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there. They had met and dined with Angmann at Sivend the night of the
Shiraz affair He apparently knew what was going on in Shiraz and was
recalled that night (I will get more details about this). Afterwards when
Mrs, Christmas was at Shiraz Angmann told her that he had had Mackertich
shot one hour after his arrival m Shiraz for “ treachery to the Gendarmerie
She adds that Samadagha Russian subject or protege of Shiraz was forced
to pay lumans ^0,000 She confirms information regarding H. Malcolm and
says Zeytoon was let off being fined on his explaining that he was not a British
Hr. Azzopardy and Mrs. Christmas were told they were free but were,
m s P lte of this, brought down to Abram, but were well treated and had a
comiortable journey.
Mrs^ Christmas spent 2 days at Ahram with prisoners and says they are
well tieated and as comfortable as circumstances will permit (which is not
much) and all well except 0 Connor who is not very fit. AVassmuss was
there and was very polite.
Addressed Tehran, repeated Basrah and India (by post).
Jlnclo. 3 to Serial jN’o. 253.
No. Cf.-4i39, dated Bushire, the 13th December 1915.
From Major A. P, Trevor, C.I.E., Deputy Political Besident, Persian Gulf,
To—The Secretary to the Government of Bombay, Political Department, Bombay.
I have the honour to forward herewith a copy (together with a translation)
of a letter from Herr Wassmuss to Doctor Listemann, lately German Consul at
Bushire, and now interned at Ahmednagar I understand.
It will probably be within your knowledge that Herr Wassmuss who had
been acting German Consul at Bushire, returned to Germany just before the
war began. The war broke out before he got home, and I understand the ship
he was on was detained a short time at Port Said, but he was able to get
through to Germany with the German Consular Officials from Egypt. After
a short stay in Berlin he was sent out to the East via Constantinople and
Baghdad in charge of a special mission to excite enmity and hatred against the
British in Persia, Afghanistan and India, and if possible work up the Muham
madan Clergy to preach jehad. He brought with him two or three Indian
seditionists and a lot of seditious literature and pamphlets in the principal
Indian languages. He arrived in Arabistan via Pusht-i-£uh at the beginning
of the year, and as he was obviously violating the neutrality of Persia and no
steps were taken by the Persian Government to stop him an attempt was made
to arrest him, this failed but his Doctor—the Dr. Linders alluded to in the
letter—was arrested and the papers, etc, with the mission seized.
Subsequently Wassmuss turned his attention to stirring up the tribes
in the hinterland to attack Bushire, and since May last has devoted almost
the whole of his energies, expended large sums of money, and distributed
large quantities of arms and ammunition with this object. He has, as is
well known, achieved considerable success.
He has now got what he considers a trump card in the shape of the
British Consul and Colony from Shiraz who were arrested on the 10th
November by the Gendarmerie, who had long been rabidly pro-German and
now, having apparently heard that the Persian Government was swinging to
the side of the Allies, have openly declared with the Germans and revolted
against their own Government. The Shiraz Colony consisting of Major
O’Connor, C.I.E., the Consul, and seven men are now at Ahram in Tangistan
in charge of Herr Wassmuss and two local Khans Zair Khidhar and Shaikh
Husain? These persons wish to use their, captives either to exchange with
Germans and Persians arrested on Persian soil, or at. least as a means of
gettin 0 * concessions a^ to the treatment of the latter. With these preuminary
remarks, for the length of which I apologize, especially as much of this is
ancient history, I come to Herr Wassmuss’ actual letter It is misleading m
many respects and should, in my opinion, be censored before deliveiy.