File 200/1928 Pt 10 'Persia: Anglo-Persian Relations. Treaty Negotiations' [‎126v] (253/868)

Feroughi answered that the Shah never knew details and probably had only a
general idea of what the draft contained, especially as he believed that Teymour-
, tache did not make any special effort to keep His Majesty informed.
5. After some further conversation, his Highness made the interesting
statement that he was virtually certain that if we had agreed to surrender Tamb
and Abu Musa when Teymourtache first suggested it, the treaty negotiations
would have gone through.
6. I then reverted to the recent incidents at Tamb, and said that if the
Persian Government really desired a treaty they must avoid creating incidents.
His Highness repeated that he did not know for what purpose the sloop had
landed a party at Tamb. I told him that the commanding officer of the second
sloop had told the captain of H.M.S. Bideford that he had come to look for a
Persian deserter. His Highness then said that the Persian sloops were placed
in a position of difficulty inasmuch as they could not make a normal notification
without appearing to admit that Tamb and Abu Musa were foreign territory. I
told his Highness that Tamb and Abu Musa were on precisely the same footing
as Sirri. He probably remembered that when H.M.S. Ormonde visited the Gulf
for surveying purposes, we requested permission for landings to be effected at
a variety of Persian ports and islands, and also requested the Persian Govern
ment to notify their officials on the Sirri Island that she w^ould also pay a visit
there, and we added a sentence to the effect that this communication did not imply
a recognition of Persia's de jure title to the island. I could not see why the
Persian Government should not, if they required their sloops to go to Tamb and
Abu Musa, do the same, nor could 1 see why the Persian Government should insist
on pretending that the Arab rulers were not entitled to place the conduct of their
foreign relations in our hands; even if the Persian Government were determined
to maintain this attitude they would be well advised to seek to mitigate its
inconveniences, wffiich were not entirely one-sided. With regard to Tamb and
Abu Musa, the other alternative was to keep away altogether, otherwise a serious
incident seemed inevitable, and the only possible result of an incident which I
could see would be to establish the fact, which nobody wanted to prove, that the
British naval forces were stronger than those of Persia. This I said half
jokingly, and his Highness responded.
7. Resuming in a tone of full seriousness, I said that, but for the conversa
tion which you had had with the Minister for Foreign Affairs, it appeared
possible that I should have received instructions to communicate officially to the
Persian Government the orders which had been issued to the senior naval officer.
As matters now stood, His Majesty’s Government wished to avoid making a
communication of such a nature, but I had been instructed to inform his Highness
orally of the nature of these instructions in order that there might be no possi
bility of a misunderstanding. I then read to him slowly paragraphs 1 and 2
P$>of your telegram No. 93 of the 26th September.
8. A slightly painful silence ensued, which I broke by saying that it was
quite unnecessary that there should be trouble between us; there was more than
enough trouble in the world as it was. I finally took my leave after once again
urging that the Persian sloops should keep away from Tamb and Abu Musa
and asking his Highness to acquaint himself with the report which would
doubtless have been received from the Persian Minister in London on his interview
with you yesterday.
9. I should add that, at one stage, I mentioned the announcement reported
in my telegrams Nos. 127 and 128 of the 27th September, that consuls from the
Foreign and Political Department were no longer desired. Feroughi knew
nothing about it, but seemed to think that it would be an excellent thing if
political officers from India were not sent here. I said that, if the Persian
Government desired a change, they could have invited us to discuss the matter,
but the action they had, in fact, taken was highly discourteous.
10. I am sending copies of this despatch to the Foreign Secretary to the
Government of India (No. 199) and to the Acting 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. in the Persian
Oulf (No. 165).
I have, &c.
R. H. HOARE.