"تاريخ الحرب الكبرى استنادًا إلى وثائق رسمية: العمليات في بلاد فارس ١٩١٤-١٩١٩" [ظ‎‎١‎٥‎٥] (٥٦٦/٣١٥)

272
OPERATIONS IN PERSIA
British but a pro-German minority and that it deserved encouragement
January Sir Charles Marling, who was at this time himself making special
J 1918 . efforts to win over the moderate section of the Democrat party
at once instructed Colonel Kennion to cultivate good relations
with the Democrats as far as possible. The Government of
India went further and suggested to H.M. Government that
in view of this Kermanshah offer, they should reconsider their
policy of sending troops from Mesopotamia, whence a really
adequate force could not be made available for the time being,
But—H.M. Government having decided that it was necessary
to prevent the German and Turkish Missions and other enemy
parties from reaching Tehran and to ensure the safe passage
through Persia of the Dunsterville Mission, as well as to rally
the loyalists among the Russian troops at Kermanshah—the
Chief of the Imperial General Staff had already requested
General Marshall to despatch into Persia some British mounted
troops and armoured cars. The Government of India were
accordingly informed by the India Office that the Foreign Office
had every reason to question the grounds for the apparent
change of policy of the Kermanshah Democrats, and that in
all the circumstances a negative policy could scarcely be justified,
Sir Charles Marling’s efforts to win over the moderate section
of the Democrats made good progress. On the 8 th January
he reported the formation of a new Cabinet under one of that
section, Mustaufi-ul-Mamalik, as a step in the right direction;
especially as Mustaufi-ul-Mamalik appeared to be prepared to
co-operate with us on terms which were well within the limits
H.M. Government had already agreed to. In reply, on the
15th January, the Foreign Office said that H.M. Government
would give this Cabinet the same assurances they had been
ready to give Vossuk-ud-Daula, it being clearly understood that
the South Persia Rifles under British officers should be main
tained till the end of war and that British financial assistance
would automatically cease in case of any unfriendliness on the
part of the Persian Government.
Mustaufi-ul-Mamalik, however, experienced great difficulty
in forming a Ministry, and the Cabinet with which he took over
office on the 19th January was of such a weak composition that
it seemed unlikely to last long. Three days previously Sir
Charles Marling had reported his views on the situation
Although he had frankly pointed out to them, he said, that
Persia's failure to protect herself or us against enemy offo r s
might oblige us in future to take self-defensive measures sue
as in the past had been stigmatised as unfriendly and aggressive/