Coll 28/8 ‘Persia; Diaries; Sistan & Kain, April 1927 – 1933’ [‎177v] (365/434)

are being supplied secretlj by
the British Government.
(v) To find out what persons in the
Sarhad are in the pay of the
British.
(vi) To submit lists of the employees
of the Duzdap Vice-Consulate
at Duzdap and at Mirjawa.
19. M. Platte has also written direct to
Dost Muhammad Khan asking for infor
mation on the following points presum
ably for his book :—
(a) Population of Persian Ba^chis-
tan : (1) settled, (2) nomad.
(b) Numbers of sheep, goats and
came 1 s.
(tf) Weight of annual wool clip.
(d) To what countries the wool is
exported.
(e) What customs posts there are in
Baluchistan.
if) What revenue is paid by the
Baluch to the Persian Govern
ment.
(g) What kinds of cloth the Baluch
use.
(h) Names of chiefs other than Dost
Muhammad Khan.
(i) What crops are grown and how
much is produced.
On the surface, the questions are harm
less enough, and are well within the
legitimate sphere of a Consul. But the
very fact that the Soviet Consul is asking
them direct from the formidable lord of
Bampur, against whom operations o)ay
be undertaken by the Persian Government
any moment, is significant. Nor would
it really be possible for Russia to trade
with Persian Baluchistan except at a
heavy loss. She can, and does, buy un
limited quantities of wool in Khorasau
at cheaper rates than those prevailing in
the Sarhad, whence goods must be carried
700—900 miles by road to the nearest
station on the Transcaspian Railway. Any
trading activities actually engaged in by
the Russians in Persian Baluchistan or
the Sarhad will undoubtedly be merely a
cloak for intrigue with the tribes with a
view to accusing us of fomenting trouble
for the Persian Government as we are
supposed to do in Kurdistan.
Soviet Propaganda.
I 20. The Armenian clerk in charge of
the Indo-European Telegraph Department,
Sistan, has got a portable cinema projec
tor on which he recently gave a private
show of the following Soviet films:
(1) Crowds at Moscow at the tenth
anniversary of the U. S. S. R.
(2) Red troops on parade.
(3) Workers planting trees and en
gaging in other agricultural
pursuits.
(4) The Persian signatories of the
Russo-Persian Treaty at Mos
cow with emphasis on the
respect shown to them by the
Soviet delegates and officials.
Persian Officials.
21. The new Persian Consul for South-
West, Afghanistan, M. Nasrulla Khan
Samii, arrived in Sistan on 14th Pebruary
and left for Afghan territory a few days
later. He is to reside at Parah, not at
Chakansur as at first stated.
22. A Persian Customs Inspector was
detailed to Sistan by M. Moreau during
the month to investigate a defalcation
amounting to some Tomans 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value. 750 on the
part of Said Ali, the recently appointed
Customs officer for Sistan.
2 h of the General Officer Com
manding, Eastern Army .—Reference
paragraph 2
Amir-i-Lashkar Shahzada Amanulla
Mirza went from Sistan to Duzdap on 12th
Pebruary and proceeded to Mirjawa and
Khwash on the 14th. Two nights were
spent at Khwash where the General Officer
Commanding held a Durbar A public or private audience held by a high-ranking British colonial representative (e.g. Viceroy, Governor-General, or member of the British royal family). attended by
most of the Sarhad Sardars and their
relations. He returned to Duzdap on 16th
Pebruary and left for Meshed on the 18th.
Among other measures, the General Officer
Commanding arranged for the strengthen
ing of the Mirjawa and Khwash garrisons
and for the re-establishment of telephonic
communication between Duzdap, Miriawa
and Khwash.
24. Separate reports have been sub
mitted regarding the Amir-i Lashkar’s
hints to His Majesty’s Consul, of possible
operations against Dost Muhammad Khan
next autumn, and their connection with
the question of the continuance of the
Nushki-Duzdap Railway service.
25. movements of Troops .—A further
movement of troops from Sistan to Duzdap
took place at the end of the month, 100
infantry arriving at the latter place on
3rd March. The Mirjawa and Khwash