'Lord Curzon's Notes on Persia' [‎669v] (1340/1386)

to the Persian Ambassador at Constantinople to desist from his previous demands, and
now urge the Turkish Government to give a formal assurance in writing, undertaking
that no armed force would be permitted to enter Persia from any part of the Turkish
territory.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs added that the Shah asked very earnestly that
Her Majesty’s Government would support by their friendly counsel at Constantinople
the demand which Hajee Mohsin Khan had been instructed to address to the Porte
with a view to obtain this assurance.
I have, &c.
(Signed) RONALD F. THOMSON.
No. 83.
Mr. Thomson to Earl Granville.
(Substance received by telegraph, February 2.)
(Extract.) Tehran, February 2, 1881.
I HAVE the honour to report, for your Lordship’s information, that at a private
audience at which I was received yesterday I had a long conversation with the Shah
respecting the Nestorians of Oroomial and the hostile attitude which Sheikh
Obeidullah has again recently assumed on the Persian frontier.
Speaking on the latter subject, the Shah said that it appeared from telegrams
which had reached the Persian Government from Mirza Riza Khan, an officer sent by
the Sepeh Salar to Van, that Sheikh Obeidullah was collecting troops and having
them drilled by petty officers who had been until lately in the service of the Turkish
Government; that he was purchasing arms and ammunition from subordinate Turkish
officials who were supposed to obtain them surreptitiously from the Government depots;
that these preparations were being carried on openly and with the avowed intention
of making a fresh attack upon the Persian territory; and that Sheikh Obeidullah's
proceedings were fully known to the Turkish authorities, who, nevertheless, took no
step to prohibit or put a stop to them. Persia had in vain endeavoured to obtain some
guarantee from the Porte by which she might feel assurred that a renewed invasion of
her territory from Turkey would not take place. Her demand to have Sheikh
Obeidullah and his sons removed from the frontier and the Persian insurgent Chiefs
surrendered had not been complied with, and the Persian Government had now
decided to ask for a written assurance that in future no armed force would be allowed
to enter the Persian territory from Turkey. If this were refused, His Majesty said, it
would be obvious that Sheikh Obeidullah’s proceedings were approved and encouraged
by the Porte, and that Persia was not really dealing with insurgent Kurds, but with
the Turkish Government, whose officials were engaged in organizing and abetting
hostile operations against this country.
He hoped that Her Majesty’s Government would urge the Porto to accede to his
proposal, and he believed that the Sultan could not refuse his demand if it were
pressed upon him by England and Russia, the Mediating Powers who had hitherto
invariably used their good offices for the settlement of all frontier disputes between
the two Mussulman States.
I informed His Majesty that I had already telegraphed his request in this matter
to Her Majesty’s Government, but that I thought while the Persian Government was
endeavouring to come to an understanding with the Porte as to Sheikh Obeidullah's
proceedings, they should take care to make such preparations as would enable them
to repel any attack which might be made by him.
No. 84.
Mr. Thomson to Earl Granville.—[Received February 4, 1881.)
My Lord, Tehran, December 23, 1880
AT my audience of the Shah on the 19th instant His Majesty particularly
requested me to forward to your Lordship certain documents which had fallen into
the hands of the Persian troops engaged in suppressing the Kurdish outbreak, and
which, having been remitted to Tehran by the Sepeh Salar, were sent round to the
foreign Legations by the Minister for Foreign Affairs.