Coll 28/67 ‘Persia. Annual Reports, 1932–’ [‎17r] (33/644)

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Arms Traffic.
163. It was reported from San Francisco at the end of 1931 that a sample
Thompson gun ordered by the Ghadr party (see annual report for 1931, para
graph 161) had been landed in Persia.
164. Towards the end of October 200 rifles which had been brought by some
Baluchis to Charbar in a dhow A term adopted by British officials to refer to local sailing vessels in the western Indian Ocean. were seized by the military authorities. According
different reports, they had been brought from Bombay and transhipped at sea
from a foreign steamer.
165. The Persian Government proposed in the course of the year a bilateral
arms traffic agreement with His Majesty’s Government in the United Kingdom
(see under “General Treaty Negotiations” and “Arms Traffic Convention,
1925”).
Bahrein.
166. The Persian claim to Bahrein is dealt with under “ General Treaty
Negotiations.”
167. Early in the year some correspondence took place between the Foreign
Office and His Majesty’s Legation as to the proper reply to be returned by His
Majesty’s Government—or by the sheikh—to a Persian demand for arbitration.
It appeared that, even if His Majesty’s Government would be justified in the face
of such a demand in replying that the sheikh was the person to whom the Persian
Government must address themselves (through His Majesty’s Government), and
however justified the sheikh would be in rejecting with scorn a suggestion that he
should submit his independence to arbitration, the Persian Government could
always find ways and means of bringing their claim before the League of Nations.
168. In the course of further inter-departmental correspondence the legal
view was expressed that the article in the draft treaty by which Great Britain
and Persia agreed to recognise the independence of Bahrein would constitute
an engagement by Great Britain not to annex Bahrein, though it would not
prevent the establishment of a protectorate.
169. In July the Persian Government revived, as though it were something
quite new, their old complaint that Persian subjects were not allowed to land
at Bahrein on “ Elm-o-Khabar ” (documents issued by the Persian authorities
for travelling between one Persian port and another); they alleged that Persians
had now, before leaving for Bahrein, to obtain permits through their
acquaintances; this was alleged to be a breach of the status quo agreement of
1929. His Majesty’s Minister replied that the procedure to which objection
was taken was expressly devised in the interests of Persian merchants resident
in, or visiting, Bahrein; while all other foreigners, including British subjects,
had to have passports and visas before landing, Persian merchants were allowed
to land on the strength of “no objection” passes issued by the Bahrein
authorities; otherwise, in view of the fact that their Government would not issue
passports or recognise visas for Baffrein, they would never land at all. In any
case, the procedure dated from before the conclusion of the status quo agreement.
170. In September the Persian Government took exception to the intention
of the Government of India, announced in a circular from the Bureau of the
Universal Postal Union, to use Indian stamps surcharged with the word
“ Bahrein,” instead of plain Indian stamps, at the India Post Office in Bahrein;
and they threatened that letters bearing such stamps would not be delivered in
Persia. His Majesty’s Minister suggested that, if the stamps were not already
in use, their issue should be unostentatiously delayed until the fate of the
negotiations was somewhat clearer. This was agreed to by IJis Majesty’s
Government and the Government of India. Later, 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.
reported that, in the opinion of the political agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. at Bahrein, if the Persian
Government carried out their threat, the only sufferers would be Persians resident
in Bahrein and their correspondents in Persia. His Majesty’s Minister
thereupon suggested that nothing should be said to the Persian Government until
it were known whether the negotiations had failed or not, and that the Minister
for Foreign Affairs should then be told orally that no reply would ever be sent
to their note, but that, if the Persian threat were carried out, the only sufferers
would be Persian subjects.