ملف ٣٥١٦\١٩١٤ الجزء ٧ "الحرب الألمانية: بلاد فارس" [ظ‎‎٩‎٤] (٥١٩/١٩٣)

4
consul-general at Bushire, and urges that, provided that the eventuality of Persia
throwing in her lot with Germany and Turkey is improbable or even uncertain, it would
be in our interests to maintain the gendarmerie in Bars. •
I enclose a paraphrase of this telegram and of an earlier one from Major 0 Connor,
as well as one from Major Trevor.
I nQ'XT'A Arr*
CHARLES M. MARLING.
Enclosure 1 in No. 1.
Consul O’Connor to Mr. Marling.
(Telegraphic.) , . SUraz ’ June l ’ 1915 '
MY telegram No. 165: General question of gendarmerie. . 1 ,
Captain Poussette tells me that if adequate funds are not forthcoming by the end
of the current Persian month, that is, by about the 20th June, he has instructions to
march the regiment to Tehran. . r* j- j ,-i .
Their disappeance from Ears necessarily involves recrudescence oi disoider, robbery,
and “ rahdari ”* on the main trade routes, and province would rapidly revert to the
intolerable condition of anarchy which existed three years ago. On the other hand it
is difficult for us to afford them further support as long as they show themselves hostile
to our interests. . , .
As already stated, I believe that Poussette is generally well disposed and anxious
for the sake of his own reputation as well as on general grounds to keep the gendarmerie
The question therefore arises what policy do your Excellency and His Majesty s
Government, desire to pursue regarding gendarmerie in Ears ? If its continued existence
is considered desirable, we should be obliged to supply funds, and might perhaps under
take to do so for say, one year, under certain conditions which I would outline somewhat
as follows :—
1. Eormal assurances on the part of the commandant of the gendarmerie at Tehran
and of the officer commanding at Shiraz that the gendarmerie will observe the strictest
neutrality as long as this is the policy of the Persian Government, and that they will
take sternest measures to insist on the observance of this policy by Persian officers
and men.
2. Withrawal of gendarmerie detachment from Bushire, where their presence is
not required, and is only a source of embarrassment and friction.
3. Dismissal of three or four Persian officers known to be chief misckiefmakers
in Ears.
I further suggest that ,the necessary funds be advanced as a gift, or at any rate
as a loan without interest to the Persian Government for this specific purpose, the
money to be disbursed by permission of the British Minister from time to time as
required on demand of the officer commanding Ears gendarmerie, addressed to the
British consul. Total sum to be provided, which would not exceed 50,000L, to be
decided in consultation between officer commanding gendarmerie, British consul, and
the financial agent in Shiraz. If this or some other arrangement is not approved,
I venture to urge that the adoption of some alternative policy should be taken into
immediate consideration in order to avert crisis with which we are now T threatened.
(Addressed Tehran, repeated Basra and Bushire.)
Enclosure 2 in No. 1.
Major Trevor to Mr. Marling.
(No. 215 c.) . pioi-
(Telegraphic.) Bushire, June o, lylo.
SHIRAZ telegram No. 170. _ .
As your Excellency is aw’are, we at Bushire have never desired the gendarmerie
below Kazeroun, and I think that it will be agreed that their wmrk on this section as
* Road-tax.