"تاريخ الحرب الكبرى استنادًا إلى وثائق رسمية: العمليات في بلاد فارس ١٩١٤-١٩١٩" [ظ‎‎٣‎٣] (٥٦٦/٧١)

38
OPERATIONS IN PERSIA
Russians many other opportunities, of which they took full
advantage In South Persia the insecurity on the Bushire-
Isfahan road was paralysing British trade and in 1910 Great
Britain found it necessary to inform the Persian Government
that unless they restored order there within three months,
Great Britain would herself make the necessary police arrange
ments at Persian expense. This, of course, rendered Great
Britain more unpopular than ever. .
Financial The Treasury was empty, and, as the central and provincial
difficulties. Governments had not the necessary military or police forces
to ensure collection of revenue, they found themselves in a very
difficult financial situation. The national debt, though
relatively small, had not only involved the mortgaging to
Russia and Great Britain of important sources of revenue, but
had introduced a measure of foreign (Belgian) control; and
it was the special desire of the Government to raise the loans
which were now urgently required without further pledging the
national resources or giving fresh occasion for foreign interven
tion. Their attempts to do so in 1910, however, almost all failed,
chiefly owing to the action of Russia, who was unwilling that
Persia should borrow, except from herself or Great Britain at
the price of fresh concessions. It then became clear to the
most enlightened Persians that their only chance of financial
salvation lay in obtaining the services of disinterested foreign
financial advisers and of foreign officers to organise the
Treasury gendarmerie required to collect revenue and to
maintain order. Both Great Britain and Russia were appre
hensive lest Germans, who for some years past had taken
every opportunity for intervention, should be invited and they
accordingly suggested that nationals of small Powers should
be engaged. Those of the latter, however, who were approached
refused, and in 1911 the Persian Government entered into a
private arrangement with an American, Mr. W. Morgan
Shuster, to come as Financial Adviser, while they obtained
officers for gendarmerie from Sweden and some professors from
France. They also tried to obtain Swedish officers to organise
a Persian military force, but failed owing to Russian objections.
Mr. Shuster’s Mr. Shuster, with a small staff, reached the country in
mission, May 1911 and, after a brief examination of the situation,
I9II ‘ asked for and obtained extra-ordinary powers. These he
wielded, from the very first, with an attitude of complete
disregard of British and especially Russian interests which,
while it gained him the support and confidence of the
Persians, enhanced the hostility already felt by the Russians