مجموعة ٣٠/١١٤ "تقارير إجراءات السُفُن البريطانية." [و‎‎٢‎٦‎٤] (١٢٠٣/٥٢٧)

6. Serious Accident to Secon d Son of the Ruler . Sheikh
Mohammad al Ahmad as Subah sustained serious injuries and
concussion in a motor car accident near Amara on 3rd November.
He is normally in charge of the Sheikh's date gardens in Iraq,
this accident has not made him very popular with the rest of the
family, as this is the season when he should be distributing
the profits made on the year'o working. (Kuvait Int. Report).
IRAQ.
7. The Coup d'Stat and its results. The course of events
has been fully reported in the Press, but it is not easy to
arrive at the causes of it apart from the personal ambitions
of Bekr Sidqi.
It is certain that Ghazi was getting tired of the
supervision over his private life after the palace scandals of
June last, Nuri as Said in particular had been very outspoken.
It is, therefore, possible that the germ of the idea was sown
when Bekr Sidqi interviewed the King on 12th October on the
former's return from Central Europe.
The friendship of the King and Bekr Sidqi dates from
1933 when the present King, then Crown Prince, marched into
Baghdad with Bekr Sidqi at the head of the so-called victorious
army after massacring the Assyrians.
It is also certain: that the Coup d'Etat had to take
place before 30th October, as far as Bekr Sidqi was concerned
as this was the date when the Chief of the General Staff was
due back from leave in Europe to relieve him.
Arrangements had already been made f or the Army to
concentrate close to Baghdad for combined manoeuvres and it
only remained for Bekr to get the senior Air Force Officer,
Mohammed Ali Jowad, on his side. No inkling that anything
unusual was afoot was received by the outside world until 28th
October when the Iraqi \ir Force left Hinaidi to join the Army,
carrying live bombs.
The Coup d'Etat was carried out with a skill and
organisation that is rarely met with in Iraq and it is of
interest to observe that Bekr Sidqi had attended a course at the
Staff College at Camberley and Mohamed Ali Jowad had been to
Cranwell.
Tiie new Prime Minister has got an encouraging start as
his predecessor had become very unpopular, and he is starting
off with a programme of reform, which though a great deal of it
is incapable of achievement, nevertheless arouses a considerable
enthusiasm with many sections of the country. His main
difficulty is likely to be in dealing with the Army, which has
placed him in power, as it is extremely doubtful whether Bekr
Sidqi will be content with merely being the Chief of the
General Staff. At present he is carrying out certain reforms
to the Army and making fresh appointments, to get it more
solidly behind him. (R.A.F. Int. Report).