File 4345/1912 'Trans-Persian Railway' [‎33r] (70/330)

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[This Document ia the Property of Hia Britannic Majesty’s Government]
[Aj
PERSIA,
CONFIDENTIAL.
[February 24,]
Section 2.
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[8687]
No. 1.
Sir G. Buchanan to Sir Edward Grey.—(Received February 24.)
Sir, St. Petersburgh, February 20, J913.
ON the receipt of your telegram No. 1J6 of the 11th instant, I communicated to
M. Sazonof verbally the general outline of the views of His Majesty’s Government with
regard to the trans-Persian railway scheme, and left with him an aide-memoire,
embodying the contents of your despatch No. 64 of the 5th instant, together with a
copy of the letter to Sir W. Garstin, that formed the enclosure in that despatch.
M. Sazonof received my communication with apparent satisfaction, and said that
he would give the documents which I had handed him his careful attention. The only
point to which he took exception was the condition laid down by His Majesty’s Govern
ment that the main line must pass through Ispahan and Shiraz, and if continued to
the British sphere reach that sphere at Bunder Abbas. In proposing such an align
ment His Majesty’s Government were, he contended, playing into the hands of the
Germans, who would at once link up the Bagdad Railway with the trans-Persian
railway by a branch line from Khanikin to Ispahan, The effect of this would be that
all the through traffic, instead of being carried over the Russian railways, would be
diverted to the. Bagdad Railway. The alignment ought to be made, as was originally
proposed, much more to the east, and should pass through Yezd instead of Ispahan. I
remarked that even if this was done it would not exclude the possibility of the Bagdad
Railway being eventually linked up with the trans-Persian line, as were the Germans
ever to obtain the concession for a line from Khanikin to Ispahan they would probably
later on get it extended to Yezd. M. Sazonof replied that there was no reason why
we should make matters easier for the Germans by selecting an alignment that was so
much nearer to Khanikin. The question, he said, was such an , important one that it
would hardly be in his competence to settle it by himself. He would therefore
probably have to submit it to the Council of Ministers ; and he enquired what His
Majesty’s Government would do should the decision of the Russian Government be
unfavourable to the proposed alignment, I expressed the hope that this would not be
the case. The advantages of the route which we proposed were self-evident. Instead
of passing through a desert country, where there was no opening for traffic, the railway
would be carried through important trade centres ; and the chances of its being
worked with profit would consequently be increased. It would, moreover, exercise a
beneficial and civilising influence in those districts and facilitate the restoration of
order in south Persia, M. Sazonof merely replied that so far as our trade interests
were concerned, we had the proposed Mohammerah-Khoremabad line, and that that
ought to satisfy us.
I suggested that his Excellency should, after examining with his competent
advisers the various points raised in the papers which I had given him, discuss the
whole question again with me before committing himself to a written reply, as I could
then ask you for further explanations on any of those points that required elucidation.
If he could not himself give the necessary time for a detailed discussion of the question
I should be happy to receive M. Klemm, the head of the Persian department, at any
time that suited his convenience.
M. Sazonof said that he would certainly have another conversation with me before
he drew up his written reply.
From several things which he said in the course of our discussion I took away the
impression that M. Sazonof is very sceptical as to the trans-Persian railway scheme
being carried out in its entirety for years to come, and that the only interest that he
really takes in the enterprise is the construction of the railway as far as lehran.
Since writing the above I have had an opportunity of repeating to M. Sazonof
what you said in your telegram No. 149 of the 17th of this month, and I again expressed
the hope that he would not raise difficulties about the alignment proposed by His
Majesty’s Government. His Excellency, who had evidently been thinking over the
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28 FEB 1913
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