ملف ١٩٠٤/٢٧٦٤ الجزء ٢ "سكة حديد بغداد: مفاوضات عامة ١٩٠٨-١٩١٠." [و‎‎٣‎٤] (٧٩٩/٧٦)

[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.]
BAGDAD RAILWAY.
SECRET.
[14835] No. 1.
Mr. Barry to Foreign Office.—(Received April 30.)
^ 2 , Queen Anne's Gate, Westminster, S.W.,
Doar Mr. MaUet, April 28, 1910.
rn 1 ^ NCL0SE . for y° ur information a copy of a letter I received to-day from
M. lardieu. In this letter M. Tardieu sets forth the alterations in the terms of the
agreement already approved by M. Pichon, which the latter now wishes to make after
his recent interview in Paris with M. Gambon.
Instead of half the capital being found by the British and French financiers
respectively, he now proposes that 60 per cent, should be found by the French and
40 per cent, by the English.
Instead of the director-general of the Anglo-French Company being English, as
previously agreed, he now desires that the director-general should be a Frenchman.
Instead of the members of the “ conseil ” being half French and half English, he
now proposes that five should be French and only three English.
Instead of half of the material being supplied from France and half from
England, he now proposes that three-fifths be supplied by France and two-fifths by
England.
It seems to me that the modifications proposed will make the company entirely
French instead of Anglo-French. After consulting with my friends, I have come to
the conclusion that it would be difficult to raise English capital for a purely French
company, and that the terms now substituted by M. Pichon for those which he had
already agreed, should be adopted, would practically eliminate British interests from
the line. We propose, therefore, to urge M. Pichon either to restore the conditions
that the director-general should be an Englishman, or to agree to divide the whole
railway into two sections, the mileage of which should be as six to four, and that the
longer section, which would form a junction with the Syrian railways, should be
constructed entirely by the French, and the shorter section by the English, and that
after completion the two sections should be worked as one railway under a joint board.
If it be found impossible to arrange some such terms as these, it may well be necessary
for Youssouf Said Bey to proceed with his application independently of French
support. If he succeeds, and after all he will have this in his favour that he will at
least have no German opposition to face, at least, if he falls in with their suggestion to
take his line to Aleppo, owing to his agreement with me, a copy of which I enclose,
the railway will have to be worked under British control.
T leave to-day for Paris to confer with M. Tardieu.
Yours sincerely,
A. J. BARRY.
V ..v •
[April 30.]/ ^
e "o' ' 0 iM
Section 2.\p\
^ L f
Enclosure 1 in No. 1.
M. Tardieu to Mr. Barry.
Cher Monsieur, .... Paris ’ le 27 avril ’ 191 °-
JE sais officieusement, et je saurai demain officiellement, que les modifications
demandees sont les suivantes :—
Capital: 60 pour cent fran^ais ; 40 pour cent anglais.
President: Frangais.
Conseil d Administration : Cinq Frangais ; trois Anglais.
f Directeur de 1 exploitation (nommant le personnel) : Frangais ; commandes
reparties 60 et 40 pour cent.
J’ai repondu a cette communication officieuse que, vis-a-vis de vous, je me
bornerais a vous la transmettre quand on me la ferait officiellement, car je voulais a,
[2707 gg —2]