I honestly have no idea what will happen next. Despite the fact that I’ve been there, this particular part of history is one that I’ve never had an excuse to spend the time to study in depth. That being said, as things stand right now it looks like this whole shindig is over before it had a chance to really begin.
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The Pittsburgh Press (May 27, 1941)
NAZIS TAKE OVER CONTROL OF SYRIA
Ankara, Turkey, May 27 (UP) –
Practical control of Syria has passed from French to German hands in a swift diplomatic maneuver despite the opposition of General Henri Dentz, the French High Commissioner, diplomatic quarters reported today.
An unofficial German “armistice commission” was reported to have replaced the official Italian armistice commission and to have cleaned out all pro-British elements in the country.
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Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (May 27, 1941)
BRITISH LOSE, IRAQ SAYS
Baghdad, May 27 (AP) –
The Iraqi government reported last night that British troops suffered 150 casualties in unsuccessful attacks on Iraqi forces in the south near al-Maaquil and Chouriba. All British attacks on other fronts were repulsed, the conmuniqué said.
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Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (May 28, 1941)
OIL MAY BE SABOTAGED
Ankara, May 28 (AP) –
Fearful of a quick British victory over the poorly-armed desert forces of Iraqi Premier Rashid Ali al-Gailani, Axis sources said today that German military engineers are prepared to sabotage the rich oil fields at Mosul and Kirkuk.
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The Pittsburgh Press (May 29, 1941)
OUSTED IRAQI REGENT MAPS ‘COMEBACK’
Cairo, May 29 (UP) –
Prince 'Abd al-Ilah, the ousted regent of Iraq, has arrived at Fallujah, only 345 miles west of Baghdad, to form a “constitutional government in opposition to the regime of Rashid Ali al-Gailani,” reliable Iraqi sources aid today.
Nuri Pasha al-Said, the former premier, was reported to be with 'Abd al-Ilah and was expected to be premier of the new government.
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CAIRO REPORTS DRIVE AGAINST BAGHDAD
Cairo, May 29 (UP) –
The British Middle East Command reported today that an Imperial pincers movement has been launched against the pro-Nazi Iraqi stronghold of Baghdad.
The Middle East Command revealed that a new British column has been launched against Baghdad and is now moving up toward the capital of Premier Rashid Ali al-Gailani along the Euphrates River from Basra. This British force is in addition to that which smashed forward to Fallujah, 35 miles from Baghdad.
In fighting east of Fallujah, the communiqué reported today, the British captured an Iraqi officer and 92 Iraqi soldiers.
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Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (May 30, 1941)
REPORT BRITISH SETBACK
Baghdad, Iraq, May 29 (AP) –
More than 350 British Imperial troops were killed and wounded yesterday in a fierce battle in western Iraq and in artillery bombardment of British positions in the Persian Gulf region, the Iraqi government claimed early today.
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BRITISH PUSH ON BAGHDAD AMID FLOODS
…
Rebel Iraqi Premier now ready to flee, says Cairo report
…
Cairo, May 29 (AP) –
British troops advancing on Baghdad over roads flooded by broken irrigation ditches today captured the Iraqi village of Khanuqta, midway between Fallujah and the Iraqi capital, it was reported by the RAF.
Earlier, the British Middle East general headquarters said troops east of Fallujah captured one Iraqi rebel officer and 92 other ranks.
The report puts this British column within about 20 miles of Baghdad, from which, a Swiss radio report said today, there were indications Premier Rashid Ali al-Gailani shortly might flee.
20 large pieces of the premier’s luggage arrived in Ankara and it was said Rashid Ali was expected in Ankara soon for conversations with the Turkish government.
It has been reported for several days that the premier, who launched the undeclared war against the British early this month, might flee the capital with members of his government.
Claim gain near Tobruk
A small advance was registered by Empire forces besieged for weeks at Tobruk, Libyan port, the Middle East general headquarters said. The British at Tobruk struck out to improve their position and caused Axis casualties without loss to themselves, it was said.
Patrol action was the sole activity in the Salum, Egypt, area, the British said, with the Axis troops making no attempt to extend their lines from positions covering Halfaya (“Hellfire” Pass, near Salum).
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U.S. Department of State (May 31, 1941)
740.0011 European War 1939/11512: TelegramThe Minister Resident in Iraq to the Secretary of State
Baghdad, May 31, 1941.
[Received May 31 — 8:55 p.m.]
125.Yesterday at 2:30 p.m. Mayor Baghdad telephoned informed me al-Gailani and Axis group had left Iraq and that he headed temporary Government to bring conflict to end. He invited chiefs diplomatic missions his office 3 o’clock. I went first accompanied by Commandant Police to see British Ambassador and thence with his Counselor to the Mayor’s office. Also there was new Chief Staff and new Governor Baghdad Liwa who with Mayor formed Committee Three to negotiate terms peace. I accompanied Committee to discuss matter with Ambassador but did not take part general discussion only beforehand with Ambassador privately. Ambassador agreed communicate armistice proposal to commander British forces immediately. Gunfire audible late last night.
All radio sending sets returned to Embassy and Legation.
All Americans, British and others who took refuge at Legation are safe and well but still at Legation. Full reports covering interesting past months will follow.
KNABENSHUE
The Pittsburgh Press (May 31, 1941)
IRAQIS SURRENDER TO BRITISH
Rebel leader flees; troops quit fighting
…
Victory bolsters English preparations for next German attack
…
By Harrison Salisbury, United Press staff writer
A Fordson Armoured Car, operating with ‘Habforce’, waiting outside Baghdad, Iraq, while negotiations for an armistice take place between British officials and the rebel government, May 30.
Great Britain bolstered her Middle Eastern defenses today against an expected early Nazi assault by forcing Iraqi rebels to sue for capitulation and winning effective control of the bull of the strategic Mesopotamian region.
The British victory in Iraq offset, in part at least, the imminent completion of the Nazi conquest of Crete.
London reported that the Iraqi forces of the pro-Nazi Regent Rashid Ali al-Gailani have sued for an armistice and ceased resistance. British troops are expected to march triumphantly into Baghdad at any moment.
Regent flees to Iran
Rashid, accompanied by a small group of his closest advisers, fled to Tehran, Iran, and the fight for Iraq seemed to be about over except for guerilla fighting and possible further resistance by a nest of Nazi military experts and air force personnel which was believed to be installed north of Baghdad in the rich Mosul oilfields region.
There has been no indication that this German force is in sufficient strength to hold out long against the British although with the end of the Crete campaign the Germans may attempt to rush in strong air reinforcements.
However, it was clear that the British in the nick of time have effectively regained the upper hand in Iraq and it seemed that they should be able to place their Middle Eastern strong points in shape for strong resistance before the Nazis can strike again.
Nazis suffer heavily
There was no effort in London to minimize the German victory in Crete, but it was noted that terrific losses have been inflicted on Nazi air force and parachutist personnel which will have to be made good before these German arms can strike again at the British.
Fighting was still underway in Crete, both German and British reports indicated, but the end was obviously only a day or two distant.
The German reports said that British and Greek troops were huddled in the small southern harbors of Crete, hoping to be evacuated by sea but there was no indication from London or Cairo that any large evacuation operation will be undertaken.
Cyprus attack next
Next object of Nazi attack in the Middle East is expected by the British to be Cyprus, another island fortress. Here, it is thought, the British should be able to give a better account of themselves than in Crete.
The British air bases in Palestine are about as close to Cyprus as the German air bases in Greece were to Crete. The Germans, on the other hand, will have to fly almost as far as the British flew from Egypt to back up their ground forces in Crete. Thus, the air odds will be somewhat reversed, except for the fact that Germany still has a large superiority in available aircraft.
Terrific heat has handicapped both British operations in Iraq and German operations in Crete and it seemed likely that the summer weather in the Middle East henceforward will operate against all fighting forces.
U.S. Department of State (June 1, 1941)
740.0011 European War 1939/11513: TelegramThe Minister Resident in Iraq to the Secretary of State
Baghdad, May 31, 1941.
[Received June 1 — 5:35 p.m.]
127.Armistice signed this afternoon. Terms will be communicated to Embassy London by Foreign Office. I have confidence that new Government arranged but not yet announced will establish situation as it should be.
KNABENSHUE
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CRETE BATTLE STOPPED NAZI AID TO IRAQ, BRITISH SAY
By Edward W. Beattie Jr., United Press staff writer
London, May 31 –
Premier Rashid Ali al-Gailani of Iraq has fled to Iran with his chief aides, his forces have asked an armistice and Iraqi resistance has ceased, it was announced today.
It was believed the armistice had already been granted and that British forces were preparing to march into Baghdad.
A British victory over the German-supported Rashid regime had been won by prompt and firm action, Germany had failed to rally the Arabs to Rashid’s standard and a dangerous threat to Great Britain’s position in the Middle East had been dissipated.
Authoritative informants attributed the victory which means restoration of the friendly Iraqi regime of the regent 'Abd al-Ilah, directly to the stubborn stand of the British forces in Crete, who had stood for nearly two weeks against German forces of overwhelmingly superior weight.
Fight serves purpose
Thus, while the situation in Crete was admittedly desperate and all hope had been lost of holding the island, the British Imperial and Greek forces who still fought doggedly there, had prevented the Germans giving Rashid the support they had promised him.
No matter what happens in Crete now, it was said, the British stand there has been justified first by the destruction of thousands of Germany’s best troops and great quantities of its best planes and secondly by the fact that it enabled the British forces to clear up the Iraq situation.
Informants said the armistice had been requested within the last 48 hours by a committee of four, led by the Mayor of Baghdad, which had assumed control of the capital.
Government flees
It was believed the Prince 'Abd al-Ilah, whom Rashid had ousted as regent, and Nuri al-Said, the premier, who likewise had been overthrown by Rashid’s coup, were near Baghdad and would enter the city soon to form a government.
Rashid had fled Iraq with al-Husseini, his chief of staff; his Regent Sharaf, a group of officers and the German and Italian ministers who had helped to foment his revolt.
The United Press Tehran correspondent reported that party had arrived at the Iranian frontier.
The United Press correspondent of Beirut, Lebanon, reported that Baghdad had been declared an open city and that there was heavy fighting in the outskirts. This dispatch was believed to describe the situation as it had been before an armistice had been asked.
Crete seems hopeless
The British Imperial and Greek troops in Crete were fighting against apparently hopeless odds against ever-increasing German and Italian forces in the narrow waist of Crete.
Cairo reports told of a gallant defense in which the Allied forces, red-eyed with exhaustion, fight on gullies, fold of hills and rocky stream beds in the rugged mountains and threw up stone ramparts and machine gun emplacements for a yard-by-yard fight.
There was no confirmation of German reports that the Allied troops were trying to evacuate the island, but there was no disposition to doubt them. The situation seemed irretrievable and the only question apparently was how many men could be saved and what would be the next German move.
A Cairo report that there was no confirmation of the fall of Candia, the chief town of the island, made little impression because of the certainty that it could not be said.
Every report indicated that the Germans and Italians were in control of the entire north side of the island and the eastern and western ends, and were pressing in relentlessly.
Make combined stand
It was believed that the Allied troops who had retreated from Souda Bay had joined those of the Retimo and Candia forces for a combined stand in the formidable mountains of the waist of Crete.
To escape, assuming that there would be transport the Allied troops would have to cross the mountains and make for the south coast beaches, which were under constant merciless attack by German planes.
A News Chronicle Cairo dispatch quoted a Greek government spokesman as estimating that 12,000 Germans had been killed, including 7,000 shot and 5,000 drowned.
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I believe that headline should be reversed. While Iraq’s oil fields are clearly an ultimate goal of the Nazis, supporting the Iraqi coup was clearly meant to divert British forces away from the Mediterranean.
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Ultimate goal of Nazis was Russia abnd Caucaus , not Mediterranean or Middle East. Crete was as far as the were willing to go in East Mediterranean before lauch of Operation Barbarossa
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When I saw the title “The Iraq War” at first I thought it was referring to more recent events, amazing isn’t it how history repeats itself?
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The Pittsburgh Press (June 1, 1941)
IRAQI’S FLIGHT ENDS DANGER OF BRITISH-ARAB TURMOIL
…
Rebel Premier’s dash to Iran, spurning Nazis in Mosul, heartens Allies as Cyprus faces next Axis drive
…
By William H. Stoneman
As complete German conquest of Crete appeared imminent, giving the Germans another lap on their drive into the Near East via Cyprus and the Suez, the British today forced capitulation of the pro-Nazi rebels in Iraq.
London, May 31 –
The fighting in Iraq – if any – has now resolved itself into a war between British and Germans.
Following the flight of Rashid Ali al-Gailani, Premier of the rebel Iraqi government, a committee of four, which is now in nominal command in Iraq, has asked for an armistice and this presumably has been granted. Thus, in the estimation of the British, the struggle for that country, if it continues, can in no way be described as a war between the British and Arabs.
It is not known how many Germans remain in Iraq, ready to continue the fight, but it is assumed that some German officers and some of their air force are still there.
Fails to join Nazis
It was pointed out in London today that Rashid Ali had fled to Iran, instead of going to Mosul, where the Germans apparently had expected him to come to join them and to lead the Arabs in continuation of the struggle. This was attributed to Rashid Ali’s feeling that the Germans had let him down in the early stages of the fight and the feeling that he could no longer depend on them.
When he fled, Rashid Ali was accompanied by his cabinet; Sherif Sharaf, the so-called false regent whom he had named as regent after deposing 'Abd al-Illah, and apparently by the German and Italian ministers. The latter have left Baghdad, in any case, although their exact destination is unknown.
The committee of four, which has asked for an armistice, is headed by the mayor of Baghdad.
Cyprus next on list
The British victory in Iraq is attributed here to the gallant, if unsuccessful struggle, put up by the Greek and Empire troops in Crete and to the heavy losses they have inflicted oj the Germans.
Nothing is being said here about the situation in Crete today and it can only be assumed that the fight there is just about over. It is taken for granted that the next German-Italian moves will be at Cyprus, and if that attempt succeeds as well as the attack on Crete, that the Axis then will strike at Syria.
If the Germans consolidate their position in Crete, it can also be assumed that Alexandria and Suez will be subjected to the most intensive bombardments and that Britain’s position in the Near East will be put to the severest test it has yet known.
Gain air advantages
From Crete onward, the British will for the first time begin to get advantages which they have been lacking so far. They will be able to employ very large forces of infantry, artillery and mechanized or armored units without having to transport them by sea. They will also have a large number of fighter airdromes and will be able to engage enemy bombers with a full fighter force as they never have been able to do in either Greece or Crete.
The Germans then will have to do without adequate fighter protection for their bombers and will have to risk transporting troops by sea in face of the British Mediterranean fleet.
Thus, for the first time since Greece was invaded, the Allied forces will have an excellent chance of staging a successful defensive against anything that the Germans can employ against them.
U.S. Department of State (June 3, 1941)
740.0011 European War 1939/11576: TelegramThe Minister Resident in Iraq to the Secretary of State
Baghdad, May 31, 1941.
[Received June 3 — 9:18 a.m.]
128.Following summary outstanding events respecting Legation during last month:
American women evacuated April 29 as reported.
American, British, and other nationalities, commenced taking refuge at Legation on April 30.
Hostilities began morning May 2.
Legation radio transmitting set delivered on demand to Iraqi authorities May 3. Demand for search of Legation refused.
At 11 a.m., May 4, telephone demand from Foreign Office for immediate delivery Iraqi subjects at Legation to police guard reason stated in order Iraqi subjects be removed from danger as Legation would probably be bombed within an hour because British had threatened bomb public buildings Baghdad and Iraqis intended retaliate by bombing British subjects wherever found such as British Embassy and American Legation. Committee British subjects suggested asking for safe conduct to British Embassy in order save Legation. Posed hypothetical question Foreign Office but it was refused. British nevertheless offered to leave but I refused. All went to cellars against threatened bombings. Hour later Foreign Office demanded surrender British subjects at Legation.
Following is my 114, May 4, which Foreign Office cancelled after reading:
I have just been informed by the Iraqi Ministry for Foreign Affairs that the American University at Beirut has given notice to Iraqi students at the University that they must leave the University within 48 hours, the time limit of which expires at 12:00 noon, May 5. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs has asked me to inform the United States Government that if the demand of the American University for the evacuation of its Iraqi students is carried out all American citizens in Iraq, including myself and the Legation staff, will be interned and then expelled from the country.
I am sending a telegram to our Consul General at Beirut informing him of the above and suggesting that the University postpone action until receipt of instructions from the Department.
I have tried to impress the Ministry for Foreign Affairs with the fact that their demand is a most extraordinary one, contrary to all principles of International Law and relations between states and have pointed out that the University at Beirut is a purely private institution over which the Government of the United States has absolutely no control.
May 19 Foreign Office refused permit me send diplomatic courier to Aleppo or elsewhere abroad.
Thereafter received several nasty notes from Foreign Office but otherwise no further developments.
My policy with Foreign Office was tact and appeasement where expedient without relinquishment of established diplomatic immunities in order to continue protection those who had taken refuge at Legation.
All refugees at Legation are in good health and spirits and will leave Legation safely tomorrow or when public order is definitely assured.
When new Government formed I will make necessary reservation respect to physical and moral damages to American citizens and property and the Legation.
KNABENSHUE
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U.S. Department of State (June 2, 1941)
740.0011 European War 1939/11558: TelegramThe Minister Resident in Iraq to the Secretary of State
Baghdad, June 1, 1941.
[Received June 2 — 3:15 p.m.]
130.'Abd al-Ilah returned Baghdad today and resumed regency. Senior Iraq military and civil officials and notables and British Ambassador and myself met him several miles outside Baghdad and drove with him to his palace where he received other members Diplomatic Corps and other welcoming personages. Regent expressed sincere appreciation to me personally. New government will be formed tonight.
KNABENSHUE
The Pittsburgh Press (June 2, 1941)
PRO-BRITISH GOVERNMENT FORMED IN IRAQ AS FIGHTING CEASES
Cairo, June 2 (UP) –
Prince 'Abd al-Ilah of Iraq is forming a new government at Baghdad in complete agreement with the British government, it was understood today, after the cessation of fighting between British and Iraqi forces under an armistice which the Iraqis had asked and received Saturday.
It was understood also that 6-year-old King Faisal was safe at Baghdad. There had been reports that Rashid Ali al-Gailani, who had fled with his aides to Iran, had kidnapped the boy monarch.
'Abd al-Ilah arrived at Baghdad by airplane yesterday from his headquarters west of the capital, it was understood in Iraqi quarters here.
It was believed that either Nuri Pasha al-Said, whom Rashid Ali had ousted in his coup which resulted in the fight with the British, or Jameel Al-Madfai, another former Premier, would head the new government, with 'Abd al-Ilah resuming his post as regent to the boy king.
Well-informed quarters said that under the armistice, Iraqi troops would return to their normal stations, that British prisoners would be released at once, that several hundred German and Italian prisoners would be interned and that Iraqi prisoners in British hands would be turned over to the new government.
The Iraqi legation here received a communiqué issued at Baghdad and signed by Arshad al-Umari, president of the security committee, which said:
We announce to the Iraqi public that agreements have been reached between the Iraqi and British sides by which hostilities cease forthwith in order to maintain the country’s dignity and full independence and safeguard the dignity of our valiant army. The situation has now become normal and we call on the people to carry on their work as usual.
It was believed that a primary condition of the armistice was that the spirit and letter of the Anglo-Iraqi Treaty, which the Rashid Ali regime had sought to break in Germany’s favor, would be executed and that British troops would be permitted to enter Iraq freely. It was believed also that the agreement would mean that British forces could build any roads necessary for strategic purposes.
Well-informed sources said that the Rashid Ali revolt had not in any sense reflected the feelings of the Iraqi people.
The situation in the Mosul oil fields was still obscure. It was believed that troops who had supported Rashid Ali might still be in occupation of the Mosul airdrome.
U.S. Department of State (June 3, 1941)
890G.01/381: TelegramThe Minister Resident in Iraq to the Secretary of State
Baghdad, June 3, 1941.
[Received June 3 — 8:02 p.m.]
133.New government formed by Jameel Al-Madfai as Prime Minister and Interior with Ali Jawdat Al-Ayyubi, Minister Foreign Affairs.
KNABENSHUE
The Pittsburgh Press (June 4, 1941)
GRAB OF MOSUL OIL FIELDS STRENGTHENS BRITISH
By Wallace Carroll, United Press staff writer
London, June 4 –
British forces today regained control of the important Mosul oil fields in Iraq, placing the Middle Eastern Command in a powerful position to deal with Nazi threats in Syria.
The occupation of the Mosul area virtually liquidated the Iraqi threat to the British rear, leaving the British free to concentrate upon Syria and any German offensive toward the Suez Canal.
The Syrian situation was viewed with grave concern and it was charged here that the French are seeking to provide Germany with an excuse for “protecting” Syria.
The only point remaining to be mopped up in Iraq is Kirkuk, where light German forces, probably air force personnel, have been reported.
Mosul controls oil limits
It was thought possible the Germans and Iraqi dissident forces may have had time to damage oil facilities at Kirkuk. However, with Mosul in British hands, they control the oil flow down the pipelines to Palestine and Syria. The flow to Palestine has been cut off since the start of the Iraqi outbreak. The flow to Syria was cut off following the French armistice last year.
Mosul was thought to have been occupied by a light, fast-moving British column operating up the Tigris Valley from Baghdad. Mosul is the site of ancient Nineveh and is the key to the oil area.
Despite British fears concerning Kirkuk, an authoritative source said that local officials at Kirkuk are cooperating with the new pro-British Iraqi government and that the area is not in the hands of rebels at this time. Whether any damage was done to oil installations there was not known.
Nazis promoting clash
It was said that Vichy leaders were now cooperating fully with Germany and that Germany was doing everything it could to precipitate a clash between Great Britain and France.
Germany was believed to be aiming, first, at compelling Great Britain to tie up a big part of its Middle Eastern forces in Palestine, and, second, at causing a French-British clash which would lead to a Vichy government appeal for German aid.
Some persons, however, believed that the Syrian situation might be used by Germany as a blind to cover a sudden blow in some other region. It was pointed out that the effect of the anxiety over Styria was to make Turkey even more aware of the danger of encirclement and to detract attention from such places as Dakar and Casablanca on the French West African coast. Experts said that, in fact, the Germans were in a better position to attack in North Africa, on the Libyan-Egyptian frontier, than Syria or Cyprus.
The well-informed Daily Telegeraph said that General Maxime Weygand, the French colonial commander-in-chief who attended yesterday’s cabinet meetings at Vichy, was being pressed to act against the Free French movement in Central Africa.
The British government gave no clue to its next move in the Middle East.
Newspapers continued their pressure on the government to strike at Syria. Reports which they published indicated why. The Daily Herald Istanbul correspondent reported that the Germans were outfitting a fleet of French freighters at Constanza, Romania, for large scale transport of troops and materials to Syria, and that many Germans were traveling to Syria through Turkey using Bulgarian passports.
U.S. Department of State (June 4, 1941)
390G.1115/36: TelegramThe Minister Resident in Iraq to the Secretary of State
Baghdad, June 4, 1941.
[Received June 4 — 9:05 p.m.]
137.British Embassy informs me that report just received British Consulate Basra states all Americans that area safe and well. Thus all Americans in Iraq now safely accounted for.
According previous arrangement with British Embassy their Consuls at Mosul and Basra extended protection facilities to Americans their districts same as British while Embassy did same for Americans near Embassy and American Legation likewise for British and Americans near Legation.
Acting under martial law the military and police have suppressed rioting in Baghdad and have situation in hand. Casualties chiefly among Jews number several hundred. All persons who took refuge at Legation second time left this afternoon.
KNABENSHUE
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U.S. Department of State (June 8, 1941)
740.0011 European War 1939/11819: TelegramThe Minister Resident in Iraq to the Secretary of State
Baghdad, June 5, 1941 — 3 p.m.
[Received June 8 — 8 p.m.]
140.On basis of advice of British Army and Air Force officers the British Ambassador assumed that the Iraqi Army would be subdued within 3 days. Our plans for the protection of American citizens and British subjects were based on that assumption and contemplated protection solely against mob violence. The sudden move of Iraqi Army to Habbaniyah upset calculations. We then had to deal for more than 1 month with a hostile gangster fifth column illegal government under the direction of Grobba, the former German Minister to Iraq. The police guard which was first placed around the Legation solely for our protection afterwards made us prisoners within the compound. At my request, I was allowed telephone communication but only with the Foreign Office. The threat to bomb the Legation should not have been made. They should have demanded the surrender of British subjects. When that demand was subsequently made I agreed subject to official guarantees for their proper treatment. The Iraqi government did nothing further in the matter, leaving the refugees at the Legation and treating it as a concentration camp. I was permitted to send only plain language telegrams to the Department through the Minister of Foreign Affairs. The most outrageous threat was to arrest all Americans including myself and staff and expel us because of the dismissal of Iraqi students from the American University at Beirut. I received two nasty notes accusing me of holding myself aloof from the al-Gailani government. This was true to a certain extent because we had not recognized that government although I had established informal contact with the Minister for Foreign Affairs.
They denied that there was need for my protective measures against mob violence in spite of the arrest of two Americans who were kept in protective custody for one week before being turned over to the Legation and also in spite of the government’s declaration of Jihad. The mob violence which took place subsequently is what I expected in the beginning but the military activity held the tension in check until the end. I maintained an attitude of correctness and tactful acquiescence to all legitimate demands and made no demands myself which might have embarrassed our position and thus I believe prevented our molestation. My protection of British subjects residing near the Legation was a quid pro quo for the Embassy’s offer to protect American citizens in their area and for British Consuls at Mosul and Basra to protect American citizens in their areas where I had no means for doing so. Plans made in previous years provided for the evacuation by British Air Force of both British and American nationals and on the present occasion they actually evacuated American women with their own. While my action may have caused the Department some anxiety and even embarrassment, I feel that the circumstances warranted it and that there was no honorable alternative.
British troops numbering less than 1,000 today, June 5, occupied the camp in Baghdad which had previously been prepared for the transit of British troops through Iraq in accordance with the Anglo-Iraq Treaty. The column of British troops en route from Basra will reach here within a week.
It is my considered opinion that most of the Iraqi Army and Iraqi people are anti-British and that if the Germans make an appreciable thrust in this direction the Iraqi Army will arise against the British unless the British maintain here a force adequate to stop a German thrust and at the same time keep Iraqis under control. It appears that the British have arranged for the stationing in Iraq of four divisions. This might prove adequate, but in any case I consider that developing events will create an increasingly dangerous situation for Americans and I am therefore intending to use all my persuasive powers to influence all Americans to leave the country as soon as possible.
KNABENSHUE
A NEW BEGINNING, BAGHDAD, JUNE 11, 1941:
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The Pittsburgh Press (June 10, 1941)
ITALY BREAKS WITH IRAQ
Rome, June 10 –
Italy severed diplomatic relations with the Iraqi government today.
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