Coll 28/67 ‘Persia. Annual Reports, 1932–’ [‎19v] (38/644)

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Naval Visits.
200. Early in January the Ministry for Foreign Affairs sent a reply to
the representations made by His Majesty’s Legation in December (see annual
report for 1931, paragraph 194), in which they stated that for the last four years
the British consul in Khuzistan had applied to the Governor-General whenever
a naval visit was to take place and that the latter after obtaining instructions
from the capital had always given his consent; no change in the procedure
had therefore taken place. The Ministers of Court and Foreign Affairs wer®
however, brought to see that they had misunderstood both the terms of the 1928
arrangement for visits by ships permanently stationed in the Gulf and the object
of the Legation’s representations. A corrected note was consequently sent saying
that the local officials had been instructed to grant permission for visits on their
own authority without delay. It subsequently appeared that the promised
instructions had at any rate reached the Governor-General by Khuzistan.
201. A communication regarding a proposed visit by H.M.S. Hawkins,
a vessel not permanently stationed in the Gulf, was made in the same form as
for similar visits in previous years.
202. As regards the post-treaty position, the Minister of Court, in the
course of the treaty negotiations, produced a draft for an exchange of notes (as
reported elsewhere) specifying that before a naval visit took place ‘ ‘ une demande
d’autorisation ” should be made through the diplomatic channel, but that, if
no reply was received by the time the visit was due, it might be considered that
permission had been accorded tacitly. His Majesty’s Government in
the United Kingdom were disposed to accept this in principle, though
still hoping for simple “notification,” and a revised version of
Teymourtache’s draft was eventually given back to him, the chief
alterations in which were : (1) An additional paragraph providing that the
local authorities should receive instructions that if a warship arrived in their
port they should assume, in the absence of specific instructions that the visit was
not to take place, that a communication had been made through the diplomatic
channel and raise no objection to the visit; (2) omission of the mention of terri
torial waters; and (3) the omission of a provision that the object of the visit
should be stated. His Majesty’s Government were, however, willing to state
the object in practice. At the same time His Majesty’s Government decided that,
whatever the Persian Government might do, they would not demand anything
more than simple notification for the visits of Persian warships to British ports.
Teymourtache was informed of this when the revised draft notes were sent
to him.
203. The question of visits by Persian warships to Arab ports is dealt with
in the section on “ Persian naval activity.” It may, however, be mentioned that
when the vessels were about to leave Italy for the Gulf, the Ministry for Foreign
Affairs informed His Majesty’s Legation that they would visit Aden and Muscat
and other ports in words that amounted to nothing more than simple notification.
A reply was eventually sent to the effect that the notification of the Persian Govern
ment had been received by the Greek and Muscat Governments, for which the
Acting Minister for Foreign Affairs expressed his thanks, the word “notification”
being repeated.
H.M.S. Ormonde and Sirri Island.
204. H.M.S. Ormonde was engaged in a survey along the Persian coast at
the beginning of the year, and reported obstruction from the customs officials on
the islands of F arur, Sirri and Qais, who had apparently received no instructions
as to the landing of survey parties. Much valuable time was lost, while the
Persian Government were being urged to send explicit instructions to their local
officials.
20q. In October permission was sought for the Ormonde to resume her
survey in Persian waters in the middle of November; and the same reservation
was made with regard to Sirri Island as in 1931 (see annual report for 1931,
paragraph 196). Permission was accorded, but only after an unofficial request
had been made for her arrival in Persian waters to be delayed till the end of
November. The reasons for this request were never stated, but it was quite
evident that the object was to avoid the possibility of her being seen by the Shah,
who was visiting the Gulf at about that time. The Ormonde eventually reached
Hen jam on the 28th November.