'File 11/44 Leading Personalities in Iraq, Iran & Saudi Arabia' [‎28v] (56/96)

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the right conditions his party might expect strong
support from the middle classes, particularly the
younger professional men.
Kamil al Chadirchi was asked to enter Nuri
Pasha’s Cabinet in 1943 but refused to do so on the
ground that he could only take office if he could head
a Government formed of his own party. In the
autumn of 1946 he fell foul of the Government. He
was arrested, tried and imprisoned for attacking the
Government in his newspaper Sawt al Ahali. His
sentence was subsequently quashed and a re-trial
ordered (October).
The trial made a considerable stir which his party
exploited, but the affair showed that he is no leader.
He has progressive ideas but is unable to co-ordinate
them or to form any stable or consistent policy.
Chadirchi is a rich landlord, cultivated, and a
pleasant dinner-party companion. He is no Com
munist and has had little personal contact with the
working-classes whose cause he champions in the
clubs and drawing-rooms of Bagdad. His English is
weak but his Turkish is good. He is friendly to
us and has just sent his son to study at an English
university.
As the leader of the National Democratic Party
he has given expression in his newspaper to strong
views against various aspects of the policy of Saleh
Jabr, notably the Turkish and Transjordan Used in three contexts: the geographical region to the east of the River Jordan (literally ‘across the River Jordan’); a British protectorate (1921-46); an independent political entity (1946-49) now known as Jordan treaties.
This has again led to his trial on press law charges.
63. Khalid Sulaiman
Brother of Hikmat Sulaiman (q.v.). Born 1877.
Returned in 1926 from Constantinople, where he had
spent most of his life in commerce. Was Minister
for Education under Taufiq Suwaidi in April 1929.
In the reshuffle of portfolios which followed Abdul
Muhsin Beg’s suicide in November 1929, Khalid Beg
was made Minister for Irrigation and Agriculture
under Naji Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. Suwaida. A pleasant, honest and
likeable man, but has no influence in politics.
Appointed Director-General, Public Works Depart
ment, January 1932. Transferred to be Director-
General of Posts and Telegraphs in September 1934.
Appointed Iraqi Minister at Tehran March 1935.
Retired in March 1939 and now lives on his
pension.
64. Khalid Zahawi
Sunni. Born 1889. Entered Military College at
Constantinople in 1903. Served in the Turkish army
until 1924. Joined Iraq army and was appointed
aide-de-camp to the late King Feisal I. Promoted to
colonel in 1931 and appointed Commandant of the
Military College. Went to the Staff College,
Camberley, in 1934 and on his return was made a
brigadier and appointed Director of Military Opera
tions. Became O.C., R.I.A.F., in 1936. Appointed
Director of Army Administration in 1937. Placed on
pension in February 1939. Appointed Mutessarif of
Kut in October 1939. After the collapse of Rashid
Ali’s rebellion in May 1941 became Mutessarif of
Bagdad, but was relieved of his appointment in June.
Appointed Iraqi Minister at Kabul in November
1942.
65. Khalil Ismail
Sunni of Bagdad. Born 1903. Graduate of Law
College, Bagdad. Held various positions under the
Ministry of the Interior 1925-32. Appointed
Secretary to the Cabinet 1932. Director-General of
Ministry of Interior 1935. Director-General of
Education 1936. Pleasant, reasonable, speaks
English well.
Appointed Director-General in the Ministry for
Foreign Affairs in August 1937, but in October he was
sent to be Mutessarif of Amarah.
Director-General of Ministry of the Interior
September 1938.
Appointed Director-General of Awqaf in 1940.
Appointed Director-General of Census in October
1941.
Director-General of Finance, August 1943.
Appointed Director-General of Revenues in
December 1942.
Transferred to the more lucrative post of Director-
General of Customs and Excise in March 1945.
Chairman of the Import Committee of Ministry of
Supply formed in July 1947.
66. Khushaba, Malik
Assyrian chieftain of the Lower Tiari tribe, aged
about 55. Presbyterian, and generally in disagree
ment with Mar Shimun. Well educated by American
missionaries at Urumia. A striking personality with
a romantic record as fighter and leader. Supported
the Iraqi Government in their efforts to settle the
Assyrians satisfactorily in Iraq and thereby incurred
the bitter enmity of Mar Shimun. Many of his
followers were, however, quite innocently massacred
in August 1933 in spite of their friendly attitude
towards the Iraqi Government. He desires to leave
Iraq, but does not wish to be resettled in the same
place as Mar Shimun.
Since hope of moving all the Assyrians from Iraq
has been abandoned, Malik Khushaba has settled
down to a quiet life in his village. Now resides in
Mosul.
67. Mahmud A bdul Karim
Aged about 32. Reuters correspondent in Iraq.
Worked as a secretary in the Royal Bilat from
1932-38. Started a daily newspaper called Al Diyar
in 1945 but it was not a success and folded up in
July 1946. Karim is very friendly to us. He went
to London with the Iraqi press delegation in 1945
and remained in England for some time working in
Reuters head office. He returned to England in
January 1946 as press attach^ to the Iraqi Delega
tion to U.N.O. He Avas a follower of Ibrahim Kemal
(q.v.) but has taken no active part in politics. He
was well-liked by Hamdi Pachachi but is disliked
by Nuri Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. and has fallen foul of Arshad. He
is a good writer The lowest of the four classes into which East India Company civil servants were divided. A Writer’s duties originally consisted mostly of copying documents and book-keeping. but is inclined to be careless in
checking his facts. While in England he fell in love
with a London soliticor’s daughter whom he married
in the summer of 1946. He speaks fluent English.
68. Mahmud Subhi Daftari O
Sunni of Bagdad. Lawyer. Bora 1890. Went (0\
with his father to Constantinople during the occupa
tion and returned in 1919. Appointed Amin-al-
Asimah (Mayor of Bagdad) April 1930, but was
dismissed in September 1931. Appointed principal
of the Law School November 1931, but resigned
immediately after his appointment. Became Director-
General of Tapu December 1932 and Amin-al-Asimah
October 1933. Transferred to the Ministry of the
Interior as Director-General of Municipalities in
November 1936. He soon quarrelled with Arshad-al-
Umari, the Amin-al-Asimah, and resigned. He was
made a Senator in October 1937.
Pleasant, well intentioned and noticeably more
moderate in politics than in his earlier days.
Became Minister of Justice in Cabinet formed by
Nuri-al-Said in December 1938, but devoted more
attention to his entertaining than to his official
duties. Resigned February 1940 with whole Cabinet.
Made a Senator in 1940.
Made Minister for Foreign Affairs in Nuri Said’s
Cabinet in December 1943, a post which he obviously
enjoyed enormously. Resigned with the whole
Cabinet in June 1944.
69. Mahrut-bin-Hadhdhal, Shaikh
Chief of the Amarat, Anaiza (Arab) tribe of Iraq.
He succeeded his father in 1927. Born about 1896.
Intensely proud, but wiser than he appears to be.