Arizona republican., 1917-01-29
MANY NE|CHTY PROBLEMS NOW
 CONFRONT INDIA
Republican A, p, leased Wlrei

SIAIlLA, Egypt, Jan. 2S-Nerer be- Tore in the history of lndia nave more delicate and weighty questions been thrust upon the foreign office. Since the beginning of the war, Arabia, Per sia. Afghanistan, and other countries adjacent to the Indian empire all have furnished their problems, the attempts of Germany and Turkey to win the people of these nations to the aide of the Central Allies having created sit nations which had a vital bearing on the world conflict.
 The relations between the British government and these eastern coun- tries since the outbreak of hostilities, and something of the events leading up to the present status were de- scribed to d correspondent of the As sOciated Press by the mah responsible under the viceroy for the conduct of Indian foreign affairs. He is A. H. Grant. foreign secretary for India whose diplomacy and intimate knowl- edge of conditions in the east are said to have been large responsible for the bridging of the floods of intrigue that have been set lose in the orient by the war
 Secretary Grant, among other things made announcement of policy to- wards Tibet. He stated that the sus- picions concerning the British gov ernmentS intentions in regard to this country were unfounGed as Great Bri- tain had no desire to interfere with her neighbor in any way so long as Tibet was left alone by other powers.
 He pointed out that India's foreign interests cover a very wide field stretching practically from Morocco to the Pacific slope
 Trade and religious and political movements. affecting India" he con- tinued, bring us daily references, especially since the war, from all man. ner of distant places: but our main interests of course. are centered on the countries immediately adjacent to India; on Arabia. the Persian gulf Persia, Baluchistan, Afghanistan. the North West Frontier. Tibet and China. Each of these presents its own pecu- liar problems which have. naturally. been complicated out Of all knowledge pE the worldwide war and the in- trigues resulting from it.
 Tn Arabia the main point of inter est IS Alden, which, I am glad to say. We have been able to defend without difficulty against a Turkish inroad
 
 itself has never for one moment been m danger. although a Turkish force penetrated south of the Yemen. The Arabs of the Alden hinderland in spite of the difficult position in which they have been placed by this inroad. nave remained. on the whole. remark aoly loyal to the British government.
 The Persian gulf. due to the dis patch early in the war of a force to Mesopotamia, has remained tranquil The leading chiefs of the gulf littoraI nave remained entirely staunch. to the brltIsh government. and have main lalned peace and order on the shores of the gull
 "On the Persian side. however. thlnSs have not been quite so satis- factory. But this is rather the reac- tion of the conditions 5n the interior or Persia than any real manifestation of unrest on the httoral For that most distressful country. Persia has been. through no fault of her own dragged into the vortex of the war bv the selfish and interruptions intrigue of the Central Powers.
 Persia. with an ever -chnagjng gov ernment unsupported by an army. af 1orded vacuum into which alien in triEue would inevitably fly. German diplomacy was not slow to realize that here was. field for endeavor. If a state of disorder and religious excite ment could be caused in Persia which would force the Persian government to declare itself on the side of the Germanic powers. the moral effect would be far reaching. The con 1lagration the Germans hoped would spread throughout the middle east: Afghanistan and Russian Turkestan might catch fire and the fire spread 10 Mosiem India and thereby Great Britain and Russia might be seriously embarrassed.
 With this policy before them and regardless of the loss and sufferjne, which would thus be caused to q weak ana unoffending neutral country. the Germans, and the Turks at the dicta lion of the Germans. set themselves from the start to do what was possible tp create state of fanatical chaos in Persia. The Turks started by the vio- lation Of the southwestern frontier with an armed force who were prompt -- ly expelled by us; the Germans bv sending small parties Of agents with nule loads Of ammunition and money 10 itincrate Persia and stir up trou- bles as they went.
 These German agents, posing as Moslems. though ignorant of the first principles of Islam, managed, in the first instance, by cajolery and bribery, to meet with a certain amount of sue cess. In the large trade centers they lnauSurated campaign of assassina-