File 537/1921 Part 2 'Persia: Oil - A.P.O. Co's development of new oil-fields; Oil Boring at Dasht-i-Qil; A.P.O. Co's agreement with Kashkuli Khans' [‎191v] (54/254)

to a
» r • » t - ,.
to be present at the negotiations between Sn A. Wilson
plaint. a ' Mthnuji the Persian Government felt its position rather
•lit
ieei' 1 !
clud ed
and Soulet-ed-Dowleh a8 ~ ;t cou ]d not give the company adequate
humiliating, it. />r>W( , tion8 _ the com panv must obtain what protection
I' ii;ke-
. t.jf „ the wwm! operation., the company must ootam m,
reS to“y, .^ t4re P ed to lomioate a .epresentatiye,, o ho, howeoer.
,d oU ^
was not to
cement whicii might be made, but that such
1,-ive anv power to bind it in any agreement wr . .
agreement should subsequently be referred to the Government m lehran for ratihcation
or otherwise.
Sh
UW tt l> hiId been hoped that Soulet-ed-Dowleh, as he approached the town of
iraz in his tribal migration, might be persuaded to enter the town, where the meeting
between him and Sir A. Wilson could have taken place m the presence of the Prince
Nosrat- es Saltaneh, Governhr-General of Pars, but, despite all requests of the Central
Government, Soulet refused to come within some few miles ot Shiraz, and consequently
Sir A. Wilson was obliged to go to his ca,mp outside. _ ,, , , r ..
The Persian Government nominated Prince Ibtihaj-us-buitan, the local Director
pf Finance, as its representative at the meeting, and on the 19th/20th May the
interview took place, at which the agreements enclosed herewith were drawn up and
Sir A. Wilson subsequently continued bis journey to Tehran, with the object of
obtaining the ratification of the agreements by the Persian Government _
Unfortunately, at the end of May when he arrived here, the Cabinet crisis was
still continuing, but he was able to have an interview with Seidar Sepah, the Minister
of War, together with the Under-Secretaries of the various State Depaitments, at
which the agreements were discussed and agreed to in principle. 1 have now forwarded
copies of the agreements to the present Cabinet, and have reasonable hope that prompt
ratification will he accorded.
The foregoing narrative, which offers an extremely abbreviated account of what
actually occurred, and of a lengthy exchange of views and correspondence between this
Legation, His Majesty’s consular officers at Bushire and Shiraz and the Persian
Government, will acquaint your Lordship with the outline of events. 1 think, however,
that some observations on the general hearing of the question may he of assistance.
In the latter part of last year the Persian Government protested against the
Kashkuli Agreement, on the ground that the Anglo-Persian Oil Company was not
-entitled under its concession to negotiate independent agreements with local chief tans,
or at any rate to do so without prior consultation with the Central Government and
subject to its ratification. Exception was furthermore taken to the Kashkuli Agreement
on the ground that it concerned itself with the ownership of certain lands and waters
in regard to which the Central authorities were alone competent to give an authoritative
decision, and contemplated the arming of Kashkuli oil guards. Soulet-ed-Dowleh was
himself the instigator of these remonstrances. His objects in raising up an opposition
to the agreement were quite obvious; he wished to take the opportunity of reasserting
his rather nebulous authority over the Kashkuli; he thought the Kashkuli were going
to make a good thing out of their dealings with the Anglo-Persian Oil Company, and
he felt it to be altogether unbecoming that their overlord—himself—should be deprived
of a due share of the spoils ; lastly, he was well aware that, in the then circumstances at
lehran, an anti-British attitude or opposition to any British interest was the cheapest
and most impressive certificate of patriotism.
J he question ol the rights of the Central Government in respect of agreements
locally concluded by the company is one in regard to which the concession may be
variously interpreted. I his issue, however, appeared to me a barren one to pursue;
the more practical issue was evidently that the company should proceed with its work
of development in the Kashkuli country as rapidly and as smoothly as possible. I
ecided theiefore that the best course was to persuade the Persian Government of its
own inteiest in any extension of the company’s operations, to humour its susceptibilities,
an< ^ y eac 1 a situaTion where it would itself become a party to the agreement.
With these objects in view, and before Sir A. Wilson’s return to Persia to
undertake the fresh negotiations, I addressed a telegram to His Majesty’s consular
olhcers at Bushire and Shiraz, drawing their attention to the objections of the Persian
Government to last year’s agreement with the Kashkuli Khans, which I attributed,
firstly to that Government’s fear of being subjected to hostile criticism in the Medjlise
and the press for permitting the conclusion of direct agreements between the company
, 1Tw l - pi, i . r . °. , ^ ueuweeu tiic ^
0 f l® 08 ! qne.tams, the effect of which was to invest the latter with a sort
semi-independent position incompatible with the authority of the Central
overnment; and in the second place to the dissatisfaction felt by the Persian
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