File 1187/1914 Pt 3 ‘Persia: British interests in the South. The Bakhtiari [Lynch] road from Ahwaz to Ispahan’ [‎52r] (100/249)

No. 1025 ? dated Basrah, the 30th July (received the 14th August) 1917.
67 - 15 >
Endorsed by the Deputy Chief Political Officer, Basrah.
r Copy of a letter No. C.-11, dated the 27 th De
cember 1916, from the Chief Political Officer,
Advanced General Headquarters, to the Chief
of the General Staff.
Copy of a letter, dated the 30th December
1916, from the Chief of the General Staff, Indian
Expeditionary Force “ D,” to the Chief Political
Officer.
Copy of a memorandum. No. 250, dated 24th
July 1917, from His Britannic Majesty’s Vice-
Consul, Ahwaz, to the General Staff Officer,
Karun Front.
Copy of Report of Hill Station in Mangasht.
Copy of Route Report from Kaleh Tull to
Siruk.
A copy of the marginally noted cor
respondence is forwarded with compli
ments to the Secretary to the Govern
ment of India in the Foreign and Political
Department, for information, in continua
tion of my memorandum No. 14411 of
December 8th, 1916.
Enclosure 1.
No. C.-ll, dated Advanced General Headquarters, the 27th December 1916.
From—The Chief Political Officer,
To—The Chief of the General Staff.
-- With reference to the correspondence ending with my memorandum No. 6814,
dated September 4th, I attach, for the information of the Army Commander, a copy
of a telegram* which has been received
♦No. 516, December 7th. f rom Captain Noel, His Majesty’s Vice-
Consul, Ahwaz, now at Tehran. Army Commander’s consideration is requested in
regard to the last paragraph.
The position is briefly this.
After exploring Kuh-i-Mangasht last summer, Captain Noel recommended it
as a practicable hill station for troops.
The Persian Transport Company (Messrs. Lynch Brothers) now propose, as
a commercial enterprise, improving the Ahwaz-Ispahan mule road into a cart
road The project will be a costly one, and in considering their Engineer s esti
mates they would be glad to know if anything is likely to come of the suggestion
for a hill resort for troops at Kuh-i-Mangasht and, if so, whether they may expect
any co-operation or contribution from us, i.e., from Army Commander, if question
for hill station is of immediate concern to this Force, or from His Majesty s Gov
ernment, if the question is a post-war one. On general military grounds, it is no
doubt in our interests to have a cart road as far as possible on the route from
Ahwaz to Ispahan. What seems to be needed is a telegram from Army Command
er to India mentioning Noel’s proposal regarding Mangasht and the Persian t rans
port Company’s present project, and giving his views as to the desirability of any
military contribution to the Ahwaz-Pul-i-Shalu section on grounds either of
present or post-war expediency.
«
Enclosure 2.
Dated the' 30th December 1916.
From—M ajor-General A. W. Money, Chief of the General Staff, Indian Expedition
ary Force “ D,”
To—The Chief Political Officer.
so
With reference to your C.-llf of 27th December, and Captain Noel’s recom-
t Enclosure i above. mendation regarding the Kuh-i-Mangasht.
The Army Commander sees no pos sibility of being able to utilise a hill station
ir from where the bulk of troops are located during the continuance ot tne war