Coll 28/39 ‘Persia: Printed Correspondence 1929-1936’ [‎300r] (610/1174)

Provisoire, which the Persian Government interpreted as meaning that in
such matters the Persian Courts had jurisdiction but would apply Austrian
Law and not that the Austrian Courts had jurisdiction. He suggested,
however, that the only way to settle the matter was by “friendly arrange-
jt* ment” and that Monsieur Ehlers should pay ten per cent, of the claims of
the Persian creditors whereupon the Court would announce that the matter
had been settled,
4. It appears that in pursuance of this suggestion and in order to free
himself from further legal proceedings Monsieur Ehlers settled the claims
of the Persian creditors by paying into Court a sum of seven thousand
eight hundred Rials (of which he alleges five per cent, went to an official of
the Ministry of Justice who arranged the matter). It is interesting here
to note that the “claims” were neither examined nor proved in Court! He
had in addition other leg-' 1 expenses bringing his total expenditure to some
fifteen thousand Rials. He is endeavouring to recover this sum from the
Austrian Federal Chancellery who, however, decline to pay unless they
recover the amount from the Persian Government.
5. Despite all this, Monsieur Ehlers states that he has instructions
from his Government to administer the estates of other Austrians dying in
Persia and that he has in fact dealt with the-estates of four or five Austrians
—mostly workmen employed on railway construction—who have died
recently.
6. Most of the above information was given by Monsieur Ehlers to
Mr. Brenan who called upon him on December 11th. He remarked that
in the case of the estales of the workmen he had taken the precaution to
refer to the Police and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs but that usually
his communications had remain unanswered. He added that some three
hundred and fifty Austrian workmen were employed on railway construc
tion in this country and that he was constantly receiving complaints from
them. He mentioned two forms of annoyance by the Police which were
frequently reported. One was for the local police to accuse a man of being
a “Soviet Agent” and order him to come to Tehran, indicating however
that a “payment” of say fifty tomans 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value. might ease matters. The other was
for a policeman by personl rudeness to invite a slap on the face whereupon
the offender would be arrested for assault, tried by a local magistrate and
ordered to leave the country. Again a hint would be given that the pro
duction of a sum of cne hundred or one hundred and fifty tomans 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value. would
lead to the suppression of the “dessier”.
7. I happened to mention Monsieur Ehlers’ difficulties to the Italian
Charge d’Affaires who told me that he had had a similar case and received
a stern reprimand from the Persian Minister for Foreign Affairs.
Monsieur Desandre was, however, able to make the retort courteous that
as a matter of fact he had undertaken to dispose of the effects of a dying
compatriot and that therefore the representation made to him was clearly
based on ignorance of the true facts.
8. I am sending a copy of this despatch to the Foreign Secretary to
the Government of India (No. 250).
(152)
Letter from British Legation, Tehran, to the Foreign Office, London,
P. L. No. 583, dated THE 16th December 1933.
Extract from revort by Samsam-cl-Kutcib, Munshi A term used in the Middle East, Persia and South Asia to refer to a secretary, assistant or amanuensis. Munshis were employed in the British administration in the Gulf. of His Majesty s Vice-
Consulate at Resht, sent to Mr. A . C. Trott, under date of 30th Novem
ber 1933.
Bolshevik Immigrants :
(1st November). Since last year, certain Mohammedans and
Armenians, settlers of Baku and other cities of Caucasia, exiled by the
Bolsheviks on the pretext of their being Persian subjects and on account
187(C) F&PD