مجموعة ٢٩/ ٦٤ "أصفهان: تعيينات القنصلية" [و‎‎١‎٤] (١١٦/٢٧)

INDIA DIP EOT
Copy
No. 77
(29/31/42)
BRITISH LEGATION,
TEHRAN.
13th starch, 1942.
Sir,
In my despatch No. 41 (29/17/42) dated February
12th I had the honour to transr&lt to you a despatch from His
Maj sty’s Vice-Consul at Isfahan (No. 3 of the 6th February) in
which Mr. Wiltshire reported signs that an important Soviet
consular post was to be established in Isfahan and gave his views
on the status of his own post.
2. Isfahan is not one of the places , menticn ed,ln my
. telegrams Nos. 95 and 96, where the Soviet Government have
insisted on being allowed to establish consular posts immediately
but even if they had not already sent an unofficial representa
tive there it is not to be supposed that they would neglect the
only important manufacturing centre in Iran, with an industrial
population such as is particularly susceptible to Bolshevik
propaganda. Apart, however, from the question of Soviet
representation in Isfahan there remains the question whether
the importance of the area, and the additional functions which
His Majesty’s Vice-Consul is called upon to perform at this
time, do not justify the raising of the status of the consular
post at Isfahan, which is at present a Vice-Consulate dependent
upon Shiraz.
3. I have consulted His Majesty’s Consul at Shiraz on
this point, and he is of the opinion that His Majesty’s Consular
representative at Isfahan should be a full consul, independent
of Shiraz. In practice it has been arranged that Isfahan
shall be directly dependent upon Hir Majesty’s Legation for all
matters of importance, so that no time may be wasted, but it
would be very useful if the holder of the post could have the
rank of consul, as it would give him greater weight in his
dealings with the local officials, whose work in connection with
security and food supplies he is expected to watch, stimulate
and control. At the same time I do not wish either to ask
the Treasury for more money or to change in essentials a
situation which is admittedly created for war purposes, and I
therefore suggest that the Vice-Consul at Isfahan - at present
Mr. Gault - should have the personal rank of Consul. I trust
that this proposal will be approved and that I may receive a
reply by telegraph.
4. I am sending a copy of this letter to the Secretary
to the Government of India in the External Affairs Department.
I have, etc.,
(Sgd.) R.W. Bullard.
The Right Honourable
Anthony Eden, P.C., M.C., M.P.,
etc., etc., etc.,
Foreign Office*.