Coll 28/67 ‘Persia. Annual Reports, 1932–’ [‎232v] (464/644)

10
Expulsions of British Indian Subjects.
47. Early in April a number of Berber is, of whom half were Afghans, the
remainder British Indian subjects (they could actually be called British subjects
in little more than name), were summoned to Meshed from the villages outside
where they had been resident for years, and were informed by the police that they
could not be permitted to reside in Iran any longer. The case of the British
Berberis was immediately taken up by His Majesty’s Consul-General for
Khorassan with the Governor-General for Khorassan. The latter gave as a reason
for this step the fact that it was undesirable that there should be in the rural
districts a number of foreign nationals who refused to comply with the regula
tions regarding the unveiling of women and the wearing by men of Trilby hats.
More probably the main reason was a groundless suspicion that many Berberis
were in secret British employ. This suspicion no doubt arose from a knowledge
that a number of Berberis were, as ex-soldiers of the Indian army, in receipt of
pensions from the Government of India.
48. With little delay formal orders for expulsion were served on seventeen
of these people, though the actual number affected, including dependents, was
sixty-nine. Their case was duly taken up with the Iranian Government, on whom
the unfortunate effect in India of wholesole expulsions was impressed. In the
meantime, the Berberis were advised to follow the procedure which the Iranian
authorities had in 1935 promised would be followed in the case of expulsions.
According to this procedure, appeals were to be lodged with the Ministry of the
Interior; if these were not accepted, expulsions could only be proceeded with
thirty days after the issuing of second formal orders of expulsion. As a result of
the representations made by the legation, the Acting Minister for Foreign Affairs
undertook to bring the matter to the attention of the Prime Minister.
49. At the same time consideration was given to the possibility of securing
better treatment for the Berberis whose expulsion was imminent by the threat of
retaliatory action against Iranians resident in India. It was felt that such a
threat might well prevent these expulsion orders from being carried out, but that
there would, on the other hand, be many disadvantages, of which one would be
that the many Berberis remaining in Iran would find their lives made burdensome
by the Iranian authorities. More important was the consideration that it was
impossible to foresee the ultimate effect of retaliation on the general relations
between the Iranian Government and the Government of India and His Majesty’s
Government in the United Kingdom. This threat was accordingly never made,
though it was intimated to the Iranian Government that there was a possibility
that the Government of India would have to consider their attitude towards
unsatisfactory Iranians in India (bands of roving gipsies were in mind), • if
further expulsions of British subjects were to take place. 50 *
50. Repeated representations continued to be made, however, to the Iranian
Government, in the hope, faint though this was, of securing a revocation of the
expulsion orders, but it soon became clear that the Iranian Government had
definitely made up their minds to proceed with the orders, giving way only in the
sense that they would allow the promised procedure, namely, thirty days’ grace
after the issuing of the second orders, to be applied. The main efforts of His
Majesty’s Legation became accordingly directed to securing permission for those
expelled to export their capital to enable them to make a fresh start in life on
their arrival in India. Hope that some concession would be made was
strengthened by the fact that at the very beginning of the incident the Governor-
General for Khorassan had given an assurance that payment would be made for
the immovable property of those affected, and by the fact that he himself
subsequently enquired why His Majesty’s Consul-General for Khorassan could
not take over the rials representing the Berberis’ capital, use them for the official
purposes of the consulate-general and reimburse the Berberis in India in rupees Indian silver coin also widely used in the Persian Gulf. .
Particularly, as this suggestion had been made by a high Iranian official, it was
felt proper to take it up with the Iranian Government, though an infraction of
the latter’s regulations was involved in the event of its adoption. Somewhat
surprisingly the concurrence of the Iranian Government was obtained without
difficulty, and ultimately they raised no objection to the taking over by His
Majesty’s Consul-General of so large a sum as 286,400 rials. This amount was