File 2626/1905 ‘Persia:- Military Attaché at Meshed’ [‎157r] (318/532)

lThis\ Document is the Property of ills Britannic Majeaty's' G overnmentJ
PERSIA.
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[September 21 .]
CONFIDENTIAL.
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Foreign Office to Treasury.
^ ir ’ T * t»/t i• j-ii o , o- Foreign Office, September 21, ISOS.
I AM anectecl by Secretary Sir Edward Grey to refer you to the letter from this
Office of the 6 th March, 1905, forwarding copies of correspondence relative to the
appointment of a AEilitaiy Attache to His Majesty s Consul ate-General at Meshed and
to that of the 18th December of the same year.
dhe Loids Commissioners of His Majesty’s Treasury are already aware that this
post v as created as a temporary measure on the suggestion of the Government of India.
The creation of the post as a temporary one was advocated by Sir A. Hardino-e,
at that time His Majesty s Minister at -Tehran, who subsequentlv expressed the opinion
that it should be permanently maintained. ' 1
Sir A. Hardinee’s view was shared by his successor, Sir C. Spring-Mice, and is
Hardinge’s view
by His Majesty’s
Charge
d Affaires at Tehran and Consul-General at
<y 0
also held
Meshed.
On the 21st January last Air. Marling addressed a despatch to Sir E. Grey
inquiring whether any decision had been reached as to the advisability of m akin a- the
appointment permanent, and Sir E. Grey accordingly caused a letter to be addressed
to the India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. indorsing Mr. Marling s ojnnion that the post should be maintained,
and requesting information as to the conclusion which might be arrived at on the
subject. — — —'
The India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. , in reply, forwarded a copy of a despatch from the Government
of India strongly recommending the maintenance of the post, and stated that
A iscount Morley was disposed to acquiesce in its continuance for a further fixed period
subject to eventual reconsideration and to the condition that the cost involved should
be equally divided between the Imperial and Indian Exchequers.
Having regard, on the one hand, to the strong opinion expressed by the Govern
ment of India that the post should be maintained, and, on the other, to the expense
which would be incurred by the Imperial Exchequer in consequence of the permanent
existence of two British Military Attaches in Persia on the proposed terms, Sir E. Grev
addressed to Air. Marling a telegram inquiring his view as to the advisability of
abolishing the post of Military Attache to His Majesty’s Legation at Tehran.
Air. Marling replied by telegraph strongly deprecating this step.
Sir E. Grey still felt unable to recommend the Lords'Commissioners to sanction
the .charge to Biitish funds of half the exjiense involved by the maintenance of a
Military Attache at His Majesty’s Consulate-General at Meshed, but the Secretary of
btate for India adduced further and cogent arguments in favour of the arran° > enient
proposed, and suggested that the question whether the appointment could or could
not be regarded as of importance to Imperial interests from the military point of view
should be referred to the consideratio n of the Army Council.
The Army Council was therefore consultedTand gave an opinion strongly favourable
to the permanent maintenance of the post at Meshed.
Ihey indoised the views expressed by the Government of India, and expressed
the opinion that the interruption of the system of obtaining intelligence which had
been so successfully inaugurated by the Military Attache at Meshed would be
disadvantageous to the Imperial as well as to the Indian army.
They stated that, although the conclusion of the recent Convention had no doubt
improved our relations with Russia and removed much cause for anxiety, they
considered that it would be imprudent, by withdrawing our Attache from Meshed, to
deprive India, and indirectly the General Staff, of a source of accurate information
regarding events on the northern frontier of Afghanistan and in Central Asia.
It seemed, further, desirable that the working of the new arrangements under
which local disputes between Russian and Afghan frontier officials were to be settled
should be carefully watched, the more so as, judging from past experience, the
reports of such local disputes were liable to produce a feeling of unrest and anxiety,
2
a.
[1925 £—4]