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Officials.
9. The Minister of the Interior is now on tour in Azerbaijan with the
mission of accelerating the re-establishment of the civil administration and of
the police and gendarmerie. I
10. The chief of the gendarmerie has recently toured to Isfahan, Shira^
and Bushire to investigate security arrangements on that road.
11 . Mahmoud Jam, Persian Minister-Designate to Egypt, left Tehran for
Cairo on the 6 th November.
Civil Appointments.
12 . Mushfiq Kazerni to be counsellor to the Persian Legation in Egypt.
Issa Soroush to be Governor of Yazd.
Internal Security.
13. In Kurdistan the situation has not greatly changed. The Kurds still
remain in undisputed possession of tracts of country from Lake Urmia, and
perhaps further northwards, to Senna, They have made no offensive move against
the latfer place, which is garrisoned by British forces. There is as yet no
indication that the Kurds are prepared to submit to the complete re-establishment
of Persian authority or that the Persian Government is likely to be able for some
time to come to impose its authority by force. The commander of the local
Persian forces is supposed to be initiating negotiations with the Kurds. These
negotiations are likely to have the nature of intrigues playing on inter-tribal
jealousies and on the lack of cohesion among the tribes. They may lead to a
temporary settlement, but, as Kurdish unrest goes deeper than discontent with
Persian administration, the Kurdish problem is likely to remain a problem.
14. Even the small extent to which the rearming of the police and
gendarmerie has been effected has improved the situation in the neighbourhood
of Meshed. Some arms of deserters have been collected from the countryside by
Persian authorities, and, since the Russians have not confiscated the arms recently
issued to the gendarmerie, more arms will be sent from Tehran.
15. In Ears disturbances still continue. Seven Persian soldiers were killed
in a fight with Qashqai robbers, and further hold-ups have occurred on the
Bushire-Shiraz road. The local Persian military authorities claim to have
arrested fifty road robbers. There are as yet no grounds for thinking that these
disturbances have any political significance. The situation, however, has
possibilities, as the Qashqai tribe appear to be rallying round Maser Khan (see
Summary No. 22 , paragraph 11). who is now back in tribal country, where he
is said to have been visited by most of the head-men of sub-tribes.
Persian A rmy.
16. It does not appear that much progress has been made with the raising
of voluntary forces as a temporary measure to deal with existing disorders.
Uncertainty about the future still creates a lack of confidence in all ranks.
Strong rumours have been in circulation that Persian troops are to be taken to
Russia to fight the Germans.
Military Appointments.
17. Brigadier Kerim Hidayet (108) to be Director of Medical Services, vice
Major-General Atabai, transferred to the Ministry of Public Health.
Brigadier Hidayet, Director of the 3rd Bureau, General Staff, to be
Director of the Staff "College in addition, vice General Zarqhami, retired.
Retirements.
The following have retired :—
General officers—
Karim Agha Buzurjmehri (70) (55).
Ali Naqdi (196).
Azizullah Zarqhami (308).
Husain Agha Khazai (149).
Khudayari Khudayari (152) (112).
Amir Fazli.