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Coll 28/67 ‘Persia. Annual Reports, 1932–’ [‎181v] (362/644)

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The record is made up of 1 file (320 folios). It was created in 6 Dec 1933-27 Mar 1947. It was written in English and French. The original is part of the British Library: 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. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .

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32
suggestion that His Majesty’s Government in the United Kingdom need not be
a signatory of the convention setting up a Conservancy Board, and that it would
be sufficient that a dual Irano-Iraqi Convention should provide that the
representative of a third Power, Great Britain, should sit on the Conservancy
Commission. His Majesty’s Minister began the new year by putting clearly on
record in a private letter to M. Kazemi that this was wholly inaccurate. His
letter emphasised that from the outset His Majesty’s Government in the United
Kingdom had made it clear to the Iranian and Iraqi Governments alike that
they attached the utmost importance to being a party to the proposed convention.
152. A few days later, Dr. Naji-al-Asil, the counsellor to the Iraqi Legation,
who became in November Iraqi Minister for Foreign Affairs, made a confidential
communication to His Majesty’s Legation as to the course of negotiations in
Bagdad. Throughout the year, be it said, the Iraqi and British Legations kept
in close touch, and the Iraqi Minister persistently complained that he was starved
of information by his own Ministry for Foreign Affairs in Bagdad.
153. Dr. Naji’s report was that the Iranian delegation in Bagdad were
trying to get equal rights with Iraq in the Shatt-el-Arab, and to saddle Iraq
with responsibility for keeping the British out of participation in a River
Convention. The Iraqi Government had replied with an official offer ol a treaty
on the basis of the 1914 frontier, coupled with two alternatives : Either all out
standing matters, including the frontier, should be settled in accordance with the
desire of the Shah, i.e., the 1914 frontier, but with an anchorage at Abadan,
leaving a Navigation Convention, if Iran objected to British participation, to be
raised at a more convenient time; or, the Iranian Government should inform
His Majesty’s Government in the United Kingdom that they were opposed to
British participation in a Navigation Convention. This latter alternative
implied to Dr. Naji a break-off of negotiations seeing that Iraq was committed
to British participation. The Iraqi Government were seeking, through Angora,
Turkish diplomatic assistance at Tehran.
154. On the 12th January M. Kazemi had a lengthy conversation with His
Majesty’s Minister. M. Kazemi expressed the wish that His Majesty’s Govern
ment in the United Kingdom would take a more active part. Sir Hughe
Knatchbull-Hugessen said that the Conservancy Convention seemed the key to
a solution, and made the following suggestion on that aspect: M. Kazemi should
first assure him that the Iranian Government would accept the principle of a
Tripartite Conservancy Convention and agree to negotiations on this basis.
Sir Hughe Knatchbull-Hugessen would then arrange that it should be put to
the Iraqi Government that they should take the initiative in asking the Iranian
Government to accept the above principle and to negotiate on that basis. In
return the Iraqi Government would accept the principle of an Iranian anchorage
at Abadan and would negotiate the necessary agreement. Sir Hughe Knatchbull-
Hugessen believed that if progress were made on these points the rest would be
relatively easy. M. Kazemi thought that there should further be an assurance
that negotiations would proceed on a large number of other points under
discussion between Iraq and Iran, including a treaty already initialled for non
aggression and another for the pacific settlement of disputes. Sir Hughe
Knatchbull-Hugessen said that he was sure that His Majesty’s Government in
the United Kingdom would do all they could to assist on a basis of complete
impartiality between Iran and Iraq. M. Kazemi promised to consult the Council
of Ministers and the Shah and to communicate the result as soon as possible.
155. M. Kazemi mentioned at the same time some other points of
importance : —
(a) He was adamant that the Iranian Government could not agree to the
inclusion of Karun and Bahmanshir waters under the Conservancy
Board. He finally said that his Government would agree to administer
those waters in co-operation with the Board.
(b) The extent of the Abadan anchorage was a matter for experts, and his
Government would accept whatever was technically necessary.
(c) Anti-smuggling and sanitation arrangements on the river required to be
settled.
(d) Iran would accept the whole 1914 land and river frontier with the
rectification at Abadan, but “ 1914 ” must not be mentioned.

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Content

Annual reports for Persia [Iran] produced by staff at the British Legation in Tehran. The reports were sent to the Foreign Office by HM’s Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary A diplomatic representative who ranks below an ambassador. The term can be shortened to 'envoy'. at Tehran (from 1943, Ambassador to Iran). The reports cover the following years: 1932 (ff 2-50); 1933 (ff 51-98); 1934 (ff 99-128); 1935 (ff 129-165); 1936 (ff 166-195); 1937 (ff 196-227); 1938 (ff 228-249); 1939 (ff 250-251); 1940 (ff 252-257); 1941 (ff 258-266); 1942 (ff 267-277); 1943 (ff 278-289); 1944 (ff 290-306); 1945 (ff 307-317); 1946 (ff 318-320).

The reports for 1932 to 1938 are comprehensive in nature (each containing their own table of contents), and cover: an introductory statement on affairs in Persia, with a focus on the Shah’s programme of modernisation across the country; an overview of foreign relations between Persia and other nations, including with the United Kingdom, British India, and Iraq; Persia’s involvement in international conventions and agreements, for example the League of Nations and the Slave Traffic Convention; British interests in or associated with Persia, including Bahrain and Bahrainis resident in Persia, the Residency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, established in the provinces and regions considered part of, or under the influence of, British India. at Bushire, the Anglo-Persian Oil Company, Imperial Bank of Persia, and the Imperial and International Communications Company; political affairs in Persia, including court and officials, majlis, tribes and security; economic affairs in Persia (government finances and budgets, trade, industry, agriculture, opium production); communications (aviation, railways, roads); consular matters; military matters (army, navy, air force).

Reports from 1939 to 1946 are briefer in nature, Reports from 1941 onwards focusing on the Anglo-Soviet occupation of Persia, and the role of United States advisors in the Persian Government’s administration.

The file includes a divider, which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.

Extent and format
1 file (320 folios)
Arrangement

The file’s reports are arranged in chronological order from the front to the rear of the file. Each report for the years 1932-1938 begins with a table of contents referring to that report’s own printed pagination sequence.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 321; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio.

The file contains one foliation anomaly, f 308A

Pagination: Each of the reports included in the file has its own printed pagination system, commencing at 1 on the first page of the report.

Written in
English and French in Latin script
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Coll 28/67 ‘Persia. Annual Reports, 1932–’ [‎181v] (362/644), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/3472A, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100056661167.0x0000a3> [accessed 28 March 2024]

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