ملف ١٩٠٤/٢٧٦٤ الجزء ٢ "سكة حديد بغداد: مفاوضات عامة ١٩٠٨-١٩١٠." [و‎‎٥] (٧٩٩/١٨)

[This Document is the Property of His Bri
BAGDAD RAILWAY.
Government.]
[May 31.]
SECRET.
Section 2 .
[ 19706 ] No. 1.
Sir Edward Grey to Sir E. Goschen.
(No. 148.) Secret.
Sir, Foreign Office, May 31, 1910.
COUNT METTERNICH came to inform me to-day that he was going to Berlin
for some days, and after some general conversation he asked me whether I had anything
to say to him before he went upon the subjects which had recently been under discussion
between ourselves and Germany.
I replied that I had nothing new to tell him about Persia. Within the last ten
days we had made at Tehran the communication which, as I had previously told him,
contained the least that we could say. I repeated the substance of it, and added that
as we had not asked for a reply pledging the Persian Government to give us any
monopoly, the communication was not open to the objection which the German
Government had apprehended.
Count Metternich said that his Government had received the same information
from M. Isvolsky ; but, in order to prevent any misunderstanding arising from the
reports which they received from the German Minister at Tehran, who got what
information he could, Count Metternich would like to be quite sure of the dates. He
understood that about a month ago we had made a written communication asking
for a reply, and he seemed in doubt as to whether I was now referring to a written
or a verbal communication.
I informed him that the first communication was a written one on the 7th April.
The Persian Government had replied satisfactorily to that on the two financial points,
out had asked for an explanation of what exactly we meant with regard to concessions.
We had now, within the last ten days, given this explanation in a written communication
which required no reply.
Count Metternich then said that he understood I had told you my views on the
subjects of your conversations with the German Chancellor, and he asked whether I
had written to you.
I answered that I had not given you any written communication to make, but I
had told you in a letter what my views were. As Count Metternich was anxious to
know them, I said that I had told you how impossible it would be for me to make
an arrangement about Persian railways unless an arrangement with regard to the
Bagdad Railway were included.
Count Metternich argued that the quid pro quo for a share in Persian railways
would be the renunciation by Germany of her right to apply for railway concessions in
the part of Persia in which we were interested. He could not see why the Bagdad
Railway should be brought into the discussion, or why we should expect participation
in it without giving some quid pro quo.
I observed that financial assistance and the 4 per cent, increase of the Turkish
customs dues would be a quid pro quo. I also reminded Count Metternich that on the
occasion of the German Emperor’s visit it had not seemed unreasonable to the Germans,
i# the conversations which then took piace, that we should have participation in the
southern end of the Bagdad Railway, “ a gate ” as the Emperor had called it, without
any talk of a quid pro quo other than financial assistance. Even the 4 per cent,
increase of the Turkish customs, which was directly or indirectly to provide money for
the Bagdad Railway, was not mooted then.
Count Metternich said that he would like me to know what the attitude of the
late Couservative Government had been with regard to the Bagdad Railway, as they
were certainly not less Imperialist than the present Government. Lord Lansdowne
had expressed himself favourable, in the interests of general commercial development
and civilisation, to the making of the Bagdad Railway by Germany. All he had
stipulated was that an arrangement should be made with Great Britain when a port
was actually selected on the Persian Gulf, as it would prejudice our interests if a
fortified harbour were constructed there. No mention had been made of British
control of the line from Bagdad to the Gulf, a most valuable part of the railway.
[2738 hh —2]