136 WARBYREVOLUTIONTheTurkishincursionsintoPersiaalsothreatenedtoundermine
negotiationsbetweenReussandthePersiangovernmentfor aloan
fromGermanytoformandequipan army.Duringthesummera
crisishadarisenin theTeherangovernment:astrongmovement
emergedundertheleadershipoftheDemocraticpartyopposingthe
Anglo-RussiandominationofPersiaandlookingtothepossibility
ofanalliancewiththeCentralPowers.Theseelementsseemedim-
pressedwiththesuccessoftheGermanandAustro-Hungarianarmies
inpushingtheRussianseastwardintoPolishRussiaandprogres-
sivelyoutofGalicia.OnISJunetheGermanforeignministry,which
hopedPersiawouldenditsneutralitybyjoiningtheCentralPowers,
approvedtheloanandurgedReuss tocontinuethenegotiations.
ShortlythereafterthePersiangovernmentpushedfor aformalalli-
ancewithGermany.ButthecontinuinginabilityoftheReich toship
largeamountsofmoneyto Persia, as well astheTurkishattacksin
westernPersia, ledtheministrytoconcludethatanalliancewas pre-
mature.»
MeanwhiletheGermanexpeditionstoAfghanistan-ledby
NiedermayerandHentig-Pratap-advancedslowlyacrossPersia.The
Hentig-PratapmissionhadcrossedintoPersiaandonISJunejoined
NiedermayerinTeheran.Niedermayer,whohadarrivedinthePer-
siancapitalwithReuss,remainedthere,spreadingpro-Germanpro-
pagandaandattemptingtoorganizearebellionofPersiansagainst
BritishandRussiandomination.ReussquarreledwithNiedermayer
overwhichofthemcontrolledNiedermayer'sexpeditionmembers
whohadgonetovariousPersiancitiestoestablishsupplybasesand
winpro-Germansympathyamongthelocalpopulations."Hentig
andNiedermayeralsoarguedaboutwhichofthemshouldleadthe
combinedexpeditionsintoAfghanistan.
Despitethismyriadofconflicts,whichdelayedtheexpeditions
evenfurther,NiedermayerandHentigleftTeheranattheendof
june."Bothhadagreedononeaspectoftheirjourney:thatthe
presenceofRussiantroopsinnorthernPersiaandBritishforcesin
thesouthdictatedthattheGermanadvanceshouldgo through
thecentralpartofthecountry.Theymovedseparatelywiththeir
smallcaravansthroughIsfahan,wherethebulkofNiedermayer's