File 42/1912 ‘TRANS-PERSIAN RAILWAY’ [‎15r] (34/660)

[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Maiestv's Gnv P .rn mPn t ]
[B]
% PERSIA.
CONFIDENTIAL.
[31859J
[July 29. j
Section 2.
Slv G. Buchanan to Sit Edwavd Gvey.—(Received July 29 )
(No. 229. Confidential.)
Sir,
THE Minister for Foreign Affairs passed
on his way to the Fmnisii Skerries, where the
Sweden to-morrow, and was good enough to granl
afternoon.
Our conversation followed much the same lines as that which I had had with the
President of the Council a few days previously, on which I reported in my despatch
{v No - 226 °* the l8th mstant - Sazonof expressed much satisfaction at hearing how
cordial were the sentiments entertained for Russia in England, but said that he had
been painfully surprised by the tone of Lord Cu rzon’s recent speech in the House of
Lords. He had tiusted that the old suspicions with which Russia used to be reo’arded
were now dead and buried, and yet here was a statesman who might occupy the post
of Secretay of State for Foreign Affairs in the next administration speaking of Russian
designs against India. He could only hope that Lord Curzon did not represent any
large section of British public opinion. _ The idea of a Russian invasion of India was
an utterly senseless one. Even if Russia were to acquire complete control of the future
Trans-Persian Railway, it would be almost impossible for her to transport and maintain
in a desert country, like that through which it would have to pass, a force sufficient
for such a gigantic enterprise.
I replied that the interpretation placed by his Excellency on Lord Curzon s speech
was hardly a fair one. His Lordship had never attributed any aggressive designs to
the Imperial Government. He represented a school, of which the military correspon
dent of the “Times” had made himself the mouthpiece in the press, that advocated the
maintenance of the isolation of India, on the ground that, as we did not possess an army
on the scale of those of the Continental Powers, it was folly for us to encourage an
enterprise that might render our Indian frontier more vulnerable. The attitude of His
Majesty’s Government towards the Trans-Persian Railway had been throughout
sympathetic, and they had looked on it with favour as opening up a fresh field for
Anglo-Russian co-operation. It was not strategic considerations that had raised anv
doubts in their minds as to the feasibility of the undertaking, but rather the financial
difficulties with which its construction and exploitation were confronted.
M. Sazonof admitted that he was himself not quite clear as to how the latter
difficulties were to be surmounted, seeing that a Government guarantee by England
and Russia was out of the question. He was, none the less, convinced thut the idea
underlying the railway scheme was a great one, and that its realisation would be to the
advantage of both Persia and India. In supporting it, Russia was giving a proof of her
disinterestedness, as the introduction of the principle of internationalisation which the
railway would carry with it would be a bar to the policy of aggrandisement with which
she was credited by extreme Radicals in England.
On the other band the Powers, who constructed and controlled the railway, would
y | exercise an effective control over the Persian Government, and this would render abor
tive any attempts that Germany might make in future to assert her influence at Tehran.
It was inconceivable that Persia should place obstacles in the way of a railway that was
/ so manifestly to her advantage, but, until the question of the trace was settled, we
could not possibly ask for the concession. He therefore trusted that the Societe
d’Etudes would carry out their investigations and present their report with the least
possible delay. His Excellency then enquired whether I could tell him how matters
stood at present. I replied that I understood, from what M. Zvegintsof had told me,
that the Russian Government had in years gone by, when the relations between the
two countries were not as cordial as at present, caused surveys to be made of much of
[2545/—21
St. Petersburgh, July 22, 1912.
through St. Petersburgh yesterday
Emperor will receive the King of
me an interview in the course of the