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experience as GSO1 to the Iraqi army (1925–1928), when he spent much
time among the Kurds.^10 When Elphinston assumed command of the new
Combined Intelligence Centre Iraq (CICI) on 29 May 1941, he found
things in some disarray. While Dawson-Shepherd had taken over from
Jope-Slade at Habbaniya and had intelligence collation firmly under his
control, the ALOs were no longer functioning, having been forced during
the rebellion to seek refuge in the embassy and consulates. In June, once
they had been released to return to their posts, Elphinston’s first move was
to make Baghdad rather than Habbaniya his HQ, so that he could be
nearer to GHQ and the embassy.^11 Secondly, he decided to establish a
subcentre at Basra under the command of the capable Arthur Sargon, a
polo-playing Indian Army officer (114th/117th Mahrattas) who had
been in Iraq since 1915, had been decorated ‘for conspicuous gallantry
and devotion to duty’ at Mushaq in 1918, and was a former Inspecting
Officer of Police and adviser to the Iraqi CID.^12
Elphinston soon managed to acquire the former residence of the
Turkish governor of Mesopotamia as a splendid headquarters building for
CICI, to rival the Special Operations Executive’s (SOE) South Gate prop-
erty. The Moon Palace (Qasr al-Qamar) was a beautiful old Ottoman
mansion on the west bank of the Tigris, about 3 km downstream from the
British embassy. The building was set in a large garden with tall trees,
mostly blue-blossomed jacarandas and fruit trees. It boasted a picturesque
carved teak balcony overhanging the river, with a wide, open sleeping
veranda, ideal for hot summer nights. Like South Gate, the palace’s other
fine feature was its serdab, a large basement room for use during the worst
heat of summer afternoons. At the back, beside the low river wall, deco-
rated with huge flower pots, ran a gravelled path, perfect for a leisurely
evening stroll. The grounds were also extensive enough to accommodate
Chokra Wood’s large collection of exotic animals, causing some visitors to
nickname CICI HQ, ‘the Menagerie.’^13 One visiting field-security officer
described the Moon Palace as ‘a noble thick-walled house, built by some
rich merchant in days when the trader was the only tourist, where mysteri-
ous intelligence officers lived with silver and mahogany.’^14
A new CICI charter was issued on 6 July 1941 (see Appendix F), which
seems to have been formulated mainly to placate the FO and to prevent
any turf war with them over local competency. In general, CICI was to act
locally as an intelligence organization for the General Officer Commanding
(GOC) and Air Officer Commanding (AOC) in Iraq for all but opera-
tional (i.e. strictly military) intelligence matters. Staffed by personnel from