Coll 29/6 'Mohammerah and Khorramshahr: vice consulate and consulate appointments' [‎70v] (143/470)

Please see submission at Ext*392/i*2.
In 1943 Khorramshahr hitherto a Vice Consulate staffed by the
Government of India, subordinate to the Consulate at Ahwaz^ axgl a
Foreign Office post, was raised to the status of Consulate "Without
prejudice to Consular arrangements after the war” • Thus the
Khorramshahr post was brought under direct control of Embassy
Tehran (329/42)• This arrangement proved unsatisfactory, however,
and early the following year it was agreed that in matters affecting
Khusistan as a whole ,where representations had to be made to the
Governor-General, H.M* Consul Khorramshahr should refer to the
Consul-General at Ahwaz ( while continuing to deal direct with the
Embassy in matters which involvedthe Central Government Ext. 1208/43)*
In June 1943 the post of Consul at Khorramshahr was upgraded to that of
a superior post in the Indian Political Service The branch of the British Government of India with responsibility for managing political relations between British-ruled India and its surrounding states, and by extension the Gulf, during the period 1937-47. (Pol.1536/45 Political
Collection 38/3)*
At the end of last year Sir Reader Bullard in his Despatch No.432
recommended that Khorramshahr should again be placed under Ahwaz with
regard to political and security matters as soon as British troops
were withdrawn. It is not. clear from his Despatch whether he intends
that it should revert once more to the status of Vice Consulate
(Ert. 1075/46).
The Government of India wrote on February 5th forwarding a
proposal from the Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. that this post should become a
permanent Consulate, they themselves recommended that the present
arrangements should continue up to 28th February. 1947, pending the
re-organisation of the Indian Political Service The branch of the British Government of India with responsibility for managing political relations between British-ruled India and its surrounding states, and by extension the Gulf, during the period 1937-47. (Ext. 1122/46). In
reply to a telegraphic request for their views on Sir Reader Bullard’s
recoramendation^ they stated emphatically that they were not disposed to
concur in even the limited proposal to subordinate Khorramshahr to
Ahwaz for political and security matters, and pointed out that the
interests of Khorramshahr lie mainly in the port and in Abadan where
there is the largest single concentration of Indians in Persia, and
that in their view these interests require the presence of an officer
of at least moderate seniority. They suggest as a compromise, however,
that the Consul at Khorramshahr while remaining independent should be •
instructed to take up specific matters requiring provincial co-operatian,
for example security and tribal questions, through the Consul-General
at Ahwaz.
Expenditure on the Khorramshahr Consulate is divisible in moieties
between H.M.G. and the Government of India, and a draft letter to the
Foreign Office requesting their concurrence in the Government of India’s
proposal to extend the existing arrangement for a further period of one
year is submitted below.