"الملف 73/7 II (D 22) وضع الكويت - سكة حديد بغداد، والمفاوضات الأنجلو تركية" [و‎‎١‎٧‎٧] (٥٤٠/٣٥٩)

[This Docmaeat is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Govemmect]
PERSIA. [July 8.]
CONFIDENTIAL. Section 8.
[29018] No - L
India Office to Foreign Office.—(Received July 8.)
(Most Confidential.) ^ ^
India Office, July 6, 1912.
WITH reference to your letter of the 5th September, 1911, I am directed by the
Secretaiy of State for India to forward, for the information of the Secretary of State
for Foreign Affairs, copy of the correspondence regarding the commercial position
in the Persian Gulf. # . ^ -r j- •
I am to say that the Marquess of Crewe agrees with the b-overnment ot India in
considering State intervention in the Gulf trade to be unnecessary at present from the
political point of view. It is possible, however, that if a railway is constructed
without British control or participation from Bagdad to Bussorah, a new situation
will be created which will necessitate a further examination of the question.
With reference to the last sentence of paragraph 2 of the Government of India's
letter of the 23rd May last, I am to explain that no action was taken on their letter
of the 7th October, 1909.
I am, <fec.
R. RITCHIE.
Enclosure in No. 1.
Government of India to the Marquess of Crewe.
) My Lord Marquess, . M ? y ^, 3 1 o 12 ' f
WE have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your Lordships becret
despatch, dated the 29th December, 1911, requesting our views on a memorandum
by the Board of Trade respecting the commercial position in the Persian Gulf.
v ^\r e would invite your Lordship's attention to the secret despatch from
Lord" Minto's Government, dated the 7th October, 1909, in which, in view
of the menace to British interests which German competition, commercial and
political, constitutes in the Persian Gulf, the Government of India supported the
political resident in his advocacy of the grant of some form of State aid to British and
Indian firms trading in that region, and referred for the consideration of His Majesty's
Government a proposal for subsidising British shipping. We are not aware of the
decision arrived at on this question. _ ^ i p m j t j ^
3. In their memorandum under consideration, the Board of Trade conclude that,
from the commercial standpoint, no case has been shown for intervention by His
Maiestv's Government even if some useful form of it, on purely commercial lines,
could be devised. After a full consideration of the case we agree m this view, and
we are not prepared for the present to recommend State intervention in the Gulf
trade from the political standpoint.
We have, &c.
HAKDINGE of PEiSSHURST.
O'M. CREAGH.
R. W. CARLYLE.
S. H. BUTLER.
SAIYID ALI IMAM.
W. H. CLARK.
R. H. CRADDOCK.
R. W. GILLAN.
• Government of India, October 7, 1909; to ditto, December 29, 1911 (not printed). ^
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