'SUMMARY OF THE PRINCIPAL EVENTS AND MEASURES OF THE VICEROYALTY OF HIS EXCELLENCY LORD CURZON OF KEDLESTON, VICEROY AND GOVERNOR-GENERAL OF INDIA IN THE FOREIGN DEPARTMENT. I. JANUARY 1899-APRIL 1904. II. DECEMBER 1904-NOVEMBER 1905. VOLUME IV. PERSIA AND THE PERSIAN GULF.' [‎7r] (18/386)

[Confidential.]
Chapter I.
BRITISH POLICY IN PERSIA.
“The recognition of the independence of Persia has
“ alwavs been a cardinal point in British policy. W e adhere
“ as strongly as ever to that policy which we have re P ea ^^
“affirmed Bat our special concern is with the southern
« ar t of Persia and the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , and, if occasion an ,
“ we should put forth the whole of our strength in order to
“ prevent encroachments by other Powers in those regions .
Pronouncement by Lord Lans-
doicne to the Shah of Persia,
21st August 1902,
*«. ««t 2*^551 tut
during Lord Cmzon s at min ’ tll0 work connected with India 8
increase in the mass ant ' 1 ^ ar . r gating and momentous causes,
relations with Eoreign F ow ®. ** . hi h « t \ lG Foreign Department in India
resulting in the present situation in office > Eng i a nd ,, 5 were thus
ixS^yH^Cllency at the closed his speech during the Budget
final ^^GovMnment ^s^c^h^upon to
place in the many utterances "hrch the ead^ the Oov^ o£ aU j „ de t0 tcre.gn
course of the year, and yet in a ^ f India the phrase includes her relations
affairs • and it must be remembered that in t litics of the greater part
with the Whole of her ueighboure and that to^nes^^ ^ all realised the s, ent
of the Asiatic Continent. Idoubt * nd that g wi ii 0 ne day have an eSeet u P onl "‘ i '»
but momentous change that is go . , an d it may almost be said up to the last
is at present but dimly discerned. ln “' < f pra cticaily confined to her dealings w.th
fifteen years, the foreign relations of India vvere p J b nd and the fotel gn
Afghanistan /and to the designs or movements ofthe great , g tru th t we ha d
policy of India had little to do .,^ ro a "4 t ‘s into contact with Persia and Turkey, and
territories or outposts of influence , ; tribes Now all that is changed, and events
ttat we tad occasional deaUngs w,th the Arab.au tribes 1 ^ and remotei in to the
are paTslng which are gradually drawing tin c »" nt ^ i ts future. The change has been
vortex of the world's politics, and that will matenauy a ^ . nfluence U p„n our
due to two reasons. Firstly, as our “r^^to more direct and frequent relations with the
frontier consolidated, we have een ;” s t anc e the annexation of Upper Burma r ™S’
countries lying immediately beyond. F chi se Empire, and created a batch of frontie
“Tnto contac! with an importau -ne of the^lnnese ^' i8 ch more important
and other political problems of its o reviv ed interest in Asia. Russia, with h er ^
Europe has woken up, and is bc 8 , " n ! n | tinar rested advance, has been the P“ ncer
territories, her great ambitions uni her una^ com titorg rivals> and allies. Th s »
movement, and w.th her, or after he^ ba ^ forw , rd into the '• acant n s P ot t L" 8t ”e The