads the whole time with most of his own family.
Deputy for Kermanshah in the fourteenth Majlis. In
early 1946 succeeded in forming a union of the
western tribes to combat the Tudeh and the
Democrats in Kurdistan. Re-elected to fifteenth
Majlis for Kermanshah.
124. Quds, Husain
Born about 1892. Graduate of the Tehran
School of Political Science. Has held various posts,
under the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and • was
secretary in London for five years. Edited, for
a short time, a small literary review. Private
secretary to the Minister for Foreign Affairs 1934.
Secretary and, for a time, Charge d’Affaires at
Washington 1935, until relations were broken off.
Accused of having abused customs franchise while