"كتاب أزرق. برقيات أُعيد صياغتها" [و‎‎٣‎٩] (١٨٩/٧٧)

With reference to my telegram of January 29th - War
Office is unable to send you reinforcements to complete a
second Division in Mesopotamia or to replace the 12th
Brigade and I gather that you will therefore consider it
unsafe to dispatch more troops from India to the Gulf. Is
this so? The position will be clear if your opinion is
to the effect that you are unable to despatch reinforcements
but that the need of tnem is urgent. It is undoubtedly the
case that the Turks are massing troops in Mesopotamia and
there is also the menace on the Karun, so tnat my conviction
is that we should make up Barrett 1 s Force to a strength of 2
Divisions.
63.
We consider that it is essential to divert "Sth Battery,
Royal Horse Artillery to Busra instead of to England on
account of increasing Turkish forces. We are therefore
effecting this move and trust that you will approve.
65.
In reply to your telegram of February 6th. Your
action in regard to M S" Battery, Royal Horse Artillery, is
approved.
86 .
If you now decide, in consequence of arrival of the 12th
Brigade and present situation on the Karun, to dispatch
reinforcements to Ahwaz I approve but I should like to
receive early information in order that I may inform the
Foreign Office.
87.
The question of sending reinforcements to Ahwaz as
suggested in Sir P. Cox’s telegram of the 6th December has
been disposed of by my telegram of 6th. The matter being
now a purely military question it may be necessary to take
action at once assuming that a due regard to Turkish
dispositions