File 200/1928 Pt 5 'Persia: Anglo-Persian Relations, Treaty Negotiations' [‎162r] (328/1132)

Circulated to the oaoinet Dy airecnon or
Ttic Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs
TH IS nOCUMENT IS THE PROPERTY OF HIS BRITANNICJgAJESTYjCOVFRNMRMT
PERSIA.
CONFIDENTIAL.
I
~y t *\ r ^une! 10, 1930.
obtm-i—-
Section 1.
! 1930
fE 3033/143/34] No. 1.
Sir R. Clive to Mr. A. Henderson.—(Received June 10.)
(No. 242. Confidential.)
; gj r Gulhek, June 3, 1930.
’ in my telegrams Nos. 132 and 134 of the 31st May, I had the honour to report
on a conversation with the Minister of Court in its bearing on two subjects—the
treaty negotiations between His Majesty’s Government and the Persian Government
and Perso-Sovietic commercial relations.
2. There appears, however, to be a certain connexion between the two, if I am
to believe what his Highness told me.
3. As recorded in my telegram No. 132, his Highness said to me that, although
he needed a complete rest, the Shah insisted on his remaining in Tehran until after
the elections for the eighth Majlis. He left me in no doubt that His Majesty
expected him to “ rig ” the coming elections as he had done two years ago, with a
view to the elimination of any independent critics of His Majesty’s policy. It would
be impossible for him, therefore, to get away before the end of October. He hoped
very much to do so then, and was particularly anxious to go to London, in order to
visit the Persian Exhibition at Burlington House next January.
4. I asked his Highness why, assuming that the Shah was still anxious to come
to a settlement with His Majesty’s Government, and as he was himself still going
to do a certain amount of work, he was handing over to Faruki the conduct of the
negotiations for the two treaties which he had been carrying on with me inter
mittently for the past eighteen months. It was difficult for me, in the circumstances,
to believe that the Persian Government were not half-hearted about these treaties,
and were not, perhaps, even intending to back out altogether. If this was so, I might
as well ask you to grant me leave at once. His Highness at once assured me that I
was quite wrong, that His Majesty had in no wise changed his views, and that the
Persian Government were as anxious as ever to come to a settlement. He wished,
however, to explain to me in confidence his own position.
5. As I knew, he said, Davtian, the late Soviet Ambassador, had been recalled
mainly at the instance of Loganowski, the present Charge d"Affaires. Loganowski
had reported that Davtian was not firm enough, that he was too accommodating, and
that he was too much under the influence of the Minister of Court, who was on
friendly terms with the British Minister. The latter, in accordance with the British
policy of “encirclement,” was inciting the Minister of Court against the Soviet
Government, and Davtian was doing nothing to counteract this pernicious British
propaganda. I interrupted to ask his Highness whether he thought that Loganowski
and the Soviet Government really believed this. He replied that the Soviet Govern
ment had a sort of persecution mania : every country was looked on as a potential
enemy, and they were capable of persuading themselves into the belief that anything
was true. He added that Loganowski had definitely charged him with being too
pro-British and too friendly with myself.
6. About three weeks ago Logaiiowski had called on him by appointment one
evening at 8 o’clock. He did not leave the house until 3 a.m. The ostensible reason
for the visit was the refusal of the Exchange Control Commission to sell exchange
to the Russian trading agencies. The “ Sovtorg ” had asked the National Bank
for £100,000, and by his direction Dr. Lindenblatt had refused to sell them any
thing. It was only recently that he had realised that Soviet trade agencies invested
all the Persian currency they acquired from the sale of their products here in the
purchase of dollars and sterling. I said this had been going on for a long time, and
m part accounted for the low price at which they had been selling in Persia, so eager
were they to obtain foreign exchange. “ They are not going to obtain any more in
Persia, he replied, “ and Loganowski was most indignant when I told him so.
In fact, he had decided not to see Loganowski again. That seven hours’ interview
had been the last straw, and it was after that that the doctors had insisted on his
going slow if he was not to have a complete breakdown in health. He had
consequently advised the Shah to appoint Faruki Minister for Foreign Affairs, and
[147 k—1]