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File 301/1921 'MESOPOTAMIA: INTELLIGENCE REPORTS' [262v] (535/586)
The record is made up of 1 volume (289 folios). It was created in 15 Nov 1920-31 Oct 1921. It was written in English. 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.
I
a number of tribesmen, unsettled and probably ruined by their own activity
in rebellion, are falling bach on brigandage for a living. Until the insurgent
leaders of the Shuau, Daudi, Dilo, Jabbari and Baiyat are brought to book,
marauding tribal feuds will continue to be a menace to caravans and com
munications.
32. Shaikh Hamid Talabani, who accepted temporarily the post of
Qaimmaqam at Kifri, and has done excellent work, was relieved early in
October by Shaikh Muhammad Ivhalis Beg. The latter is also of Talabani
origin, being the son of the famous Shaikh Ridha of Keui-Sanjaq; he has
formerly held the office of Qaimmaqam and is believed to be a valuable mau,
capable of administering his large and difficult district.
33. In the Sulaimani Division, the Jaf have been in Shahr-i-Zur during
October. Though there are no outward signs of disobedience or disaffection
among them, there are indications that they are convinced that the liand of
the Government is not so strong as it was, and the bad elements are awaiting
an opportunity to begin their own practices of robbing and pillage. They
know that the settled Roghazani section in Kifri district, who participated
with the Dilo in the recent disturbances, have escaped retribution; moreover
the fact that no A.P.O. has been appointed at Kifri has been misinterpreted
A tribal force under the Assistant of the A.P.O and Karim Beg left on
October 2.1, to punish the Roghzani.
34. Order in the district was disturbed by an old professional brigand
of the Hamawand Khidhr Beg (see No. 1, para. 1). In Turkish times he
\vas a popular fellow and sure of a welcome everywhere, either by reason of
his popularity or fear of reprisals, but the country people have shown him
fhat a brigand rs now viewed m a different light and he can get no help from
fWIW V T reC A T 1Ved T ^PPort from other members of the Hamawand
ofii iLteaS ™r ed the Daudi ’ wW lie is a tw to
35. In order to forestall inaccurate rumours, it was thought advisable
menf wMc^ha^b 516 ° + Sl * la “ iai ” r that creation of a provisional Govern-
Ku?distnn h Tb l® 611 created in Mesopotamia will not prejudice the case of
Kurds have been assured that they will have every opport
unity of expressing their views when the future of Sulaimani is considered.
3 . Conditions in the Qadha of Zakho were reported to have imnroved
tdTaiv^i? ^ t0ber - • T ' ,e fee } in « of consequent on hojm
haveva??shed dS fr 1 1S i + dlSa i PPearillg ‘’ ^ nd ? 01 ^ ts as to the duration of our stay
spruno- nr, and sh*n! S n/' 6 3 gT0 Y m - fee]l . n §* ^ confidence and content has
Efforts on the narf +b-^Pr 08 .? 6 ^.^ everywhere to be seen,
with no success 1 }G Tur ^ ls ^ Nationalists to stir up revolt have met
37. According to information received from the P 0 the notables of
frontie^oyarao^ndTffl 6 - 11 ^? ^ H di , S - trict shouId '’e left outside tile
-anyldusio.! ii; i ‘h"q.' VltInn th ° Se of Kmd * sta - They demand emphati-
R + ^ A tP ursuance of the scheme for reinstating ‘Abdullah
Pasha
An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders.
in
Batas (see No. 1 para. 60), a small column left Arbil for Batas on November
“ outside
fifty rifles to a CdWe T9 tl ' e . 1 S " rohl > ‘Ubaidullah, withdrew with some
X^rtToadi^BeAf ^ miles south of Batas.
Batas is cousequeutly B S S ecur On"NoZurber of
were, however, coming in for terms. 1 ' 0vembel 29 - the S “rchi Mukhtars
Beg,® Kate ^XTud^Ru^TP- 2 be “ the ^ds of Sulaimau
Pasha’s son and fled to Rawandiex '] ai . mau 1 w bo murdered ‘Abdullah
of Rawanduz by the election of thfneoSl S - tyleS himSelf “ Haki m
Who would have sufficient authority toC^\itb^rpr 1 :va I 'iling OC chiot Udi<Iate
REPATRIATION OF ASSYRIAN AND ARMENIAN REFUGEES.
as far from solution as ever 6 ’ iTwas^'def 0 * tbe 1 1 e,(1 S Y ‘Cs in Mesopotamia is
Assyrians, both the mountaineers and fbl TT™ 11 ^^! ! a ? March to assist the
Ihe mountains north east of Mosul fn Kruiniyah tribes, to return through
and Ushnn, west of the soutWn } between the Gawar plain
impossibility of conducting the mmm+ nd ^-^ke of Hmmiyah. The
try, north of Amadiyah, or of nrovfdl™ Vv ln - Sa l et J - to the \ r own eoun-
completely devastated by the Kurds' 1 ^^ d . is . tricts which had been
..«. rfs.’safar aft
About this item
- Content
This volume contains the Intelligence Reports of Sir Percy Cox, High Commissioner for Mesopotamia [also written as Iraq in this volume], based in Baghdad, covering the period 15 November 1920 to 15 September 1921. They largely relate to: the political situation in Mesopotamia and the surrounding region; the formation and proceedings of the provisional government; the events leading up to the creation of Mandatory Iraq [also known as the Kingdom of Iraq under British Administration] and the election and appointment of Faisal [Fayṣal bin Ḥusayn bin ‘Alī al-Hāshimī] as the first King of Iraq [Fayṣal I].
The Intelligence Reports are numbered and appear to have been issued at two-week intervals. This volume contains the reports numbered 1-3, 9-19 and 21. There is no explanation in the volume regarding the reason for the absent reports. The format of the reports is a mixture of printed and copy typescript. Each report is preceded by a covering circular issued by the office of the High Commissioner indicating the British Government departments and the officers and departments in the Middle East to which the report was copied.
Report Nos. 1-3 are preceded by an assessment of the political situation described in the Intelligence Report, written by Major R Marrs.
The reports generally comprise the following sections:
- A summary of the report (from report No. 14 onwards only)
- An account of the proceedings of the Council of Ministers
- Analysis of current public opinion and allegiances, (notably an analysis of public opinion on the Amir [Emir] Faisal and his arrival in Mesopotamia, including a reference to his 'personal magnetism', f 88), in report Nos 16-19
- Notes on provincial affairs
- Notes on the situation at the frontiers
- Extracts of 'Iraq Police Abstracts of Intelligence' (reports No. 9-14 only).
Other subjects notably covered in various reports include:
- Assyrian, Armenian and Urumiyan [Urmian] refugees (report Nos. 2 and 19)
- Perceived foreign influences in Iraq (report Nos. 2 and 3)
- The withdrawal of Saiyid [Sayyid] Talib Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. [Sayyid Ṭālib bin Rajab al-Naqīb] from the Government and Baghdad (report No. 12)
- Kurdistan (report Nos. 12-14)
- Turkish and Kurdish Frontiers (report No. 12)
- Dair al Zor [Deir ez-Zor] (report Nos. 1 and 12)
- Notes on 'Internal Affairs' (Nos. 18 and 19)
- Analysis of the referendum result which confirmed the election of Faisal as Iraq's first monarch (report No. 19)
- The formation of King Faisal's first cabinet (report No. 21).
Appendices are included with some reports, usually comprising copies of the High Commissioner's proclamations or communications 'to the people of Iraq' or documents relevant to the particular report (notably 'Provisional scheme for the re-organisation of the law courts' and 'Report of the committee constituted for studying the irrigation problem in Mesopotamia' in report No. 9).
Each report is concluded with a Supplement or Press Bureau Report, comprising extensive summaries and extracts of newspaper articles published in the local and 'foreign' (local region mainly) press. Notable publications cited are: Al 'Iraq , Al Fallah Arabic for ‘peasant’. It was used by British officials to refer to agricultural workers or to members of a social class employed primarily in agricultural labour. , Al Dijlah , and (Syrian publication) Lissan al 'Arab.
The volume includes a divider which gives the subject number, the year the subject file was opened, the subject heading, and a list of correspondence references by year. This is placed at the end of the correspondence (front of the volume).
- Extent and format
- 1 volume (289 folios)
- Arrangement
The reports are arranged mostly in numerical/chronological order from the rear to the front of the volume. Report No. 18 is followed by Report No. 21 and then Report No. 19 which is the last report in the volume.
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 284; 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. The foliation sequence does not include the front and back covers, nor does it include the two leading and two ending flyleaves. The sequence contains one foliation anomaly: f 267a.
- Written in
- English in Latin script View the complete information for this record
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Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- IOR/L/PS/10/962
- Title
- File 301/1921 'MESOPOTAMIA: INTELLIGENCE REPORTS'
- Pages
- front, back, spine, edge, head, tail, front-i, i-r:ii-v, 1r:11r, 12v:13r, 20r:26v, 32v:34v, 35v:49v, 53v:57v, 59r:61r, 70v:74r, 75r:79r, 88r:94v, 99v:103v, 105r:112r, 113v:125v, 127v:128v, 129v:150v, 154v, 155v:171v, 178v:181v, 183v:190v, 192v:219v, 222v:246v, 249v:260r, 261r:264v, 265v, 267v, 267ar:267av, 268r:284v, iii-r:iv-v, back-i
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence