‘Confidential. Persia’ [‎485r] (19/112)

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its internal revenues to any one, will con
tinue to do its best to encourage British
trade and will not consent to differential
treatment of the trade of other countries
to the detriment of Great Britain. An
official imprimatur was subsequently im-
No. 305.
policy of the Persian Government towards
Great Britain. The document ran as
follows:—
Shah's autograph letter to Grand Vizier.
Rid, Enclosure to Proceeding No. 279.
despatch addressed to His Excellency the British
Minister by the British Minister for Foreign
Affairs. You may communicate the following
verbally to the British representative for com
munication to the British Secretary of State for
Foreign Affairs.
Firstly, that we, and our Ministers who carry
out our policy have always unhesitatingly respect
ed and highly appreciated the friendly relations
which have happily existed between the Govern
ments of Persia and Great Britain, and we always
do our best to preserve the balance of friendship
between that Government and other powers and to
maintain and continue the policy which we have
inherited from our late august father.
Secondly, with regard to the statement of the
British Government that in view of its own policy,
that Government is doing its utmost to maintain
our independence, there is no doubt as to this, and
it must be so, and it is also our own desire, because,
if the inde; endence of Persia is not maintained, the
English Government will not obtain the results
which it has in view from the independence of this
country. The Persian Government has never had
the intention of giving any of its sovereign rights
to any other power. In the same way that the
English Government gives us advice, so too the
Persian Government on its part specially requests
the British Government not to consent to any
diminution of the sovereign rights of Persia, be
cause if the Persian Government were to overlook
or acquiesce in a small matter proposed by one
party and which might be inconsistent with its
own independence, the other party would at once
demand and the Persian Government have to make
to it concessions several times more extensive.
In order to establish a financial equilibrium, the
Persian Government, like other Governments,
desires to increase its resources and to put the
different administrations of the country, such as
customs, etc., on a proper footing, but in doing
this it does not wish to give differential treatment
to the trade of foreign powers. The English Gov
ernment, according to its own statement and for
the maintenance of the friendship and the integrity
of Persia, ought to give its assistance in the
matter and not to prevent such measures or ask
that an exception should be made from the general
rule- It has never been, nor is it now the intention
of the Persian Government to pledge the revenues
of any part of the country to any one, but this
must be by the will of the Persian Government
itself and not at the bidding of any foreign
power.