"ملف ٨/٣ شؤون أولاد الشيخ خزعل." [ظ‎‎١‎٣‎٧] (٥٠٨/٢٧٤)

SECRET
b -
they had made to his father, and said the tribes were ready to fight
at ary time against 'their sole enemy', Persia, The Embassy replied
that the pledge given to KELAZ r iL depended on his remaining a loyal
subject of Persia; if CHASSIS persisted in re gaming the lawful Persian
Government as his enemy, he could expect no more help from the British#
'« r •-
27* At the beginning of July rumours again said that the brothers
had declared that they were going back to KHUZISTAN to lead a revolt.
On instructions the British Consul-General in B'ISRA visited them, and'H
found them still divided in counsel. CHASSIS ceald not deciae whether
or not he should go to TEHRAN and negotiate. He v/anted the British
Embassy there to back him up,, at the least if he made no headway. As
well as this he wanted the Persians to guarantee that whatever happened
they would let him go back to Iraq,. But it proved impossible to extract
any definite pledge from the Persians* None the less CHASSIB wrote a.
letter addressed to the Sheikhs of ARA3ISTAN appointing his brother./.
•ABDULLAH as his deputy (presumably during OH ASS IB i s absence in TEHRAN).
•ABDULLAH, however, taking a. more aggressive line crew up a constitution
for a principality <:P KHQSISTAN (based on a very C arge measure of
autonomy) which, said, h.e was going to submit to the f:ikhs ''at .
the earliest oppe urHty'h Towards the middle of the m •. , the Persians f
gave permission for CHASSIS to come to TEHRAN and the Ii qis agreed to
him have a visa, •- long as he v;ent through KHAITAQIN, not KHUZISTidL
However on the very next day ABDULLAH announced his intention of crossing
the frontier that afternoon to raise rebellion. The acting hutasarrif
tried to reason with him; he refused to listen ant both he and CHASSIB,
who thereupon declared that he agreed fully with his brother's plans,
were arrested. From, hints it was deduced thut ABDULLAH'S scheme.ywas
to stir up trouble to back CHASSIB while the latter negotiated ±i% .TEHRAN.
Both brothers were remo ved to ALIARA and there pic cod. in the internment
camp. What was i.ncorTprehensi'ble was that throughout this period.; .
ABDULLAH had kerb British officials in BASRii fully informed of,his g .
intentions, and by awiouroirg his impending departure for Persia had- in
fact invited arrest* , . ( .
28. The re-actions of the Arabs in KHUZISTAN to the arrest of the 0
two brothers were no doubt disappointing to them. The Arabs to the
North-East of AHWAZ having recently undergone disarmament operations at
the hands of the Persian Army took no notice at all; to the South .at
QUSBAH and MANTUHI, people regretted the arrest p two such p..omi:^nt
KHAZ’ALs as CHASSIB and ABDULLAH but said nothing more^
29* Meanwhile, the detention of the KHAZ'ALs did not prevent
, arrangements going forward as before for their journey to TEHRAN, and
this was fixed for July 25th. However, as soon j.s they got to BAGHDAD,
they declared they were being deported and handed over helpless to the
Persians,, at which the arrangements were immediately cancelled and they
were made to take up forced residence at the Babylon Hotel in BAGHDAD.
ABDULLAH then wrote to the Embassy in BAGHDAD begging for he?.p on the
grounds of extreme poverty, while CHASSIB wrote to the Ministry of
Interior asking eo -• .r for release from forced residence dor an
allowance to enable tne brothers go stay alive® Early in January of
1945 they were .all/ ccd to return to BASRA on an undertaking to inter
fere no further in ;ho affair^
Trtjr-.
30. In October of tha'
was reported that he propos
in the K/iRUl\ T area.
to
CHASS J3B finally went to TEHTUN and it
band as Majlis c jputy for the ^irabs
31* ^ By December, bnere were already reports tiiat ABDULLAH was age- in
preparing to lead a revolt. Rumours Dugan to be heard of a secret visit
made by him go one Persian bank of the SlATT-al-ARAB, of messengers coming
from across the fx’ontier, and even of a minor tribal gathering one night
to support a move across the river which never came off, ABDULLAH ev v n
... told/