Coll 28/111 ‘Persia. Kermanshah – Political diaries.’ [‎47r] (94/751)

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THIS DOCUMENT IS THE PROPERTY OF HIS BRITANNIC MAJESTY’S GOVERNMENT
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November 4, 1942.
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Consul Cook to Mr. Eden.—(Received November 4.)
(No. 23.)
HIS Majesty’s Consul at Kermanshah presents his compliments to His
Majesty’s Principal Secretary of State for Foreign Aifairs and has the honour
to transmit to him a copy of his monthly diary for September 1942. . ^
Kermanshah, October 7, 1942.
3)
Enclosure.
Kermanshah Monthly Diary for September 1942.
Kurdistan.
THE general situation has been quieter of late, and no incidents have been
reported since the holding up of an Anglo-Iranian Oil Company vehicle on the
5th September on the Paitak Pass. Some of the sub-tribes carry on the usual
sniping of each other, and it is said that bullets crack most nights around the
villages, marauders wishing to find out what defences oan be offered. The
gendarmerie are, of course, completely absent from most parts of the district.
The authorities would like to disarm certain tribes, but realise that this would
offer immediate temptation to their neighbours for looting and paying off old
scores. All the same there is confidential talk of dealing thoroughly with the
Kalkhanis shortly when they come down from summer pastures, and of distri
buting their chieftains in other parts of Persia on the Reza Shah model. If
this means that people like the turbulent and mischief-making Shamseddin
Haidari will be repressed, it is all to the good, but such intriguing and ambitious
Kurdish personalities are generally “ well in ” with the Governor-General, Amir-
i-Kull, so that little real action is taken. There has been some heart-burning
among the Sinjabis, fifty of whose headmen came towards the end of the month
to Kermanshah to complain of the excessive extortions of their bakshdar, Asker
Khan, and to ask for his replacement. As usual, they also came to this consulate
for sympathy and support, not forgetting to add that their oppressor was a
well-known pro-German sympathiser (his father and uncles were, in fact, on the
Turco-German side in 1916-17, and one uncle is in Germany now), and had been
organising robberies of British camps and dumps in this district. Inner circles
suggest, however, that Asker Khan has not been paying his proper “ dues ” to
the Governor-General, and must therefore make room for someone more amenable.
2. It is surprising that conditions should be so quiet when official control
is so exiguous. In some districts Kurdish headmen openly say that there is no
Government these days, and certainly the authorities are flouted as far as
smuggling and hoarding of wheat are concerned in many parts. Possibly the
latter activities have kept them too busy for other mischief, which will come
later.
3. There has been some robbing of British military camps, even radio-sets
having been carried off, but sterner precautions have improved matters, and the
presence of Assyrian guards (Iraq Levies) has no doubt had its effect, as they are
known to tend to shoot first and challenge afterwards. At one time there was an
idea of enrolling Kurdish guards on the system of setting a thief to catch a thief;
setting a cat to guard bowls of cream would be an apter metaphor, and nothing
has come of it.
Persian A dministration.
4. The Governor-General, Amir-i-Kull, was ill during the greater part of
the month, which was convenient for him in a way at a time when the Prime
Minister in Tehran and the British Consulate at this end were worrying him to
take strong measuies against his profiteering and hoarding friends and
[35—32]