Ext 5000/41(1) 'Persia: situation leading up to, and after, the Allied occupation' [‎281r] (561/606)

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of the INDIA DIRE
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should be kept
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Sir R. Bullard
No. 1.23.
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FRON: IR<U.' ( PERSIA) Aj, A/.T. _
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M ^ At*
FROil rEKRAN TO FOREIGN OFFICE.
Undated.
D. 8.30 p 3 in. 11th July, 1941.
R. 4.30 p.m. 13th July, 1941.
Repeated to Government of India Ko. 307 £. f-o.
MOSCOW,
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. Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran.
JJJJJJJ
Government of India telegrams ilos.200 and 203, not repeated
to Moscow.
The Government of India propose tliat His Majesty* s Government
should exert pressure on Iran (Persia) in cooperation with Russia
to secure the expulsion of all Germans, pressure to he economic in
the first instance and.to include the control of imports of war
material and non-participation oy British premier firms in the
improvement of communications.
2. The effect this policy miyht have on the activities of
United Kingdom Commercial Corporation need not he considered, since
the Corporation buys not for our use, hut to deprive the Germans of
supplies, and at present German trade is at a standstill, because
even Turkish route is impracticable until goods can be sent
through Istanbul (Constantinople) or the Germans secure com.and
of the Black Sea.
3. There are, however, two objections (a) policy of the
Government of India cuts across the proposals from His majesty's
Ambassador to Moscow for increased transit trade with Russia via
Iran, (b) the removal of all Germans would surely be an un-neutral
act.
4. Although tim.nsit trade cannot attain the dimensions
envisaged by His Majesty's Ambassador to Moscow, something can be
done with railway and Zahidan routes but not if, at the sum time,
we are making extreme demands upon the L^ard/jiGovernment. Mithout
the goodwill of the Iranian Government transit could be reduced to
insignificance.
3. I must admit that general warnings about the Germans are
not likely to be effective. The Germans appeared to be about to
leave doubtless because of newspaper and other reports that the
British were going to send troops into Iran. You now tell me
to assure the Iranian Government that these reports are unfounded
and are due to Axis malevolence. I had already informed the
RECd. POL. DEPt*
16JUU941
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.
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