"تاريخ الحرب الكبرى استنادًا إلى وثائق رسمية: العمليات في بلاد فارس ١٩١٤-١٩١٩" [ظ‎‎٧‎٥] (٥٦٦/١٥٥)

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118 OPERATIONS IN PERSIA
General Baghdad; and on the 24th October, when informing Petrograd
Allied policy'; of the British intention, Sir Edward Grey suggested that if the
October^ Russians could act simultaneously in North Persia, the situation
I 9 I 5* might be saved. By this time the Germans were virtually
masters of Tehran. In addition to large quantities of arms and
ammunition, they had there about two hundred Austro-
Hungarian soldiers,* several hundred locally recruited followers
and six or seven hundred Persian gendarmerie under Swedish
officers, on whom they could rely for support. Against these
the Persian Government might possibly be able to count on
about five hundred Persian Cossacks and one thousand police,
but their loyalty was very doubtful. Mr. Marling and the
Russian Minister received reports daily of an intended attack
on them and the Legations, and in many ways it was clearly
indicated that the Germans meditated a coup d’dtat.
On the 23rd October two members of the British consular
staff at Shiraz were shot at and wounded, and two days later
Major O’Connor informed Mr. Marling that, unless steps were
taken at once to set matters right, the British colony would
find it impossible to remain any longer at Shiraz. They and
Qawam were constantly threatened with assassination and
Major O’Connor feared that neither Qawam nor Saulat was
capable of dealing with the situation. In consequence of this
state of affairs Major O’Connor was authorised to leave Shiraz
if necessary, but, as his departure would be hailed as a German
success and would render the position of Qawam and Saulat
much more difficult, he was instructed to remain there as long
as possible.
A most unsatisfactory interview which Mr. Marling had with
the Persian Prime Minister on the 26th October and information
which he acquired during the next two days all seemed to
indicate that Persian Ministers were deceiving him and were
in reality negotiating with the Germans ; and on the 29th he
heard that a convention with Germany had actually been
signed. But this was followed the same day by news that
4,000 Russian cavalry had just disembarked at Enzeli and on
the 30th by a visit from the Persian Foreign Minister, who
absolutely denied that any convention had been suggested or
signed and who adopted altogether a much more amenable
attitude.
About the same time three hundred Persian Cossacks, whom
the Russian Minister had insisted on despatching in spiteJ )f
It was found that Persian officials had been implicated in assisting their
escape from Trans-Caspia and their journey to Tehran.
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