Coll 28/39(2) ‘Persia. Printed Correspondence, 1937–’ [‎56v] (112/320)

Enclosure I to Serial No. (90).
Cypher telegram from Foreign Office, to Mr. Seymour (Tehran) No. 101,
dated 29th October 1937.
Your despatch No. 373 [Serial No. (73) in F. 9-N/37] [of 25th September ;
Persian regulations requiring that business accounts and correspondence should be
kept in Persian].
Imperial Bank of Persia have represented that compliance in full with the
new regulations would be a very difficult and serious matter for the Bank, and have
requested my assistance.
I understand Tehran Manager has approached you on the subject. Please
report by telegram extent to which regulations will affect Bank, and whether you
consider representations to Persian Government desirable.
Enclosure II to Serial No. (90).
Cypher telegram from Foreign Office, to Mr. Butler (Tehran), No. 103,
dated 4th November 1937.
\our telegram iNo. 146 [of 2nd xsovember : Persian regulations requiring that
business accounts should be kept in Persian].
Is it certain that regulations are intended to apply to foreign companies, and
especially foreign concessionary companies, of which Imperial Bank of Iran is
one ? If so what will be position of Anglo-Iranian Oil Company ?
Enclosure III to Serial No. (90).
Telegram from Mr. Butler (Tehran), No. 146, dated 2 nd November 1937.
Your telegram No. 101. Local manager is hopeful of obtaining befor
March compromise relieving difficulties very substantially. Bank would evei
80 more kffiour an( i expense and I consider audit'ng would becomi
more difficult. /Secret—Know no legal grounds for protest nor could we maintaii
that regulations are impossible to comply with. A protest is not likely to bi
effective and may easily affect the Bank still more unfavourably. For these am
other reasons which follow by Saving telegram I believe His Majesty’s Ministe:
would deprecate representations. J J
Enclosure IV to Serial No. (90).
Telegram from Mr. Butler (Tehran), No. 148, dated 8 th November 193
Your telegram No. 103. Legation have not put this question to Irani'
authorities but nothing in the regulations suggests that even foreign conce
sionary companies are exempt and local manager of Imperial Bank of Iran a"
" f ranlan 1 Company have it, either from the Primer Minister or demr
mental Minister concerned, that they are not exempted. P
™ 2 ' A T 1 °- I “ 0l1 Company are more concerned about the effect on the
correspondence than on their account-books. After enquiring the precise scm
M nS ? nd f P. lam,n g their difficulties, they have recfived wrfften rep
om the Mmistry of Finance which seems to exempt all their correspondence ar
P • ?,’ T t l,,|r bo ° ks . also > though the manager does not believe that books whk
ght be required in courts, will be exempted. He will proceed cautiousl’v wit
at er enquiries. He considered that protest would have been useless and flam/
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