Coll 28/95 ‘Persia. Relations with H.M.G. Private claims against H.M.G.: case of the S.S. “Kara Deniz”.’ [‎89r] (177/691)

(C)— Denials of Justice.
28. The claims under this head, which are assessed in Annex V at
455,565 krans, £6,913, 11,259 rupees Indian silver coin also widely used in the Persian Gulf. , and 20,000 roubles, can apparently only be
mentioned in order to be dismissed. What is known of them is set out in the
extracts from the Legation archives which are furnished in Annex III and in the
memorandum at the end of the volume Legation Claims. In paragraphs 10
to 13 of his despatch (No. 69) of the 18th February, 1933, Sir R. Hoare says that
only these meagre details can now be furnished, unsupported by affidavits, and
that he considers it will be entirely impossible to hold the Persian Government to
any responsibility for them. It is unfortunate, but there seems no alternative in
the circumstances but to put them on one side.
r
(D )—Imperial Bank of Persia Claims.
29. The claims preferred by the Imperial Bank of Persia for the looting of
their branches during the war-time disturbances in Persia, amounting to nearly
6 million krans, are mentioned in the volume Legation Claims. The Legation
furnish Annex IV, containing a representation made by the Tehran Bank to
them on January 5, 1933, together with a statement which had been prepared
by the Legation themselves(') of the events leading up to the evacuation of each
branch of the bank during the war-time disturbances. This account shows that
the bank have repeatedly urged their claims; that they have met with a definite
refusal from the Persian Government to consider them, accompanied on the last
occasion by something of the nature of a veiled threat if they persisted in
advancing them further; and that our Legation have from time to "time lent their
good offices to those attempts to obtain restitution, but without any success. It
occurs to one that it may perhaps not be to the best interest of the Bank in Persia
to insist too strongly on restitution by the Persian Government for these war
time losses, but this is a matter of which the Political Department are the best
judges. Sir R, Hoare’s despatch (No. 69) of the 18th February, 1933, adds in
paragraph 16. that researches by the head office of the bank in London may bring
to light other claims of the bank in the past which were met by insurance
companies for cash looted on the roads, &c. One such is furnished "in Legation
claim No. 114, but up to the present we seem to have no information from the
head office of the bank in London of these possible additional claims.
(E)— Staff of the Imperial Bank of Persia.
30. These claims are similarly set out in the volume Legation Claims. They
relate to sixteen persons, and are in the main for losses sustained during war-time.
No documentary evidence is furnished in support of them, except in the one or
two instances mentioned there, but Sir R. Hoare says in paragraph 15 of his
despatch (No. 69) of the 18th February, 1933, that it might in some cases be
possible to obtain this if thought necessary. Out of the sixteen claimants, ten are
said to be Persian subjects, and he presumes that as regards these Flis Majesty’s
Government will be unable to support their claims. He adds that it is unknown
how many of their losses were met by insurance companies, but that the head office
of the bank in London have been asked to prepare a statement on this point and
to send it to this department direct. Apparently, however, they have not done
so yet.
III.
General Considerations.
31. The position of the five groups of claims being thus shown, and their
details set out in each case as far as possible in the separate volumes Legation
Claims and Consulate Claims, the claims may now be examined in the li°-ht of
general questions common to most of them. These may be ranged under the & heads
of “ Evidence,” “ Nationality of Claimants,” “ Amounts Claimed,” “ Insurance
Companies,” “ Highway Robberies,” and “ War Claims.”
c 2
[H541]
( l ) Paragraph 14 of Sir R. Hoare’s despatch No. 09.