File 301/1921 'MESOPOTAMIA: INTELLIGENCE REPORTS' [280v] (573/586)
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.
was forced to flee. He lias since requested to be allowed to make his! dakhalah,
and has offered to collect 16,000 men for the Turks. The latter offer has been
communicated to Mustafa Kamal
Pasha
An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders.
, whose decision is awaited.
About the beginning of October, Haji Fadhl Effendi of Hair al Zor,
wrote to the Turks asking them to send troops to occupy that plaqe, as otherwise
he would ask the British to come. Nihad
Pasha
An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders.
despatched 400 loads of ammu
nition, 700 rifles and 60 soldiers, promising to send ‘Ajaimi
Pasha
An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders.
with more
troops in the course of a week or so.
Saiyid Muhammad al Naqib of Samarra, came to Dair al Zor towards the
end of September and prepared a madhbatah asking for the Turks to occupy the
town. This he took back to Mardin, together with the letter of Haji Fadhl
Effendi above mentioned. It is said that, on Saiyid Muhammad’s arrival in
Dair al Zor, Turkish flags were hoisted all over the town.
Nihad
Pasha
An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders.
(who is in command of the Jazirah group) has prepared
plans for an advance on the Mosul Wilayat, and has put ‘Auqaf
Pasha
An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders.
in
charge of the expedition. ‘Ajaimi is enlisting a special force to join this expe
dition, and has so far succeeded in raising 600 men.
On the occupation of Mosul, £ Abdul Qadir Beg of Damascus will be ap
pointed Wall and ‘Ali Saib Beg of Arbil will become Military Governor.
These two are now in Mardin.
With the advance of the Bolsheviks in the Cacausus massacres of Arme
nians have occurred in the Wilayats of Erzerum and Van.
The first detachment of the Bolsheviks, who are going to the assistance
of Mustafa Kama!
Pasha
An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders.
, has arrived at Brussa.
A number of American Companies and Societies are being established
throughout the Turkish territory and are appreciated by the Turks as an
expression of the U.S.A.’s good will towards them.
A certain Miss Longer in Mardin is very popular and frequently invites
prominent extremists, like ‘Ajaimi
Pasha
An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders.
, to her house.
The American Manager of a firm at Urfah was killed by Turkish troops in
the belief that he was a Frenchman. The Turks have sent an apology to the
American Government.
Shaikh Hacham of the ‘ Anizah tribe has made his da(khalah to the
Turks through Tahsin Beg at Raqqah.
On the 30th September, Sulaiman ibn Haji Humaiyid, a cousin of Maulud
Pasha
An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders.
, arrived in Mosul and put at the house of ‘Umar Effendi ibn Sha‘ban,
Tikriti, of Mahallat Jobaf al Baqqarah. Sulaiman has a Government sheep
contract.
There was a rumour on the 2nd October that there was a force of 15,000
Bolsheviks at Sauchbulaq (above Rawanduz) but they have received instruc
tions from Mustafa Kamal
Pasha
An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders.
to remain there pending further orders.
A large number of Mardinlis are arriving by every caravan. Most of
them are without passports or papers of any kind, and state that they have left
Turkish territory in order to avoid conscription. A few among them are Mos-
lims, but the majority Christians. They appear to have no work and a few of
them have even expected the British Government to give them free passages to
Baghdad.
Mir All Kadhim Bey is reported to be leaving Jazirah with a number of
troops and to be coming down nearer Mosul.
It is reported that Hazim Beg, late Wali of Mosul, who was sentenced to
death for joining Mustafa Kamal
Pasha
An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders.
, has been pardoned by the Sultan,
A regiment of Turks, under Qaimmaqam Fazli Bey is said to be near
Ray at, having come from Van ”.
ARBIL DIVISION.
„ , ^? e P Arbil, reported on October 27th that the Surchi Chiefs north
o tne Zab, had crossed that river fleeing from the Assyrians and joined the sec
tions south of the Zab, whence some had moved on to Rawanduz. The P.O. has
suggested the advisability of reinstating ‘Abdullah
Pasha
An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders.
at Batas, which hai
mcome a haven of refuge for insurgents whose immunity has an unfavorable
mnuence on the district. The Quia section of the Surchi has recently refused
to pay revenue. i
i Abdullah Pash* owns considerable property in Dasht-i-Harir and has
probably more influence on the Surehi than anyone else, but he is a very old
man. Mis house at Batas was attacked and looted on August 29th. Under the
1 t. U +i S , ^^sarnf at Sulaimani. His daughter is married to Rashid Beg,
> o lei o ie Chief of the Khushnao, Qadir Beg. The latter wished for her
hand and was greatly incensed when ‘Abdullah
Pasha
An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders.
gave her to Rashid Beg.
nevertheless Abdullah
Pasha
An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders.
would probably have the support of the Khushnao.
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.
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- English in Latin script View the complete information for this record
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- 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
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- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
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