Coll 28/67 ‘Persia. Annual Reports, 1932–’ [‎163v] (326/644)

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(10) Military Operations.
508. Isolated acts of brigandage are dealt with under the paragraphs
devoted to security in another section of this report. The only two provinces in
which troops have been on active service are Persian Baluchistan and ivurdis an
though their actions in either of these areas hardly merit the desciiption o
military operations and deserve no more than passing mention. Both areas lie
on the frontier of Iran, both are mountainous and both contain a vinle lace ol
nomadic tribesmen. In both areas smuggling and the Iranian Govemment s
attempts to prevent it are the prime causes of the unrest, though Government s
measures of conscription, disarming and settling are secondary causes. In both
areas the Iranians claim that their enemies are drawing supplies of arms and
ammunition from across the border. In both areas the past year has been
characterised by military occupation (concentrated in Kurdistan and scatteied in
Baluchistan) rather than offensive action. In both areas attempts have been made
to negotiate with the tribes and a more conciliatory policy followed. At this
point, however, the similarity ceases. In Baluchistan, the size of the affected
area and its inaccessibility seem to have crippled the Government s offensi\e
powers. In Kurdistan, on the other hand, the Iranian forces are admirably placed
for executing parallel £ drives into the heart of the tribesmen s habitat and,
given Iraqi co-operation, could clean up this area in a campaign of three months
duration. The reason underlying their inactivity is a political one and they now
hope by conciliatory measures to win over to their side of the border the not
inconsiderable number of nomadic Kurds who, for the past few years, have
preferred Iraqi sovereignty to that of Iran.
(H) Travellers—British Officers.
509. The following officers visited Iran during 1935
Group Captain R. E. Saul, D.F.C. Royal Air Force.
Major J. A. Codrington, Coldstream Guards.
Major H. J. Underwood, l/15th Punjab Regiment.
Bt.-Major G. H. B. Wood, Royal Deccan Horse.
Captain G. R. Mockler, Royal Artillery.
Captain S. T. Apcar, Army Remount Department.
Lieutenant E. J. C. Chaytor, Royal Artillery.
Lieutenant W. F. Kemble, Royal Artillery.
Lieutenant L. D. M. Patterson, Royal Corps of Signals.
Lieutenant T. A. K. Hickman, 13/'l8th Hussars.
(12) Language Study Officers.
510. Lieutenant W. M. T. Magan, Sam Browne’s Cavalry (12th Frontier
Force) arrived in Shiraz on the 15th March, 1935, for a twelve months’ course of
study of Persian.
(13) Travellers—Foreign Military Officers.
511. The following visited Iran during 1935 :—
Colonel Hata, Japanese military attach^ in Moscow.
Major M. Nito, Japanese military attach^ in Kabul.
(14) Foreign Military Missions.
512. The strength of the French military mission has increased to fifteen
officers. The senior officer is General Gendre. Colonel Royer, one of the senior
officers, recently did an attachment in the Aldershot Command.
(15) Colleagues.
513. Chef d’Escadron Raymond David, French military attache since 1930,
died on the 2nd September. The death of this popular officer is to be deplored.
He maintained the closest liaison with two successive British military attaches.
No announcement as to his successor had been made up to the end of the year.
There have been no changes among the remaining foreign military attaches.