ملف ٤٧٢٢\١٩١٨ الجزء ٨ "بلاد الرافدين: الوضع" [و‎‎١‎٤‎٢] (٩٩٥/٢٩٤)

Telegram—Code.
From—Civil Commissioner, Baghdad.
To—India Office, London.
No. 9268.
Dated 31st July, 1920.
Reuters July 6 th mentions reply by Prime Minister to Hayward re total
persons of all grade from Civil Services in India.
Figures given for superior grades are correct.
Figures for inferior grades are as follows: —
Political
Accounts and Audit
Irrigation
Agriculture
Police
Education
Judicial
Health
J ails
Customs
Public Works
Posts and Telegraphs
30
15
15
8
12
1
1
1
1
12
92
1,092
Total 1,280
Reduction in last figure by substitution of local personnel will probably
be at rate of one-fifth per annum.
Telegram—P. Clear Line.
From—Secretary of State for India, London.
To—Civil Commissioner, Baghdad.
No. 111.
Dated 2nd and received 5th August, 1920.
Please telegraph a fuller appreciation of the causes and objective of the
risino-. Is it organised as suggested in your Police reports d^ted June 5th and
June” 12th by extremists elements in Baghdad, or is it due to local causes
agrarianism or others. Until the promoters of the rebellion and their
objects are known it is impossible to suggest a remedy.
Telegram—Cypher R.
To—India Office, London.
p 1 rom —Civil Commissioner, Baghdad.
No. 9450.
Dated 5th August, 1920.
Your telegram of August 2nd.
CAUSES OF PRESENT RISING.
My telegrams for last 18 months have recorded steady inflow of propa
ganda from Syria and to a less degree from Turkey supported by ample funds.
See particularly my telegram of May 15th, 5803. _ So long as our Mi itaiy
weakness was not apparent this propaganda, the objects of which were largely
foreign to ideas of people at largeJiad little success except m Baghdad Kar
bala and Najaf where leaders have always been more or less^m sympathy with
idea of purely Islamic State, vide my telegram of January 26th 1919, 10(6.
It was not however until our enemies in Syria demonstrated to the people
of Mesopotamia that we could be dislodged by armed force that the moyement
became dangerous. We successively evacuated Dair-az-/or AlbuKa a
A1 Qaim, on each occasion under pressure from the Syrian Govemme .
Trains were derailed between Baghdad and Mosul and our Officers were
murdered at Tel Afar. Public confidence m our ability to maintain ordei
beoan to wane. Extremists began to hope that they might be successful m
attaining their object, viz., complete independence and freedom from all
foreign interference by direct action. Karbala and subsequently Tsajat be-
canJthe principal centres of agitation. (It will b % r f q me ,^“ a ^ in *°
deport a number of men from Karbala m September, 1919, to prevent a rising,
and Najaf was the scene of disturbances m 1918).
The arrest ot Mirza Muhammad Eiza and others at Karhala in June and
of certain minor personages at Hillah stabilized the situation m the Hillah