File 3047/1909 'Railways: Asiatic Turkey; railway construction in Asia Minor' [‎19r] (42/368)

[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty’s GovemmentJ
ASIATIC TURKEY AND ARABIA.
CONFIDEN1TAL.
5 APR1911
[10003]
No. 1.
[March 20 .]
Section 1.
Sir G. Lowiher to Sir Edward Grey.—(Received March 20.)
(No. 155. Confidential.) , ^ / ia im.
^• r Pera, March 10, 19LI.
WITH reference to Mr. Marling’s despatch No. 944 bf the 30th December last, I
understand that the Grand Vizier has recently made it quite clear to the promoters of
the Chester scheme that it did not have his support, and the Minister of War has also
assumed a similar attitude, the latter having even openly stated that the granting of
the concession would he regarded by Germany as an unfriendly act, and that Tut key
was not disposed to take any step by which she might forfeit the friendship of that
Power.
It has for the past year been understood that the scheme had the support ot a
majority of the Chamber, and the American Embassy has made no concealment of their
opinion that the failure to conclude the business is the result of pressure brought to
bear by the German Ambassador against the scheme.
This doubtless lias been an influential factor in the adverse attitude adopted by the
Ottoman Government towards the scheme, but 1 have reason to believe that what has
specially influeneed the Grand Vizier has been his disinclination to see the advent into
Turkey of American capital on a large scale. His Highness believes that as regards
other Great Powers active interference in support of their interests will always be held
in check by the existing balance of power in Europe, but that America not being
restrained by any considerations of this nature might at any moment even go so far as
to dispatch a fleet here for the safeguard of what she considered to be her interests. _
The matter is, however, not finally disposed ot, and at the present moment is being
used by the Armenian deputies in the parliamentary situation. These being in favour
of the scheme threaten to withdraw their support from the Government if the latter do
not change their attitude on the question. #
Quite latterly it has been suggested that the Chester group might possibly come
to terms with the Bagdad Railway Company. ^
Baron von Marschall mentioned the matter to me yesterday, and said that the
failure to obtain the concession was by the Americans and their supporters laid at his
door. This, he said, was quite untrue. The only observation he had made in official
quarters was that there would be a difficulty about the Chester scheme finding an outlet
for its line at Youmourtalik, but that this was a matter of arrangement between the
two companies. Baron von Marschall must have forgotten that last year he confided
to me the fact that he had entered a protest to the Grand Vizier against the scheme,
as recorded in my despatch No 357 of the 4th June, 1910.
I have, &c.
GERARD LOWTHER.
[1935 n—1]