مجموعة ٢٨ /٦٧ "بلاد فارس: تقارير سنوية، ١٩٣٢-" [و‎‎١‎٧‎٩] (٦٤٤/٣٥٧)

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refrained from giving any indication of the general attitude of the commission
and merely stated that the latter could not take a decision in any given case
without being furnished with full details.
122. Consideration of these notes seemed to show that there was little or
nothing to be gained by continuing to discuss these questions in general terms
with the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. His Majesty's Minister therefore decided
that individual cases, where hardship was being occasioned to British subjects,
must henceforth be dealt with separately by His Majesty’s Legation, and
supported with the commission on their merits. Hitherto only applications of
great urgency or possessing other special features had been taken up individually
with the commission by His Majesty’s Legation, whose assistance and that of His
Majesty’s consular officers had normally been restricted to the giving of
certificates to applicants that their requests were regarded as genuine and
deserving.
123. Accordingly, a typical application, that of an Indian goldsmith at
Bandar Abbas who wished to remit some 640 rupees annually to India, was
selected and treated as a test case, and Llis Majesty’s consul sought an interview
with the president of the Exchange Control Commission to present it.
Mr. Summerhayes pointed out that the man’s case was typical of those of a larger
number of British subjects in Iran, that His Majesty’s Legation did not feel that
fair treatment was being accorded to them, and that it was not understood why
such applications were almost invariably refused, seeing that the regulations
gave the commission full discretion to accept any application which they regarded
as deserving, even though it might not be possible to invoke any specific clause in
support of^it. Mr. Summerhayes found Dr. Hajeer unexpectedly sympathetic,
and the latter confirmed his friendly words by granting not only the application
from Bandar Abbas, but also those of a number of British subjects which
Mr. Summerhayes also took the opportunity of representing to him.
124. It was accordingly decided at the end of the year to instruct His
Majesty’s consular officers to furnish full lists of British subjects who had left
or wished to leave Iran and export their assets, and to refer to His Majesty’s
Legation for such support as could be given to them the most deserving cases
winch came to their notice when British residents were unable to obtain permits
to remit abroad reasonable sums for their own private purposes.
125. No difficulty was ever experienced in obtaining permits for ITis
Majesty’s Legation or consulates to acquire foreign exchange for official purposes,
and applications from British officials were nearly all accepted without demur;
but it proved a tiresome business having to refer every single application to the
commission, and it was accordingly suggested to the Ministry for Foreign Affairs
that special facilities might be given to His Majesty’s Legation and consulates
and members of their staffs. Despite repeated reminders, however, it proved
impossible to obtain any reply to this request.
(H) Murder of Mr. E. A. Fear.
126 Mr E. A. Fear, a British subject employed as chief cashier by the
firm of Richard Costain (Limited), who were engaged on the construction of one
of the lots on the southern railway, was killed in a hold-up on the 25th April.
He was returning by car from the bank in Khorramabad with 200,000 rials
(£2,500) in cash when his car was stopped at a lonely place on the road. He,
his chauffeur, and an Indian to whom he had given a lift, were all shot through
the head at point-blank range and the money was stolen. With no survivors and
no witnesses, the police were given a hard task, and although they appeared to
pursue their investigations with energy, they had not succeeded in tracing the
murderers by the end of the year. The chief of police in Tehran stated, however,
as late as November last that a new clue had recently been discovered and that
he hoped that it would lead to some result.
127. In view of the fact that Mr. Fear had discontinued his former practice
of requesting the authorities to supply him with an armed guard on his journeys
to the bank, and that the common practice among other contractors was to take
no special precautions on these occasions, and as, moreover, a state of perfect
[15259] B 14