ملف ٣٤٤٣\ ١٩١٤ الجزء ٣ "الحرب الألمانية: أفغانستان وبلاد فارس؛ العملاء الألمان؛ القوات البريطانية في شرق بلاد فارس" [ظ‎‎١‎٥‎٣] (٣٤٥/٣١٧)

8
i Officer Commanding Troops informed me same day that he had only barley
h~ f or cavajfy horses up to January 17th owing to threatened failure of Indian
^ contractor. Our 300 mules and 150 horses of Baluch Levies are starving. Ac
cordingly 6 parties of 20 soldiers under British officer were sent out to villages
of Haidar Ali and Purdil Khan on evening of January 5th to search for grain
stores and mount guard on them. All barley found will be brought into camp. ^
Karguzar now promises to summon in 3 or 4 days’ time all other holders of
stocks into towm and gives hopes that arrangement will he effected in this way.
I am entirely sceptical unless great pressure is exerted from Tehran.
No orders on the subject have yet been received by Deputy Governor from
Governor of Birjand.
Our minimum requirements of wheat and barley up to June 30th are res
pectively 6,400 and 3,100 kharwars Tahrizi.
All grain for Birjand as well as for Sistan has to be collected in Sistan.
To assist in collection of these stocks I suggest Shaukat he immediately ordered
down to Sistan personally.
It is advantages if you can send me copies of telegrams issued by Persian,
Government to Governor.
19
Telegram P., No. 12-58, dated the 9th (received 10th) January 19^ 6.
From—The Deputy Political Kesident in the Persian Gulf,
To—The Secretary to the Government of India in the Foreign and Political'
Department, Delhi.
(Sent to Tehran, repeated Foreign and Basrah.)
Please sea my telegram No. 772-0.
The courier who went with my letter returned and reported its delivery..
Telegram received from Consul at Bunder Abbas reports that Nizam *ul-Mulk,
Kawam’s son-in-law, arrived yesterday at Bunder Abbas with a note of Kawam
asking assistance from us. He asks for 4 maxims with instructors,
£500,000 in cash, and sufficient ammunition, 500,000 mauser presumably
7 imm, 100,000 Martini Henry, 200,000 for gendarmerie pattern rifles
(8 m-m mauser). Also some dynamite and men to use it. Kawam is
sure he can defeat gendarmerie with this assistance. It is not clear what
the dynamite is for. It will he seen Kawam wants a good deal. I have
telegraphed to Bunder Abbas to verify the £50,000. I think that to start
with 50,000 tomans is enough. Available here are the following arms and
ammunition belooging to Persian Government : (1) 303 about 150,000 rounds.
(2) About 100 mauser 7'65 rifles with some 90,000 rounds ammunition. (3)
Seven m-m mauser ammunition about 10,000 rounds. There are also about
10,000 rounds Martini Henry ammunition which does not belong to Persian
Government.
Items (2) and (3) might he useful to Kawam. Item (1) is used by Gover
nor’s riflemen and little could be spared. Possibly at Basrah there are some
maxims and ammunition available. Sir P. Cox would give information on this
point perhaps. Government of India would possibly he willing to supply some
Martini ammunition.
20
Telegram P., No. 5, dated the 9th (received 10th) January 1916.
From—His Britannic Majesty’s Minister, Tehran,
To—-The Secretary to the Government of India in the Foreign and Political Depart
ment, Delhi.
It is reported by Persian Government that Germans are recruiting at
Kerman and have collected 700 to 800 men there. They are said to be going to
Ispahan. Two German officers Botticher and Mask were captured by Bussians
at Zenjan. Bussian report adds that one German was killed at Sultan Bulagh
and one Austrian died at Hamadan.