Coll 29/104 'Appointment of an Indian to the Tehran Legation (First Secretary or Trade Commissioner)' [‎89r] (177/243)

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Allotted to External Department.
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18194:
i T C-
PECYPHEE OF
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Government of India* Department of External Afxairs*
to Secretary of State for Indiao
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Dated New Delhi. 23o20 hours, 8 th July 1948« ^ ^ ,
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Received 03,30 hours, 9th July 1942.
5302,
Addressed to Secretary of State for India repeated to
Tehran No 0 263o We have for some time been considering
arrai'gements for Indian Commercial representation m Tehran,
Tn present circumstances commercial exchanges are so hedged
around by import and export controls at both ends that usual
Indian method of representation by Trade Commissioner is
inappropriate* But apart from “'he fact \>hat we must have
eye to the future we believe that there are many other matters
outside the purely commercial in which careful)^elected
Indian official should be able under cover of the Legation to
serve Indian and Binpire Interests aiilte<» Such are ( u ) laying
foundation for cultural (? and) economic relations between
India and Persia, (b) Controlling and assisting Indian
ommunity in Tehran, (c) Removal
British) feelings among Persians^
of anti-Indian (and anti-
(d) propagand a,
2 0 The proposal to appoint an Indian Secretary ic^ the
Legation is of course new departure and we have consulted
Legation on it* We have pointed out. that the emergence of
India toward Dominion Status will inevitably be reflected in
demand fo * 1 India s representation abroad and that India already
has representatives attached to the Embassy on high plane in
Washington and Chungking.. Similar question must inevitably
arise before long in Middle East countries where Indian interests
have been more clearly focussed in the past than in America
and China and we feel there would be advantage in utilising
present favourable position resulting from Persian arliance to^
overcome Persian objection^which as Legation have pointed out is
to be anticipated..
we understand that the Legation appreciate points of
view stated in paragraph No,2 above though they are dubious
whether Indian First Secretary would be able to achieve much
result. Nevertheless we consider that matter is o.m in which
i mp or f ant ( ? principle) is i nv ol v ed, P er si an ob ;j ec fc i on mu s t
be overcome sooner or later and we believe that it Officer ^
whom we have in mind for this appointment is sent -o Telit'an he
should be able within reasonable time to achieve useful results
In non-official directions indicated in paragraph No,l above,
Ouji provisional selection is Major A, S.B. Phab who has two years
experience of Secretariat work in this Department (? during which;
he has borne much responsibility for foreign publicity policy*
Both socially and otherwise he is well suited for his position
not of the type to be easily djscouraged by opposition at the
beginning..
RECd, POL. DE!*t.
'>uj(JU942
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.
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