'File 2/2 IV Kuwait-Iraq Smuggling' [‎66r] (136/542)

By Air from Bahrain
3.8,Barpeta.
3rd August 1935,
Dear Colonel Dickson,
Gn departure from Basra I left a telegram with the
Mespers Clerk who came on hoard reporting my departure for
Muscat and I hope the same has been received by you.
After leaving Kuwait on the morning of the 28th July
I reached Basra safely at about 9 A,M, and took the mail train
for Kerbella the sams evening, I visited the shrines in
Kerbella in the morning next day and proceeded by car to Nejef
in the evening, I passed the night in Nejef and visited
Koofa also. Next day morning I came back to Kerbella and after
a stay of 2 hours I travelled by car to Baghdad reaching the
latter place at 11 A.M, I utilized every minute that I had at
my disposal and went round Baghdad seeing almost all important
places. I left Baghdad on the 31st and arrived Basra on the
1st. During my short stay in Iraq I am glad I saw many things
and I met many people. You will be interested to hear that it
is not only the high authority and officials who accuse Kuwait
of snuggling etc. but it appears to be a general belief
throughout Iraq. Almost everyone I met asked me many questions
about the smuggling which they believed to be going on from
Kuwait to Iraq on a large scale. They were probably given to
understand that almost every imp thing imported into iraq comes
through Kuwait only. As much as it was possible for me to
say I explained the things to the enquirers and told them that
Kuwait was quite innocent in this affair as she took no part
nor took any shares in the profits made by smugglers. They
could blame their own people who found it a profitable business
to bring things from outside Iraq. Kuwaitis were engaged in
a legitimate trade and they sold their things to those who
came to buy it. They also said that during the recent tribal
troubles Kuwait did not play a fair game and supplied arms
and anmunitions to the rebels. I told them that it was a news
for me as I never heard of such things as arms and ammunition
to be available in Kuwait for the purpose of sale, and there
was strict embargo on importation of arms into that State
and the Ruler shaved his good regard for his neighbour State
Iraq by allowing none to take out any kind of arms from Kuwait.
It was very unkind of Iraqis to misjudge Kuwait in that
respect. Murid Husain, an Indian who has lately been n
naturalized Iraqi and is now Stationmaster at Kerbella told
me that it was a general belief that there was a hand of
British Government in the recent troubles and that all the
arms supplied to the tribesmen came from England and through
Kuwait only. He said that most think that unless they have
their own control in Kuwait they shall never be able to live
in peace. This is the essence of the talks I had with
several people in Kerbella Nejef and Baghdad.
While passing in front of the Persian Consulate at
Baghdad I noticed that there was a crowd in the yard and to
see what was happening inside I went in. I found that people
had come there to take out the Persian nationality papers.
I learnt that those Persinas who had adopted Iraqi nationality
to escape from the law of conscription in Persia were return
ing tto Persian nationality to avoid the enlistment in the
Iraq defence force under the Conscription law passed by the
Iraq Government recently.
In eonclusio]