'File 60/20 I (C 93) Imperial Bank of Iran: Bahrain, etc' [‎69r] (139/409)

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a t )S0 ^ 1Ll ^ e ^y forced to do so will sell any exchange at all. This is not merely
is fk a lo| ; because the rate of the kran has been arbitrarily fixed at 60, and considerable
^ dilc^ doubt is felt as to wl:ietller tlle Government will be able to hold the kran at this
er ^ trade J ra ^ e ' because everyone feels that if the 11 rial " currency, based on gold, is to be
introduced next year, they would do much better to accumulate all the gold they can
^riiBiem■ P resent ' an< ^ ^ their silver krans. As I told his Highness, there appeared
H but he! to be two alternatives, and two only, either to let the kran exchange follow its normal
^ had to u'Course, or for the Persian Government to continue to support it by depleting their
ie y bought gold reserve in Europe, and, if they depleted this reserve beyond a certain point,
Subject, [ they would not have enough left to make it possible to introduce the gold standard
tteliopelesq, currency at all next year. In fact, I gave his Highness to understand pretty clearly
ip r esentati re< ^at amateur finance was a dangerous expedient, especially when, so far as I was
lat I Wa8r |; aware, the economic situation in Persia was not such as need cause any serious alarm,
the iinp r J-There was really no comparison between the position in Persia to-day and the
; the l4p : position in Turkey. His Highness admitted this.
d notbelrV 13 - ^ tessrs - R 0 g ers an d Wilkinson have sent to his Highness counter-proposals,
Mitiontni of which a copy is enclosed, # for a revision of their concession, and are to see him
J %lishit a g ain on the 21st ApriL
R H ■ n ,W
nanstoctm H H - CLIVE -
P.S., April 19.—Since writing the above, Mr. Rogers has been in to tell me that
a most unfortunate slip was made by the bank when forwarding their counter
proposals to the Minister of Court. Mr. Wilkinson had himself put the document
into French, but it had not been noticed that the typist had omitted the words
, M "the sum of £650,000 free of interest " at the end of the paragraph following (6).
and WilkiDsoa Minister of Court had now replied, he said, practically accepting all their
^omoreb-p r0 p 0Sa i Sj including a promise "to loan to the Imperial Bank of Persia £350,000
mmon sense n i ne t e en years." I enclose a copy of his letter.^ A letter had, therefore, at
once been sent off to his Highness to explain the mistake which the bank had made,
\\ilkmsonto^ anc [ to sa y that what they had really intended to ask was either £350,000 down in
the first instaf^g^ or a i oan f ree 0 f interest for nineteen years of the sum of £650,000.
d I hoped hw waSj indeed, a most unfortunate lache.
) do this, and i R. h . C.
Monday aftei
%
fctpdt Enclosure in No. 1.
rally unsatiste
which relatesi: Sir R. Clive to Teymourtache.
lent of the Iif
tm of the Pffi Mon cher Ami, • Teheran, le 14 avnl 1930.
concern,will JE sais que vous aimez le franc-parler, et que nous sommes daccord a penser
an Governmew ^ 116 c 'est la une condition indispensable de toute negociation aussi delicate et com-
i this way, liewpliq^ee que la notre. C'est ce qui m'autorise a penser que le moment est arrive de
pital for indiii" vous dire en toute franchise combien je me sens decourage par une serie d'evenements
1 1 recents.
of the 16th Au moment meme ou nous nous effor^ons de mener a bonne fin deux traites de
>1^ on the P^ 118 g ran de envergure et con^us dans I'espoir d'apporter, une fois pour toutes, la
h nnv is encfe solution definitive de nos differends, on est bien force de constater que par trois fois,
t T)r Lind® e t cela dans des affaires d une importance considerable, le Gouvernement britannique
ia , .nid that I 8 'est vu traite avec un manque d'egards auquel il n'est point habitue.
aC LvaDif Prenons ces trois questions 1'une apres Fautre. II y a d'abord le prelevement,
118 a ' sans le moindre avertissement, des droits de douane au taux de 50 krans la livre
p^sd sterling. Vous ayant deja exprime, dans ma lettre en date du 12 courant, ma vive
v iflii(¥ deception en apprenant cette demarche, je n'ai besoin de m'y attarder que pour
16 . souligner encore une fois l impression fort penible qu'elle ne pourra manquer de
I ! onU ^ ^aliproduire a Londres. Passons outre.
their 111 r of L a n 0 nv elle que le Gouvernement persan avait rejete, sans rien dire, 1 off re du
3 ^ouvernement britannique par rapport a la formation d'une flotte per sane apres
n the 1 i: avoir demande son aide, a cause, a Londres, la surprise et le vif ressentiment que
iere^- j'avais redoutes et prevus. Voici ce que le Secretaire d'Etat ma telegraplne a ce
,ving sujet:
COUntrj' ' * Not printed.