مجموعة ٢٨/١٠٧ "بلاد فارس (إيران) تحركات الشاه السابق." [و‎‎٨‎٠] (٣٦١/١٥٩)

t'Opjy of confidential letter dated 4th October 1941«
^rom Major G.^Paiconer, His Majesty’s Consul, Kerman.
oir tea ier ullard, K. C. M. G. , C.I.E., His Majesty’s Minister.
f / | J
I have already reported in my official teleghifflfc about the
ex-ohah s passage through Kerman and his embarkation at Bandar
Abbas on the 27th September in the S.S. "Bandra", t>£ife the
following further details though not worthy of an official
despatch may, perhaps, be of some interest" to you.
Th® « X -Shah and his party reached Yezd from Isfahan on the
20th September where they stayed until the morning of the 22nd
and arrived at Kerman that evening. The wife of the Governor of
iezd is a sister of the Queen accompanying the ex-Shah. The
details of the family accompanying the ex-Shah are already known
to you. ihe cavalcade consisted of some 18-19 cars and 2 or 3
lorries of kit. There was also a small military guard which
accompanied the party throughout to Bandar Abbas. The party was
o-npr h01l + e a * Kerman, not the Govemorate, and the
o /ner was obliged to act as host. He was glad when they left.
7 p.m. on 22nd I receiv ed G. of I. telegram ?ir>-
to you) saying that the ex-Shah should be diverted to the sea
route and I should use every endeavour to arrange this; that the
"Bandra" would arrive at Bandar Abbas on the 25th to embark the
ex-Shah and his party. The journey to Bandar Abbas is a tiring
one of 350 miles and for the ex—Shah’s party would entail a
night’s halt en route. This required some preliminary arrange
ments and some time was necessary for safety precautions to be
taken. ?his notice, therefore, was rather short. However I
aaked Mahmud Jam if he would kindly come and see me that night,
which he did at 9.30 p. nu I explained the situation to him; the
unpleasantness of the desert route at this time of the year etc
(though nob that the journey to Bandar Abbas would be almost as
oad. ); that the journey by sea would be more enjoyable and that
the G. of I. had made special arrangements for a vessel to reach
Bandar Abbas on the 25th to embark the ex-Shah’s party. I
requested that the party should reach Bandar Abbas by the evening
of th^ 25th at the latest as shippin was particularly valuable
in these days and the vessel was urgently required for other
ir ck os. He replied that the ex—8hah would not object to going
by the sea route and that the party would leave Kerman 24th
S'Uio evening. On this assurance I despatched my telegram No. 112 (208
' to G. of I.) of 22nd September. r
The following mprning (23rd) Mahmud Jam sent me a message
to the effect that ex-Shah wished to delay his departure for a
M cb c few days for reasons gi ven in my te legramJfo. 113. Until then I
was not av/are that the "second son (All Shahpur) and the secretary
Ca . ' 'V had yet J oin the party. I went to see Mahmud Jam and again
urged the necessity of the '’Bandra” being freed for other service
as soon as possible and added that if the party did not reach
Bandar Abbas by Friday evening at the latest I would be compelled
to instruct the Master to proceed - an unauthorised threat which
I think was justified in the circumstances. It was not without
effect. The second son and the secretary arrived that afternoon
bringing with them the Yezd Governor’s wife as an addition to the
party, and preparations were made to leave on 25th aftemofth.
When I first heard that the ex-Shah was to go via Bandar
Abbas I thought it would be a good thing if I went down there
myself to see there was no last-minute hitch, but decided against
it on the grounds that my presence would serve to emphasise our
connection with his departure from the country. In accordance
with of I * wishes, however, (their telegram No. 367 to you) I
too made a somewhat hasty departure from Kerman on the 25th a®'
s ? 0 ? 4 . as J .^ th® royal party had actually left. I spent that
night at Sirjan and left the following morning at 5 a.nu so as to
get into touch with the ship’s Master before the party arrived,
and reached Bandar Abbas at 3 p.m. I went on board at 5 p.m.
expecting the Shah’s party to reach Bandar Abbas about 6 p.m.
and