ملف ١٩٠٤/٢٧٦٤ الجزء ٢ "سكة حديد بغداد: مفاوضات عامة ١٩٠٨-١٩١٠." [و‎‎١‎٨‎٩] (٧٩٩/٣٨٦)

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CONFIDENTIAL.
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Sir A. Ntcolson to Sir Edward Grey.—(Received November 24,1030 p.m.)
(N °' BAGDAD Railway. Your telegram 24, 1909, 10 p..m.
I coL^rcatTto^e^Srfor ^ ^ rational
above mentioned. He said tha he Imcfbeen fooV rS S . U ^ taUoe of y 0 “ r telegram
last conversation, and he read me tbe tot 1 1 qUeStl0n sillce ? l,r
Ambassador in London in September 1907 ^aftebthe ' addressed to Russian
pt* •v 1 -!™ 1 »- c * m 1 “u3'?h±«d°rr.irdt„,Sor»iS
the German Government, and had awaited patiently the commencement of Ion
versation a yuatre Now rt appeared that the Germans had “SoSy ™ted
that we should undertake southern section, and abstain from any interest in Sav
north of Bagdad. H we accepted that proposal, and he said that we ^1^0 quke
within GUI rights m doing so, it was clear it would be an arrangement d deux
nZrCs^iAGZT*’ W 7 ld ib e Ut t0 end6aTOar bL an arrange-
ment nerseli with Germany as to the railway north of Bandad. But then thp
conversation a quatre would be abandoned. He thought that his reply to our
communication would be in that sense. I asked him to keep it back until I had
communicated again with you. 1 c cl
I told him that I wished him to remove from his mind any doubts as to our
avmg accepted any proposals or even entered into negotiations in regard to any We
and hTs b TrT’, W6 tad . i^^iately communicated to him,
1 asked ±01 his views, and I had also communicated to him what had been said to
German Ambassador. What we wanted to know were the views of the Russian
HrSdbbb COa . dltlona on w tich they would wish to participate in the railway.
f"_® atLat , 110 I" 11 ® understood this, and had no desire whatever to make any
preach or to express any doubts. He quite understood our attitude as to the
° l J p ern sectl °n, but it seemed that Germany would not give us a free hand there
, We ., agreed *?. abstam from taking any further interest in railway north of
Vb n 6 We n SP ° Sed t0 enter mt0 more formal and official negotiations on that
oasis il the German Government approached us in that sense ?
My personal impression is that now that he has thought over the matter he would not
be vexed if we did^ come to terms with the German Government and leave him to try
and settle matters with the latter on behalf of Russian interests. But I should like
tohave one more talk with him before giving you a more decided opinion than an
npression. 1 do not think that he has any clear views as to the conditions on which
Kussian Government would participate in the railway. Perhaps you would kindly send
me a e egram somewhat to the effect that the matter is so urgent that you will shortly
e obliged to discuss matters on the basis of Mr. Gwinner’s proposals, and that it is of
importance that if the Russian Government wish us to continue to insist on maintaining
. b 5 stjan dpomt of a conversation a quatre, they should lose no time in giving us full
information as to their conditions. ^ I think that with this in my hand I could obtain
some more definite proposal from him.
+ sul ’ tax of ^ P er cent -i fr® sa id that Russian Government had not yet replied
to the Ottoman Government and that they considered that Turkish memorandum of
f4th September distinctly stated that surcharge would not be devoted to guarantees
toi Bagdad Railway (see penult paragraph of Tewfik Pasha’s memorandum). If the
above interpretation was incorrect it was very possible that Russian Government might
make the same reservation as His Majesty’s Government on that point.
A
1 . 881—1621