'Military report on Tehran and adjacent Provinces of North-West Persia (including the Caspian Littoral)' [‎202v] (409/610)

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Tehran simultaneously with the Bakhtiaris on 13th July 1909,
when he dictated terms to Muhammad All Shah. After the
deposition of Muhammad All he was appointed Prime Minister
and held office for almost a year. He was reappointed Premier in
March 1911, left Tehran in a fit of temper on June 15th 1911 for
Rasht in consequence of a disagreement with the Majlis and
Cabinet, but returned to Tehran in July 9th and remained in
office until July 24th.
By this period his relations with the Nationalists had become
strained, he took no steps against the ex-Shah who was threaten-
ing Tehran from Mazandaran and was roundly accused of
treachery. He was Minister of War in 1915 and Prime Minister
for the third time from March to August 1916, when the Russian
troops under General Baratoff were in the country, and he did
exactly as he was told.
On 5th August 1916 he signed a note granting control of
Persian finances to a British and Russian Commission and Anglo-
Russian control of two forces, each of 11,000 men, for North and
South Persia under Russian and British officers respectively.
When the Turks occupied Hamadan in August 1916 he deemed
it advisable to withdraw from public life and retired to Kazvin.
In 1919 he was Governor General of Azarbaijan, where, until
recalled to Tehran, he stirred up trouble against Vusuq-ud-
Dauleh, the Prime Minister, with whom he was on bad terms.
He is an impetuous, flighty, eccentric old grandee, at one time
Constitutionalist and at another Reactionary, not lacking in
vigour but quite irresponsible. He has the courage of his con
victions but owing to his inconstancy of mind is not taken
seriously. He is rapacious like the rest of his class. During his
Premiership he robbed on a grand scale and for several years his
estates have paid no taxes to the Government. His huge pro
perty is in the provinces which were the centre of Russian in
fluence, so it was to his interest to be pro-Russian. After the
fall of Russia his enmity with Vusuq-ud-Dauleh tended to
prevent his becoming pro-British, but after the Bolshevik
inroad no other alternative was left to him.
No. 32. SULAIMAN MIRZA.
An obscure descendant of Path Ali Shah he attained pro
minence as a Constitutionalist, and after the retirement of
Taqizadeh to Europe in 1910 he succeeded him as official demo
cratic leader in the 2nd Majlis, a position which he retained
in the 3rd Majlis of 1914. He was pro-German and a ringleader