File 345/1908 Pt 1 'Mohammerah: situation. British assurances to Sheikh.' [‎162v] (329/416)

Sir A.
Hardinge,
No. 167 ,
December
5 , 1902 .
Sir A.
Hardinge,
No. 65,
April 7,
1904.
Consul
McDouall,
No. 1,
August 25,
1904.
16
the Persian Customs, as it is impossible that M. Nans, in reorganizing that service, can allow so
important a port as Mohammerah to remain beyond his control, but that we should, in view ol
possible Russian activity in Southern Persia, attach him to ourselves by a promise that we will
not let his political authority over his tribesmen be destroyed or undermined by the Persian
Government. _
“ I am fully aware of the difficulty of supporting local quasi-hereditary Chiefs who are
subjects of the Shah against endeavours by the Persian Government to weaken then positions
and extend the power of the Central Government at their expense. Seistan is a case in point.
“ At the same time our neglect or reluctance to do this may be taken advantage of to the
detriment of our interests by our rivals, and it is clear that Colonel Kemball thinks that some
definite assurance of assistance in certain contingencies should be given to the Sheikh of
Mohammerah.
“I would propose to urge him to be loyal to the Persian Government, to come, with the
help and, if necessary, mediation of His Majesty’s Vice-Consul, to an arrangement with the
Customs which would. 1 indemnify him for the loss of their administration by himself, and to trust
to us to protect him against any attempt from Tehran—in my opinion, a very improbable one—to
diminish or encroach upon his authority as Chief over his people. If we give him an assurance
that we shall so protect him, we ought to be prepared, in the unlikely contingency of such an
attempt as I have suggested, to send a gun-boat to Mohammerah and to let the Persians know
that we shall not acquiesce without good reason to the deposition of the Sheikh, or in interference
by the Governor-General of Arabistan in the internal affairs of his tribe.
“Your Lordship can, of course, judge better than I to what extent the grant of such an
assurance is in accordance with the general policy of His Majesty s Government in Southern
Persia, and how far it would be wise and safe to give it. It is clear that the Sheikh is, perhaps,
unnecessarily anxious about his future, though no doubt he is more or less trying to bluff us
into giving him pledges of support; but I would venture to submit that the time has come for us
to decide how far we are prepared to back him up, should the Persian Government, perhaps at
Russian instigation, determine to destroy his, so to speak, autonomous position, and what counsel
Colonel Kemball and I should give him should he appeal to us, as he seems disposed to do, for
our advice.”
The upshot of this correspondence was that Sir A. Hardinge informed the Sheikh
on the 7th December, 1902, under instructions from Lord Lansdowne, that “ we shall
protect Mohammerah against naval attack by a foreign Power, whatever pretext for
such action may he alleged, and also, so long as you remain faithful to the Shall and
act in accordance with our advice, shall continue to give you our good offices and
support.”
This assurance was really necessitated by the urgency of arriving at a solution
of the question, as Sir A. Hardinge reported in March 1902 that the Russians had
been making offers for over a year to reduce the Sheikh of Mohammerah to subjection
by force, and that they had been pressing the Persian Government to adopt towards
him an uncompromising attitude. The assurance was actually given after an Arrange
ment about the Customs had been concluded, largely owing to the friendly intervention
of His Majesty’s Government; but it was probably only in consequence of this
assurance that the Sheikh consented to avoid friction and to make the new Arrangement
work smoothly.
On the 24th December, 1903, Sir A. Hardinge addressed a note to the Sheikh
confirming the assurance of 1902, and adding that he might rest assured of the support
of the British Government so long as he on his side observed the conditions of the
Arrangement made with the Persian Government.
In 1.904 a Russian decoration was conferred on the Sheikh and a Commercial
Mission was sent to Mohammerah.
One of the principal reasons for avoiding a conflict between the Persian Govern
ment and the Sheikh of Mohammerah has been the fear that such an event would
raise the much larger question of the Turco-Persian frontier dispute. Mohammerah
and the surrounding district have always been a bone of contention between the
Turks and the Persians, and only recently the Sheikh expressed his apprehensions to
His Majesty’s Consul-General at Bushire in regard to recent developments at more
northerly points of the frontier. The views of his Majesty’s Government are
explained in the subjoined despatches.
“ Sir Edward Grey to Mr. Marling.
“ (No. 21.)
“ gi r? “ Foreign Office, February 25, 1908.
“ 1 have received your despatch No. 17 of the 28th ultimo, in which you forward telegraphic
correspondence with His Majesty’s Consul-General at Bushire relative to the apprehensions of
the Sheikh of Mohammerah in regard to recent developments on the Turco-Persian frontier.
“I concur in your opinion that a gun-boat need not be sent to the Shatt-el-Arab under
existing conditions, and I consider that when an attack appears more imminent the precise
action to be taken by His Majesty’s Government can be determined.