خارجي ٤٦/٥٠٠٠(١) ا"لوضع الفارسي: تقارير متنوعة" [و‎‎٢‎٣‎٧] (١٢٠٢/٤٧٣)

(227.
COi'IFIDENTIAL
No. 340
(G. 65 / 148 / 46 )
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British Embassy,
Tehran.
22nd August, 1946.
3£32-
Sir,
sc,me time past X have been rather concerned by the
lack of any personal contact between the Shah and myself. The
last tune His Majesty received me was on the l 6 th May. an *
audience which I reported in my telegram No .680 of that date.
good ^ deal has happened. He lax ions between the Shah
ondthe Prime Minister have been strained and Princess Ashraf’s
visit to Moscow gave rise to rumours that the Soviet Government
+ off a g ainst - each other. I have little doubt
that the Shah was piqued by our new and obvious reluctance to
intervene in Persian internal affairs and that in consequence he
was ready to lend an ear to stories which were current and no
doubt were planted on him, about a deal between ourselves and the
Soviet Union, by which we had surrendered our interests in Persia
in return for ’'compensation * 1 elsewhere. If I am right in this/'
the despatch of British-Indian troops to Basra must have
compelled the Shah and many of his subjects to revise their views.
■i* However this may be, a few days ago I received an
invitation to dine with the Shah informally at his Summer Palace
last night. Dinner was preceded by an audience at which the
political situation was discussed but there were no leadinp 1
questions such as His Majesty has put to me on previous occasions,
uring the rest of the evening the conversation was of a general
nature and very friendly. Altogether His Majesty kept me for
hours and no one else was present. He opened the audience by
? ha h ? d n( ? t seen me f or a long time. I observed that
t Jo a ^ hls disposal and he said that he was well aware of
+ Z is P 0 ® ln g of Suggestions which have been made to me
thot His Majesty hac expected me to ask for an audience. He
we ?^'x < ? n that he wished to have the closest and most friendly
relations with me, both officially and privately. He hoped I
wLi^ht £?? ortant + it was that Gr6?,t 3ritain ^ould moke
her weight felt in this country. We had recently shown very
clearly that we were determined to defend our vital interests
Werewe, he asked, equally alive to the importance of maintaining
the maepenaence and sovereign status of this country. I said
that I was sure His Majesty need have no qualms on this score.
The inoependence of this and all other sovereign states was one of
the most important aspects of the maintenance of law and order in
^ rl(i which had always been and I was sure would continue to
be, the overricing concern of His Majesty^s Government. While
/on
The Right Honourable Ernest Bevin, MP.,
His Majesty’s Principal Secretary of State
for Foreign Affairs,
Foreign Office,
LONDON S. W. 1.