File 3443/1914 Pt 3 'German War: Afghanistan and Persia; German agents; British troops in East Persia' [‎150v] (311/345)

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(4) The Germans of Wonkhause’s firm keep their political doings very
secret from their servants. Except one Persian named Gulam Husain, the
former servant of Hr. Lieterman, who is at present with Wassmuss, who is aware
of a number of the political activities of the firm, the employes of Wonkhause
are kept in the dark. JS’o subordinate who can read or write German or English
is ever employed by them.
( 5 ) When Haji AH was on his way from Shiraz to Lingah he passed
through Champa. Here 5 horsemen came and arrested him. They took him to
Maharakhan, and they told him that the Governor of Maharakhan had sent
out soldiers as well to catch him. All this was arranged by Hussain Mundighan,
who was instructed by the British Consul of Lingah. Thence they took him
to Busmeits, where they took rest near the well. About 4 yards on the sea-side
of this well is a praying platform (mussalla). About 5 yards or so further on ;
on the right front, is a small tree, just the other side of a small ditch or channel
( wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. ) which runs to the well, between the te musalla and the tree. About a
span from the foot of the tree at a depth of a few inches are buiied the two
keys of the safes of the Lingah branch of Wonkhause’s firm. Erom Bussmeits
they took him to Kung, where he was kept for 3 days in charge of 10 soldiers.
Then they put him into a sailing boat and kept him out in the sea for 20
hours awaiting the S.S “ Chakdara’’, by which he came to Bombay.
The attached is a rough plan to show where the keys are hidden. Haji
Ali says that the plan should be given to Khan Bahadur, the Secretary to the
British Consul at Lingah, who will understand it. Mustafa, the servant of
Haji Ali who is at present with Haji Ali’s family, will also understand the plan
as he was with Haji Ali at that time near the “ Musalla Haji Ali states that
he was ordered on no account to allow these keys to fall into the hands of the
British authorities. He imagines that Wonkhause feared that if the British
obtained possession of the keys, they would find a way of opening the safes
at Lingah and extracting the confidential papers of the Firm
( 6 ) Hawood Ali is also known amongst the Persians as Moosa Ali.
(7) Bunstorff, a German, is the agent of Wonkhause & Co. at Baghdad
and also the principal assistant of M^assmuss in political intrigues amongst the
Persians against the British Government. He left some time ago for Afghanis
tan.
( 8 ) In June last, 3,000 Austrian soldiers and a number of non-commission*
ed ofiacers, prisoners of war, captured by the Bussians, who were interned at
Askhabad made good their escape. The Russian Military Authorities were bribed
and they were let out and 1,700 of them came over to Tehran where the Austrian
Ambassador supplied them with arms and ammunition and sent them on to
Asfahan. 700 were sent to Kerman passing through Yezd. At Kerman they
received orders from the German Consul. One party proceeded to Baluchistan
and another party to Afghanistan. Two Captains belonging to the Hamburg-
American Line, named Harlich and Puster, were sent over to Persia from
Germany on the outbreak of the war. They first went to Tehran to receive
their orders from the German Ambassador. Tehran is the central place for such
purposes. They were sent out to Persia to make political mischief amongst
the Persians as they speak the Persian language fluently. Puster was the chief
officer about 12 years ago on the Persian Man-of-War ‘‘Persipolis ”, which was
bought from Germany about 19 years ago. These two Captains took charge of
the Austrian soldiers at Kerman.
(9) Mahomed Ahmed IshakHuda, a Persian from Lingah born at Bastakhi,
arrived in Bombay per S.S. “ Chakdara ” with Haji Ali. He is a correspond
ent for various Persian newspapers in the Gulf as well as for the Calcutta
paper “ Hablul Matin ”. He visits India nearly every year. He is always in
correspondence with Wassmuss. He receives newspapers from Wassmuss and
distributes them amongst the Persians, His object of coming into India is
political, to collect news, etc. He gets his news mostly through Persians
travelling between India and the Gulf. He is considered a very clever
n an in the Gulf and Haji Ali is of opinion that he does a lot of harm
to the English Government in India. He was surprised that he was allowed
to land in Bombay and more sO that the British Consul at Lingah did
r Qt inform the Local Authorities about his doings in the Gulf. Haji Ali