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Coll 28/67 ‘Persia. Annual Reports, 1932–’ [‎198v] (396/644)

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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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6
before it is forgotten. For two years the Iranian Legation in Washington has
been closed and for nearly a year there has been no Minister in Paris. The British
press has given offence on several occasions, and it is not too much to say that all
cordiality in the official relations between Iran and any given country may be at
any moment imperilled by the lucubrations of some disgruntled traveller. This
situation is not likely to change during the Shah’s lifetime ; fortunately, the indig
nation aroused in such cases is not allowed to affect business matters, at least if
one may judge by the American example. The American concession was granted
at almost the worst moment in the official relations of the two countries.
18. A word should be said of Iran’s present economic relations with
Germany and the Soviet Union. With both countries she has clearing or barter
agreements, and these agreements seem to have been managed on the Iranian side
with a light-hearted optimism which is approaching the point of danger. In the
case of Germany especially, it seems to have been overlooked that goods imported,
even if they are not paid for through the ordinary commercial channels, have got
to be paid for somehow. The German authorities have apparently encouraged
Iranian buying on an excessive scale, and the adverse balance under this agreement
was causing a good deal of anxiety at the close of the year. In the case of the
Soviet Union, too, the working of the Commercial Agreement has not given much
satisfaction to Iran, and it will probably be a long time before the Iranian
authorities can produce the personnel to manage this kind of business in a satis
factory An East India Company trading post. way.
II.— Foreign Relations.
(A )—British Empire — General.
19. The Coronation of their Majesties was duly celebrated in Tehran and
by His Majesty’s consular officers throughout Iran. Apart from the opportunity
which they offered to British subjects to give expression to their feelings of
loyalty and affection towards their Majesties, the principal feature of the
Coronation celebrations was the evidence they afforded of the thoroughness and
severity of the boycott of the British consulates by the Iranian Government.
20. Consular officers were instructed beforehand by His Majesty’s Legation
to invite to their official receptions all persons—civil, military, or private—^whom
they would naturally invite on such an occasion, because it was felt that, although
in the circumstances few Iranians could be expected to accept, a wide distribution
of invitations would at least demonstrate that on the British side there was no
lack of friendliness. The Iranian response was, as had been anticipated, unsatis
factory An East India Company trading post. . In several towns the local authorities refused on their own authority to
allow any relaxation of the restrictions. Others asked Tehran for instruction,
and were in every case ordered to apply the general rule, namely, that only the
Governor, his deputy, the chief of the municipality and the chief of police might
accept invitations from foreign consulates. Consequently, practically no
Iranians other than the authorised officials attended the receptions at any of His
Majesty’s consulates, the most notable exceptions being General Mu’iny at Ahwaz,
Colonel Bayendor at Khorramshahr and the senior military officers at Tabriz!
There was, however, ample evidence that the boycott in no way reflected local
opinion and that the notables of all the towns concerned would have willingly
participated in the celebrations if the official ban had not prevented them. Some
indication that the Coronation aroused considerable public interest is given by the
fact that films of the ceremonial shown in Tehran and Ahwaz attracted good
audiences.
21. Apart from the boycott of the consulates, which was and is applied
impartially to all foreign consulates, the attitude of the Iranian Government
towards the Coronation was sufficiently correct. His Excellency Hassan
Esfandiary, a respected public figure of the older generation and President of
the Majlis, attended the Coronation ceremonies as the representative of the Shah.
A superb carpet was offered as a gift to His Majesty The King, and the refusal
of the invitation to send a ship to the naval review arose from the limitation of
the navy rather than from any lack of courtesy. The favourable impression of
England which M. Hassan Esfandiary derived from his visit to London was,

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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–’ [‎198v] (396/644), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/3472A, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100056661167.0x0000c5> [accessed 28 March 2024]

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