File 3516/1914 Pt 1 'German War: Persian attitude towards Turkey' [‎14r] (36/340)

CONFIDENTIAL.
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RUSSIA
Sir G. Buchanan to Sir Edicard Grey.—(Received December 19, 12*40 p.m.)
(No. 815.) Petrograd, December 18, 1914.
PERSIAN Minister called two days ago and begged me to use my good
offices to relieve tension which he feared was rapidly growing between Russian and
Persian Governments. His own Government, he admitted, had been ill-advised in
addressing protest after protest to the Russian Government about Russian troops, but
the latter’s attitude wdth regard to Shuja, Medjliss, and present Persian Government
was causing him anxiety. Situation might become critical, as both Germans and
Turks were employing secret agents and distributing bribes with a view to stirring
up trouble with Russia. He begged that I would treat what he had told me as
private and confidential.
I took advantage of a conversation which I had alone with Minister for Foreign
Affairs yesterday afternoon to impress on him necessity of adopting a more conciliatory
attitude towards the Persian Government. A man like Shuja might perhaps be useful
at the present moment, but it was but natural that the Persian Government should
object to his acting as he was doing without their authority and to his receiving his
instructions and supplies [?] from Russian consul-general at Tabriz, just as if
Azerbaijan was a Russian province. If his services were indispensable, Russian
Government should have represented this at Tehran, and should have endeavoured to
induce Persian Government to authorise him to take measures to ward off invasion of
Turks. It may not even now be too late to do this, and I would therefore put
forward personal suggestion that his Excellency should approach the Persian
Government with a view to regularising his position.
Minister for Foreign Affairs denies that Shuja was acting by Russian orders,
though he might have received assistance in the shape of rifles. He would, he said,
consider my suggestion.
I then read him Tehran telegram No. 375 of 16th December, explaining that Sir W.
Townley’s attitude had been misrepresented. It would, I thought, be a great mistake
for his Excellency to insist, as I gathered from aide-memoire summarised in my
telegram No. 806 of 16th December, that it was his intention to do, on dismissal of
the whole Cabinet. He ought to be contented with strengthening of it by the admis
sion of one or two new members.
Minister for Foreign Affairs eventually said he would be satisfied if Ala-es-
Saltaneh and Moin-el-Vezareh were got rid of and if Vossuk-ed-Dowleh and Farman
Farma entered Cabinet. He blamed Sir W. Townley for not having taken his Russian
colleague into his confidence, as it was entirely owing to his silence that misunder
standing had arisen.
As regards Medjliss, I begged his Excellency not to press for its dissolution. It
might, however, be possible, from a remark recently made to me by the Persian
Minister, for new Cabinet to arrange that its sittings should be suspended till war was
over, owing to its present number being only little above necessary quorum.
His Excellency said that some arrangement of this kind might be sufficient.
Since writing the above, I have received and communicated to M. Sazonof your
telegram No. 1203 of 17th December, begging him not to act for the present on my
suggestion with regard to Shuja.
" 'His Excellency said that if I would send him an aide-memoire, giving your reply
[? to Russian Ambassador], he would see what he conld do. He repeated, however,
what was reported in my telegram No. 806 of 16th December as to impossibility of
sending Russian force.
(Repeated to Tehran.)
1 I 72—814