مجموعة ٢٨ /٦٧ "بلاد فارس: تقارير سنوية، ١٩٣٢-" [ظ‎‎٢‎٠‎٠] (٦٤٤/٤٠٠)

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H.M.S. Shoreham was due to visit on-the 1st August. A few days earlier the
Governor of Bushire informed the Secretary to the Political Resident that he
expected to receive a salute of nineteen guns, instead of the thirteen guns normally
accorded to him, and that unless he received the salute demanded he would
return the senior naval officer’s call on land, and not on board the ship. A salute
of nineteen guns could not, of course, be granted without the sanction of His
Majesty the King. The Governor’s demand was referred to the Ministry for
Foreign Affairs, but it proved impossible to obtain a decision by the 1st August,
and the senior naval officer had no alternative but to cancel his visit to Bushire.
At the end of September the Ministry for Foreign Affairs informed His Majesty’s
Legation that the Governor should only receive a salute of thirteen guns as
before, and that if the Iranian Government saw any reason to ask for a change
at Bushire or elsewhere, the matter would be raised through the diplomatic
channel.
38. H.M.S. Enterprise, of the Fourth Cruiser Squadron, East Indies, visited
Abadan and Bushire in October. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs at first
appeared puzzled by the visit of a ship not forming part of the Persian Gulf
Division, but made no difficulty when it was explained that it was usual for
a cruiser from the East Indies station to visit the Persian Gulf each year. The
visit to Abadan passed off without incident, and it was evident that the local
authorities made every effort to be as friendly as possible.
39. During the year the attitude of the Iranian Government with regard
to the landing of seamen requiring urgent medical attention became more
accommodating than it had previously been (see paragraph 19 of the 1936 report).
Repeated efforts were made to obtain an assurance in writing that His Majesty’s
ships would be allowed to call at Iranian ports, without prior notification, to
land urgent medical cases. It became evident that the Iranian Government had
no intention of giving any such assurance in writing, or of making any alteration
in their published regulations. But the representations made by His Majesty’s
Legation were not without effect. At the end of May the head of the European
Department of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs assured the counsellor of His
Majesty’s Legation that the local authorities were aware that the necessity of
landing an urgent medical case constituted an instance of force majeure, which
would justify a breach of the regulations requiring prior notification of a visit
by a foreign warship. Local enquiries showed, at first, that both the Governors
of Abadan and Bushire were still in some doubt on the subject. Colonel Bayendor,
however, appeared to have received the required instructions, which he passed
on to the Governor of Abadan, while the Governor of Bushire also subsequently
agreed that an urgent medical case could be landed without prior notification.
By the end of the year it was evident that there was nothing to be gained by
further representations.
40. In 1936 the Iranian Government had protested at the visit of the
troopship Dorsetshire to Abadan for fuelling without prior notification. They
were informed in reply that His Majesty’s Government in the United Kingdom
had no objection to notifying such visits if the Iranian Government so desired.
The Admiralty were anxious to ensure that no calls should be exchanged on such
visits, in order to safeguard the position of Admiralty oilers, which might be
treated as warships if troopships were so treated. His Majesty’s Legation were
therefore instructed to make an arrangement with the Iranian Government
accordingly. The matter was discussed with the Ministry for Foreign Affairs,
and a note was subsequently received stating that the Iranian Government agreed
that no calls should be exchanged on the occasion of visits of troopships “ having
no cadre of naval officers,” which was taken to mean not being under the control
of naval officers. The reply was regarded as satisfactory.
Iranian Navy.
41. At the beginning of the year the Iranian navy threatened to become
active in interfering with Arab dhows on the high seas and even in Arab terri
torial waters, and several protests to the Iranian Government were necessary
regarding the cases of which details are given in paragraphs 45-51 below. But
after the end of February no further cases were reported, and the ships of the
Iranian navy continued to spend the greater part of their time at their moorings