مجموعة رقم ١٠٤/٢٩ "تعيين شخص هندي في مفوضية طهران (السكرتير الأول، أو المفوّض التجاري)" [و‎‎١‎١‎٠] (٢٤٣/٢١٩)

ilo. 244/3/40.
15th May 1940
Dear Mr.Caroe,
Tnere has been much correspondence with Inuia
concerning the proposal that a trade mission should
come from India to J-ran to discuss trade between the
two countries. I mentioned it more than once to the
Minister for Foreign Affairs, and the Commercial
Secretary has spoken of it at the Ministry of Commerce,
but although the advantages are obvious the Iranian
Government nave not given their approval and I fear
that they are not likely to do so. Meanwhile it is
clear that there are opportunities for trade both ways,
and that if they could be studied on the spot by an
Indian expert it would be a gooa thing. It has
occurred to us that it would be worth while for India
to send a Trade Commissioner to Tehran. This would be
particularly appropriate as nearly all the trade with
India is in the hands of Indians. I imagine that if
the project was approved an Indian would be appointed:
m that case he should be a Moslem of good status -
such a man, if you have any more of them, as Saiyid
Lai Shah, the excellent official you sent to Jedda as
Indian Vice-Consul. To be of full value the Trade
Commissioner should be able to handle the Indian
community of two or three hundred, most of them Sikhs -
a job which I suppose could best be done by an
Englishman, but we hardly hope for that.
I hope that the Department of External Affairs
will consider this proposal sympathetically, if only
because our Commercial Secretary, who deals with Indian
as well as other British trade, has too much to do.
The Foreign Office nave said that they have no objection
to my putting this suggestion to you privately.
I am sending a copy of this letter to Mr.Baggallay.
Yours sincerely,
O.K.Caroe, C.I.S. (Signed) R.W.Bullard.
Secretary to the Government of India T>rT A
in the External j "fairs Department, SIMLA.