مجموعة ٤٠/٧(١) "أسلحة وذخيرة للجيش الفارسي" [و‎‎١‎٢] (٨٥/٢٤)

Our ref: P1/3539
Your ref: P» 12901/46
IMMEDIATE - BY HAND
The War Office,
Whitehall, S.W.I*
10th October, 1946.
-v Dear Taylor,
I am very sorry to have taken such a long time to reply to
your letter of 1st October about the supply of grenades from
India to the Persian Army, but the matter was not quite as
simple as it appeared to be at first sight*
The position is that we have already included the cost of
20,000 grenades in question in a quotation to the Persian
Government through our Military Attache at Teheran and were
proposing to ask for a settlement on the basis of a revised
quotation we were about t6 give* It is, therefore, far more
satisfactory from our point of view for the procedure suggested
in your letter of recovery from the Persian Governments
sterling balance in London to be adopted*
We originally asked that pre-payment should be arranged,
but the Persians have offered 50^ pre—payment and the balance
in June 1947* The Treasury have been consulted about Persia’s
request and have decided that we should continue to press for
100J& prepayment, only giving way if it seems that H.M*
Government’s strategic interests are likely to be adversely
affected. We are therefore informing the Military Attache that
we cannot vary our normal rule that payment must be made in
advance of the despatch of the stores. Arrangements are being
made for the India Office to be notified when we have received
the cash. Until then, the actual issue of the stores should be
held in suspense.
Presumably, you will only wish to deal in your telegram
to Mohamad Ali with the question of the channel of payment.
W. Taylor, Esq.,
India Office,
4, Central Buildings,
Matthew Parker Street, S.W. 1.
W