Coll 17/10(4) 'Internal: political situation; relations with HMG' [‎157r] (313/1031)

THIS DOCUMENT IS THE PROPERTY OF HIS BRITANNIC MAJESTY’S GOVERNMENT
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October 30, 1942.
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Mr. Thompson to Mr. Eden.—{Received October 30.)
(No. 2.)3.) Bagdad, October 14, 1942.
M — ‘ IN h is despatch No. 2 07 of the 2nd August, His Majesty’s Ambassador
described the signs which suggested that the Cabinet might soon reach the end ot
its allotted span of life. The Minister of Finance was at odds with the Minister
of the Interior and the two “-Shia Ministers were embarrassing their chiet
with demands for the appointment of another Minister of their sect. The truce
which was then accepted by the discordant elements was intended to last until
the end of August and, in the event, the Cabinet survived this period by only little
over a month. 1 . . t
2. The Prime Minister began with the hope that before Parliament
assembled in November he might be able to deal with the situation b\ making
peace between the Ministers of Finance and Interior, adding a third Ahia to
his team and making a few minor changes among the other members. He soon
found, however, that, although the Minister of Finance had been m Istanbul
during most of August and September, his absence had done little to heal his
quarrel with the Minister of the Interior, and soon after returning Ali Mumtaz
was once more at loggerheads with Salih Jabr over the difficult mattei of the
collection and distribution of wheat. He accused Salih Jabr of wilful obstruc
tions, and Salih Jabr retorted by charging him with dishonest speculation and
corruption. Nuri Pasha’s hopes of an easy settlement of his Cabinet troubles
thereupon vanished and. realising that half-measures would be of no avail, he
tendered his resignation to the Regent on the 3rd October.
3. He was at once invited to form a new Cabinet, and having already made
his plans he embarked on this task with confidence. He had decided (after con
siderable consultation with this embassy, in the course of which we had con
sistently emphasised the necessity for a strong personality at the Ministry of
Finance) that Salih Jabr must be retained and that Ali Mumtaz would m con-
seQuence have to go. He hoped to persuade Taufiq Suwaidi to accept the Ministry
for Foreign Affairs and help him to bear the burden of the parliamentary work
which he had found so exhausting during the last session, and he had an eye on
two or three suitable men to complete the required Shia quota. He wanted to
replace Tahsin Ali at Education by Amin Zaki, to move Salih Jabr to Finance to
grapple with Iraq’s economic and supply difficulties and to put Abdul Azziz-al-
Qassab into Interior in his stead. The other Ministers, excepting perhaps Jamal
Baban, he meant to keep.
4. Unfortunately, his luck seemed to be out. Taufiq Suwaidi, with an
irresponsibility that shakes one’s confidence in him, made impossible demands.
He wanted most of the old Ministers, including Salih Jabr and Abdul Mahdi, to
be dropped and to introduce men such as Umar Nazmi and Mustafa-al-Umari,
with whom Nuri Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. knew that it would be impossible for him to work
in harmony. Furthermore, he was dissatisfied with the offer of the Ministry for
. Foreign Affairs unless he could also have the title of Deputy Prime Minister (for
which there is no constitutional provision) and asked for either Interior or
Finance for himself. He spoke in disparaging terms of the late Government’s
policy of close co-operation with His Majesty’s Government and declared that
Nuri Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. was retaining Salih Jabr only because the British had told him to
do so.
5. In these circumstances, Nuri Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. had no alternative but to give up the
idea of including the “ Red Fox ” in the new Cabinet. Nor did the rest of the
Prime Minister’s plan work out smoothly. Abdul Azziz-al-Qassab and Amin
Zaki both declined office (fortunately, in my view) on account of their poor health,
and Tahsin Ali was unexpectedly ^ protected by the Regent, who, for personal
reasons which I have not yet fathomed, pressed for his retention. In consequence
[rEGd. POL.