Coll 28/39(2) ‘Persia. Printed Correspondence, 1937–’ [‎68r] (135/320)

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Letter from His Majesty’s Minister, Tehran, to Foreign Office,
London, No. 28 (10/16/38), dated the 27th January 1938.
With reference to my despatch No. 15 of the 15th January, I have the
honour to inform you that on the 19th January, having occasion to see Mon
sieur Mohsen Rais, Director-General at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on
other matters, I took the opportunity at the end of the interview to speak to
him about the recent press campaign against the United Kingdom.
2. I said that I admitted that provocation had been given, but the arti
cles at fault were very often, if not generally, the production of gossip writers,
and were also often in very obscure papers. There had been nothing in the
English press comparable in violence to the articles which had been published
here. It was also necessary to remember that the articles in England were
published without the consent of the authorities, who had no power to stop
them. Here on the other hand an article attacking a foreign state would
necessarily be interpreted in many quarters as representing the views of the
Government. While therefore a press reply to a press attack was under
standable, it produced a very unfortunate impression if repeated and very
violent attacks were made.
3. Monsieur Rais admitted that the whole affair was indeed unfortunate,
but criticisms on the policy of a country were one thing and could be dealt
with without ill-feeling : personal attacks and malicious articles about the
Head of the State were another and produced great irritation and the present
violent reaction. He agreed with me, however, in hoping that there would
now be a period of calm in the press.
4. No further articles directly attacking the British press or His Majesty’s
Government in the United Kingdom have appeared during the last fortnight,
and the campaign with which the year opened has apparently now ceased,
or at any rate been suspended. It should, however, be mentioned that on the
25th January the Iran published an article, a translation of which subsequent
ly appeared in the Journal de Teheran, criticising an article on Bahrein which
appeared in the October issue of the World Petroleum Magazine of New York.
The article which is headed “ Sir Abmed ibn Issa ! ? ”, ridicules the title of
“ Sir ” borne by His Highness the Sheikh of Bahrein, and contains several
hostile references to His Majesty’s Government as “ Tyrannical elements ”
and “ oppressors ” who have robbed Iran in the name of democracy, setting
up in Bahrein a puppet Government and a cardboard Sheikh. It is perhaps
also worth noting that the Iranian press has recently published a number of
articles on the situation in Palestine, the tone of which has been distinctly
pro-Arab. This is a new tendency, for the Iranian press has in recent years
shown little interest in Palestine or sympathy with the Arabs.
5. I am sending copies of this despatch to the Secretary to the Govern
ment of India in the External Affairs Department No. 14 and to the Honour
able the Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , No. 6.
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(Received on 6th February 1938, with Political Secretary's letter No. 3, dated the
20th January 1938.)
(Enclosure in Weekly Letter No. 3, dated the 20th January 1938, from
Secretary, Political and Secret Department, India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. .)
Letter from His Majesty’s Minister, Tehran, to Foreign Office,
London, No. 462 (363/12/37), dated the 15th December 1937.
With reference to my despatch No. 304 of the 7th August, I have the
honour to inform you that the Shah and the Iranian Government have once
again been incensed by the publication in the French press of articles re
garded as insulting to Iran.