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File 301/1921 'MESOPOTAMIA: INTELLIGENCE REPORTS' [259v] (529/586)
The record is made up of 1 volume (289 folios). It was created in 15 Nov 1920-31 Oct 1921. It was written in English. The original is part of the British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .
Transcription
This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.
2
scheme for expediting the restoration of the Euphrates valley to normal condi
tions now that the tribes have surrendered to our troops. In view of the Bolshe
vist menace on the Northern frontier of the ‘Iraq, this is undoubtedly a
matter of much importance. On Friday evening (November 26th) he sub
mitted a written appreciation of the situation to the Naqib with a view to its
being included in the Agenda for the next meeting of the Council. The Naqib
heard the Minister’s exposition patiently and at the end asJsed for more time to
consider a matter of such importance. Saiyid Talib was somewhat annoyed at
this and, taking the paper from the Naqib, tore it into fragments in token of
his displeasure. He then went home alnd wrote a letter to the Naqib asking for
a month’s leave to visit his sick father or, in the alternative, the acceptance of
his resignation. The Naqib replied (in a letter written with his own hand)
somewhat hotly , expressing the hope that the Minister would soon return to his
senses and resume the important activities of his office. Saiyid Talib sent in
his resignation to the High Commissioner on November 29th but withdrew it on
the same day.
The news of his resignation lost little time in becoming public property
and was published in the “ Istiqlal ” of November 28th. At best it may be
considered a misguided attempt to win popularity—a mere Mllon d’ essai.
NOTES ON PUBLIC OPINION.
6. In a proclamation, dated November the 11th, The High Commissioner
formally announced the formation of a Council of State (Appendix I).
I. During the past few days there has been a feeling of uneasinesis in the
local political world of Baghdad. It may be only a passing phase, it has a
certain amount of significance in the light of certain events. These events may
be summarised as:—
Wrangel’s collapse and his note of warning to .the British Empire.
Lord Curzon’s speech on the Bolshevik menace to the British Empir
that Bolshevists look on the British as their great enemy.
1 he trouble in Greece in which British interference has been
diated.
repu-
Phe rumoured withdrawal of British forces from Iran and concentration
on the Indian Frontier.
News of a Moslem Power in Turkistan.
News of the rapid increase of Mustafa Kamal Pasha’s influence and
strength and of his rapproachement with the Porte and with the
s Sharif.
Bolshevik propaganda in ‘Iraq—the obvious Bolshevik propagandist
tone of the paper “ A1 Istiqlal ”. 1 5
Aetmties of the Indian Khalifat leaders and their communication with
Ulama of Iraq and elsewhere.
The Cabinet crisis in Baghdad.
vmi A11 . tlie ab(n ’ e hav f been freely discussed of late in the diwans of Baghdad
with^the^ suggestion 1 tha t t^ 8 t0pi % and the exaggerations Spied
wnn tne suggestion that the campaign of economy in London will necessitate
British withdrawal from these parts, have perbaps developed an due imnm
sion that “ something is going to happen ’’. impies-
more parochial and drearof an independ^^fansl± f* eVeD
all ‘ knowledo-Mhle 7 vp-uw nhiuT a! x , iraqian 8tate, but few who are at
protector Without such a nrntlpt la Lf uc l . a t lmg is P oss ible without a strong
-‘Iraq to national nni^
the Bolshevir«e bJ ttrele mht ^ K fr0m bri ^ ht - Th ere is
no National unity the only w ^ uld co<luet with that - wit1 '
imagine that Bolshevism inioht be ut'r if ‘ s , araj an( i there are dome who
chained asrtZ SZSdlt a^'tui d t™* ?T ent b » nds and the “ be
Asia. The Khalifat would lia-i-o + uild np an Islamic Empire m Central
direct descendant of the Prophet to provide llead ’ P^sumably to a
ic mopner, to provide a common ground for all sects.
I
About this item
- Content
This volume contains the Intelligence Reports of Sir Percy Cox, High Commissioner for Mesopotamia [also written as Iraq in this volume], based in Baghdad, covering the period 15 November 1920 to 15 September 1921. They largely relate to: the political situation in Mesopotamia and the surrounding region; the formation and proceedings of the provisional government; the events leading up to the creation of Mandatory Iraq [also known as the Kingdom of Iraq under British Administration] and the election and appointment of Faisal [Fayṣal bin Ḥusayn bin ‘Alī al-Hāshimī] as the first King of Iraq [Fayṣal I].
The Intelligence Reports are numbered and appear to have been issued at two-week intervals. This volume contains the reports numbered 1-3, 9-19 and 21. There is no explanation in the volume regarding the reason for the absent reports. The format of the reports is a mixture of printed and copy typescript. Each report is preceded by a covering circular issued by the office of the High Commissioner indicating the British Government departments and the officers and departments in the Middle East to which the report was copied.
Report Nos. 1-3 are preceded by an assessment of the political situation described in the Intelligence Report, written by Major R Marrs.
The reports generally comprise the following sections:
- A summary of the report (from report No. 14 onwards only)
- An account of the proceedings of the Council of Ministers
- Analysis of current public opinion and allegiances, (notably an analysis of public opinion on the Amir [Emir] Faisal and his arrival in Mesopotamia, including a reference to his 'personal magnetism', f 88), in report Nos 16-19
- Notes on provincial affairs
- Notes on the situation at the frontiers
- Extracts of 'Iraq Police Abstracts of Intelligence' (reports No. 9-14 only).
Other subjects notably covered in various reports include:
- Assyrian, Armenian and Urumiyan [Urmian] refugees (report Nos. 2 and 19)
- Perceived foreign influences in Iraq (report Nos. 2 and 3)
- The withdrawal of Saiyid [Sayyid] Talib Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. [Sayyid Ṭālib bin Rajab al-Naqīb] from the Government and Baghdad (report No. 12)
- Kurdistan (report Nos. 12-14)
- Turkish and Kurdish Frontiers (report No. 12)
- Dair al Zor [Deir ez-Zor] (report Nos. 1 and 12)
- Notes on 'Internal Affairs' (Nos. 18 and 19)
- Analysis of the referendum result which confirmed the election of Faisal as Iraq's first monarch (report No. 19)
- The formation of King Faisal's first cabinet (report No. 21).
Appendices are included with some reports, usually comprising copies of the High Commissioner's proclamations or communications 'to the people of Iraq' or documents relevant to the particular report (notably 'Provisional scheme for the re-organisation of the law courts' and 'Report of the committee constituted for studying the irrigation problem in Mesopotamia' in report No. 9).
Each report is concluded with a Supplement or Press Bureau Report, comprising extensive summaries and extracts of newspaper articles published in the local and 'foreign' (local region mainly) press. Notable publications cited are: Al 'Iraq , Al Fallah Arabic for ‘peasant’. It was used by British officials to refer to agricultural workers or to members of a social class employed primarily in agricultural labour. , Al Dijlah , and (Syrian publication) Lissan al 'Arab.
The volume includes a divider which gives the subject number, the year the subject file was opened, the subject heading, and a list of correspondence references by year. This is placed at the end of the correspondence (front of the volume).
- Extent and format
- 1 volume (289 folios)
- Arrangement
The reports are arranged mostly in numerical/chronological order from the rear to the front of the volume. Report No. 18 is followed by Report No. 21 and then Report No. 19 which is the last report in the volume.
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 284; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio. The foliation sequence does not include the front and back covers, nor does it include the two leading and two ending flyleaves. The sequence contains one foliation anomaly: f 267a.
- Written in
- English in Latin script View the complete information for this record
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Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- IOR/L/PS/10/962
- Title
- File 301/1921 'MESOPOTAMIA: INTELLIGENCE REPORTS'
- Pages
- front, back, spine, edge, head, tail, front-i, i-r:ii-v, 1r:11r, 12v:13r, 20r:26v, 32v:34v, 35v:49v, 53v:57v, 59r:61r, 70v:74r, 75r:79r, 88r:94v, 99v:103v, 105r:112r, 113v:125v, 127v:128v, 129v:150v, 154v, 155v:171v, 178v:181v, 183v:190v, 192v:219v, 222v:246v, 249v:260r, 261r:264v, 265v, 267v, 267ar:267av, 268r:284v, iii-r:iv-v, back-i
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence