File 1341/1921 Pt 1 'Khorassan Intelligence Summaries 1921-1922' [‎516r] (679/1080)

SECRET.
4830
I O O l
Intelligence Summary No. 31 fcr the week ending July 23rd, 1921.
182.— Khorasan.
Meshed. —Conditions in the Province and its capital are normal.
The forecast of future politics given in last week’s Summary has been justi
fied in certain essentials as will be seen in the following history of the events of the
week under report.
The acting Governor General, Najd-us-Sultaneh, telegraphed to Tehran on the
17th instant that he was unable for reasons of health to continue to officiate further
but that he would retain office for two or three days more. The incident of the
bombs, reported last week, had probably affected his nerves and, persuaded his
life was in danger, he rid himself of his office, thus consummating, in all likelihood,
the political aims of those who conspired to explode the bombs.
On the 28th he handed over the provincial government to Colonel Muhammad
Taqi Khan, apparently of his own volition and without reference to, or orders
from, Tehran.
The latter assumed again the dignity of Governor General -^a clever move—
for it places him in an immeasurably stronger position than he enjoyed before
while forcing the Persian Government to accept him as Governor General and to
acquiesce in the situation or to be prepared to unseat him by force. By accepting
office as the nominee of a sick man, he adopts the obvious course in the circum-
stances, giving the Central Government no cause to find fault with such procedure
on tech meal grounds, however much it may object to the personality of the
incumbent.
Colonel Muhammad Taqi Khan has attempted to consolidate his position
locally by canvassing the good opinion of some two hundred leading citizens for
transmission by telegraph to the Capital and who would request that Colonel
Muhammad Taqi Khan might be confirmed in his assumption of office by reason
of his ability to suppress civil disorders which have lately disturbed the public
peace.
This device—at once feeble and transparent—of securing the suffrages of a
section of the community and transmitting them to the central authority by
telegram a; representative of the political unanimity of the^whole is frequently
resorted to by ambitious aspirants to office.
In this particular case the scheme was strangled at birth for the leading
citizens above-mentioned, not wishing to associate themselves definitely with
one of the enfanis t rribles of the Persian Government and displaying the ancient
civic dread of a militarv autocracy, albeit provincial only, telegraphed requesting
that Muhammad Taqi Khan be permitted to remain in charge pending the f
appointment of a suitable Governor General. This action of his political sponsoi s
is thought to have disappointed the former who expected a measure of enthusiasm
in their recommendation.
The subsequent acts of Muhammad Taqi Khan are reminiscent of Ins former
procedure after his covp d’elat. He has occupied the telegraph office with
Gendarmes, he censors all telegrams arriving and for despatch, and has conimenced
his lecbme by a close liaison with M. Leon Dubois, the Belgian Chief of Customs
m Khorasanfwho has again assumed charge of the Revenue Department whi^
had resigned despite the wishes to the contrary of His Imperial Majesty the Shah.
Together, they will attempt the problem of raising sufficient funds to keep t r.
Gendarme force in being.
The horses and motor cars of Quwam-ns-Sultaneh, the Prime Minister are still
illegally retained by Muhammad Taqi Khan. nor er 0 . , „ ^
thousand rifles of those in store here and taken over 10 m • . i order a
has not been complied with by Muhammad Taqi Khan who sees m the order a
move to weaken him by a deprivation of resources. TTOT^TTGr M
C427FD Ek c * in tJNL
•SEC RiTARY’S NO 82M i
IATET 13th uA .
Recc'.Slst OCT .