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File 4045/1913 'Pt 3 Railways: Trans-Persian Railway; Russian concession; Bandar Abbas-Kerman Railway; Kerman mining concession' [‎163v] (331/428)

The record is made up of 1 volume (210 folios). It was created in 1916-1932. It was written in English and French. The original is part of the British Library: 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. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .

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2
6 On the other hand, if, as the result of the present war, we are to push
onto and to hold Baghdad, and to consolidate our position in bouth-West
Persia—in connection with the oil wells or for other reasons r then such a
railway, or at any rate the earlier sections of it, may become inevitable, and
it should not be dropped. T r n , n
7 These remarks are pertinent, because I see from Mr. Ureenway s letter
that it is the same syndicate which has hitherto held the Mohammera
concession that is now interested in the Bunder Abbas-Kerman project and
that one of the conditions of proceeding with the latter is that the syndicate
should be reimbursed the 100,00WTwhich they have already spent on surveys
for the former. ,
g r ppjg seems to me a very unsatisfactory position , xoi yi) it indicates a
lack of policy which is hardly to be admired; (2) it implies that we can
only get one railway by dropping the other. Why should this be the case ?
And if it be the case, surely there ought to be a careful balance ol the merits
of the two before a decision m favour of one 01 the othei is ailived at. I can
find no trace of such a discussion in these papers.. .
9. Passing to the Bunder Abbas-Kerman project on its own merits, I am
not clear whether it is now advocated merely as a diplomatic rejoinder to a
Russian concession from Baku to 1 eheran, or as a commercial proposition,
or as a strategic move, intended in the last resort to bar the completion of
a Turco-Persian line, either in the direction of Nushki or to some Gulf port
to the east of Bunder Abbas, such as Ohahbar.
10. If it is put forward merely as a diplomatic rejoinder not intended to
materialise at the present time, it is obviously only a piece of make-believe,
with no value except the latent rights of revival which might be inherent m
it, and which might have a positive value one day in the future.
11. If, on the other hand, the line possesses a commercial value such as will
justify its construction as a business proposition, this ought to be demonstrated
by the figures of trade. I cannot recall having seen it done. Moreover, its
commercial effect has to be considered upon a possible future extension of
the Nushki Railway beyond Dalbandin, for both lines would then be
competing for the trade of East Persia and Khorasan, with a probable
decided advantage (owing to the existence of a maritime base at Bunder
Abbas) to the Kerman line.
12. If, thirdly, the line is to be viewed strategically, it possesses the
unquestionable advantage of diverting the Russian spearhead (i.e., the
Teheran-Yezd-Kerman railway of the future) at a spot where it would be
pointed straight towards India, and twisting it round in a direction where
the prolongation would be under British control, and in the last resort, at
Bunder Abbas, under the guns of the British Fleet From this point of
view it might be an advantage to Great Britain to anticipate the future
by the construction of such a line.
13. There is the secondary strategical advantage, assuming the entire east
of Persia to fall ultimately, as seems inevitable, under British protection, that
we should be able to reinforce our position at Kerman by direct maritime
connection with India.
14. These arguments may be held on the whole to justify a pursuance of
the present proposal, though the prospect should not be lost sight of that when
the Russian Government has carried, if it ever does carry, its trans-Persian
line via Yezd to Kerman, resentment may be expressed at a maritime
outlet so unconcerned with Russian ambitions or interests as Bunder Abbas,
and pressure may be put upon the British Government of the day to agree
to a more easterly prolongation from Kerman. 'Phis, however, relates to a
future still remote, and belongs to the region of speculation.
15. I have said nothing about the financial aspect of the case, which is not
even alluded to in these papers. How or with what resources, or subject to
what guarantees, the railway would be constructed, if it is really proposed
to construct it at all, has not been indicated.
Curzon.
24th August 1916.
I

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Content

Continuation of correspondence and memoranda regarding the proposed construction of railways in Persia, and additional bids for mining concessions.

The correspondents are 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. Political Department, the Foreign Office, HM Minister at Teheran [Charles Murray Marling], Marquess Curzon, the Board of Trade, and the French and Russian Ambassadors to the United Kingdom. The file also contains letters received from representatives of the Société d'Études du Chemin de fer Transpersan [André Jean Bénac], Baring Brothers & Company Limited, and Charles Greenway, representing the Persian Railway Syndicate, Kerman Mining Concession, and Anglo-Persian Oil Company.

The following topics are discussed:

  • announcement of the Russian construction of a line from Baku to Julfa, and the intention to construct a line from Baku to Tehran;
  • the proposal of the Russian section of the Société d'Études to apply for an option to construct a line from Asatar via Resht and Kasvin to Tehran;
  • further proposals to construct lines from Askabad to Meshed, and Enzeli to Tehran;
  • requests for Russian mining concessions in North Persia;
  • the Trans-Persian Railway scheme, French requests to restart the scheme, and the proposed liquidation of the Société d'Études in 1919 and 1932;
  • proposals received from the Greenway Group [Persian Railway Syndicate and Kerman Mining Concession] to apply for options to construct a rail line between Bundar Abbas and Kerman, and for mining concessions;
  • revision of the 1907 Anglo-Russian agreement;
  • oil drilling operations on the island of Kishm.

In addition to correspondence, the file contains the following reports of interest:

  • memorandum by Marquess Curzon regarding the likely results of war in the Middle East, and future rail and mining concessions in Persia, ff 176-83, with a printed copy at f 163;
  • Political Department memo C167 on the Kerman Mining Concession, ff 122-23;
  • Political Department memo C168 on 'Mining Concessions in the Islands and Coast of the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. : the Nuin-ut-Thijjar's position', ff 124-26;
  • a history of the Société d'Études, including details of its capitalisation and constitution, ff 17-28.
Extent and format
1 volume (210 folios)
Arrangement

The subject 4045 (Trans-Persian Railway) consists of two volumes, IOR/L/PS/10/416-417. The volumes are divided into three parts, with parts 1 and 2 comprising the first volume, and part 3 comprising the second volume.

Papers are arranged in rough chronological order from the front to the rear of the volume. Folio three is a collection header sheet, giving the subject heading and a list of correspondence references found within the file, listed by year.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 212; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio.

Written in
English and French in Latin script
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File 4045/1913 'Pt 3 Railways: Trans-Persian Railway; Russian concession; Bandar Abbas-Kerman Railway; Kerman mining concession' [‎163v] (331/428), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/10/417, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100036671476.0x000084> [accessed 29 March 2024]

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