ملف 3874/1908 "السكك الحديدية:- سكة الحديد العابرة لبلاد فارس" [و‎‎٣‎٠] (٥٣٦/٦١)

[This Document is the Property of flis Britannic Majesty's G-ovemment.] ^
v
EASTERN DEPARTMENT.
SECRET SERIES.
Section 3.
[July 18.]
[28227]
Sir,
M. Goukassow to Sir A. Nicolson.—(Received July 18.)
3 and 4, Lime Street Square, London, July 17, 1911.
I BEG to enclose herewith a memorandum on a trunk railway through Persia
which has been drawn up at your suggestion by the members of the Russian committee
at present in London deputed for negotiations in England.
As my friends intend to leave London on Wednesday morning, they request you to
give them an appointment to-day or to-morrow, in order to report to you on the piogiess
of their work here. . .
I also request you on behalf of my friends to address all future communciations to me,
as the only representative of the Russian committee living in London. All communi
cations should be addressed to the above address, or to 3, Whitehall Couit, S.W .
(telephone 3160 Victoria). _ ...
I beg to hand you herewith ten copies of “ Brief Notes on h < ^
Expenses for the Construction of a Trans-continental Railway through Persia.’'*
I remain, &c.
ABR, GOUKASSOW.
communication with Europe has caused public opinion in Russia to recognise clearly the
necessity of constructing an overland route through Persia to connect the existing
railway systems of Europe with those of the rich and densely populated legions of India
and South-Eastern Asia. _ ....
With this object in view a Russian committee has been formed in Russia (1) to
study the possibility of the construction of such a route ; and (2) to ascertain the
views of the Russian Government on the subject. After a close investigation based on
data including materials of the Ministries concerned the Russian committee have come
to the conclusion—
That the trunk line through Persia must be constructed by a single international
ompany, m which the Russian and English interests shall predominate, and m which
interests other than English or Russian may or may not be admitted according to
agreement with the British Government and with the English committee, which should
later be formed ;
That it is an indispensable condition for the commercial success of the railway,
that the line through Persia should be as short and straight as possible, m order to
enable it to compete both with other existing means of transit and possible future lines.
With this object in view the committee have decided on a route to pass from Baku
through Astara, Tehran, and Kerman to Nushki. But it is clearly understood that if,
from the British point of view, Nushki be found unsuitable as the point of junction with
the Indian railway system, and if Kurrachee be recommended instead, the alteration
could be adopted without affecting the commercial success of the line, providing,
however, that the section between Kerman and Kurrachee should run as^ far as^ is
practicable in a due south-easterly direction without any unnecessary deviations which
would lengthen the line as a whole.
The Russian committee have also studied the financial prospects of such a line,
have made a rough estimate of the cost of construction, and have examined the
possible effect of such a line on the increase of profits for the Russian railway system.
The conclusions at which the committee have arrived in this respect are embodied
Enclosure in No. 1.
Sir,
M. Homiakoif to Sir A. Nicolson.
July 17, 1911.
THE rapid development of civilisation in Central Asia and the need of better
[2123 3]
* Not printed.