Coll 28/24 ‘Persia. Relations with H.M.G. Private Claims against Persian Govt by members of the I.E.T.D.’ [‎3r] (5/28)

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Minute Paper.
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Department.
B.ir-sctor-in-Chief. I.E.T.p.,
! Please see Foreign Office letter of 25th
February below. The decision to accept the Persian
suggestion was, of course, taken after consultation
with you, and with your concurrence.
We recognised, I think, that, while it
might be arguable that the Governmental agreement now
to be negotiated about telegraphs did not preclude
private individuals from pressing their claims for
damages against the Persian Government, it was
exceedingly unlikely that the Persian Government,
once the agreement had been signed, would recognise
^or a moment any such claims. But it seemed in any
case exceedingly -unlikely that we could hope to get
any satisfaction for such claims from Persia; there is
nothing to show that any substantial number of claims
(or indeed, on our information, any) have been put
forward; it is, I understand from you, definitely to
our advantage to accept the Persian wording in that
it will preclude the Persian Government from raising
a number of substantial claims against us arising out
of the telegraph settlement; and in the circumstances
the balance of advantage seemgi to rest with
acceptance of the Persian suggestion, even if at some
later stage we should be faced with a request for
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assistance from former members of the Indo-European
Telegraph Department in respect of claims of the nature
under discussion.
The Foreign Office are, not unnaturally,
anxious/