ملف ١٩٠٤/٢٧٦٤ الجزء ٣ "سكة حديد بغداد: مفاوضات عامة ١٩١٠-١٩١٢." [و‎‎١‎٦‎٧] (٥٤٤/٣٤٤)

[This Docmnent is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government,]
^BAGDAD RAILWAY.
[December 19.]
SECRET.
Section 1.
No. 1.
Sir (r. Buchanan to Sir Edward Grey.—(Received December 19.)
Secret.)
t ttato . St Petersburgh, December 15, 1910.
, S'honour of being received to-day in audience by the Emperor of Russia
at the i alace of Tsarskoe Selo, and of delivering to His Majesty my letter of credence,
as well as the personal letter with which the King had graciously charged me. In
domg so, I repeated to His Majesty the assurances which I had already given to
M. feazonow as to the earnest desire of the King and of His Majesty’s Government to
maintain the most intimate understanding with Russia.
The Emperor, in reply, said that he reciprocated this wish with all his heart, and
that he would always render His Majesty’s Government every assistance that it was
possible for him to give. The Anglo-Rnssian understanding had, His Majesty
continued, already borne excellent fruit ; and he thought that it was most important
that Great Britain and Russia, as two great Asiatic Powers, should follow the same
broad lines of policy in their respective possessions in Asia. Great Britain had of late
experienced considerable troubles in India, and Russia was likely soon to be confronted
with similar difficulties in lurkestan. An active propaganda was being carried on
theie by the Mullahs, and His Majesty feared that we were both threatened with a
serious Panislamistic movement. I observed that it was rather with the Hindus than
with the Mahommedans that our troubles in India had originated, but that many
persons attributed to the Young Turks the desire to encourage such a movement as
that of which His Majesty had spoken. I ventured, however, to think that, apart from
what it might accomplish in Asia, the Anglo-Russian understanding was a very valuable
instrument for maintaining peace as well as the balance of power in Europe. The
Emperor smiled, and said that the latter was a very important matter.
. Ma jesty then proceeded to speak of his recent visit to Potsdam. It would, he
said, have been impossible for him, after the long stay which he had made in Germany,
to have, avoided visiting the Emperor William, and he had also thought that such a
visit might do good. He had, however, been very agreeably surprised and pleased
with the warmth of the rception which had been accorded him, and by the evidently
sincere desire of the German Government to cultivate good and friendly relations with
Russia. This result of his visit had given him considerable satisfaction. I ventured to
reply that, the relaxation of the tension which had at one time existed between Germany
and Russia could not but be welcome to His Majesty’s Government. They desired
nothing better than that both Russia and Great Britain should live on friendly terms
with Germany, as this must undoubtedly promote the cause of a European peace.
They would not, however, in their desire to establish good relations with Germany,
come to any understanding with that Empire without first consulting with His
Majesty and the Imperial Government. On the other hand, they trusted that the
Imperial Government would not commit itself to any definite engagement vis d-vis of
Germany which could in any way preclude it from co-operating with them or from
supporting them in questions in which they, were interested, more especially in that of
the Bagdad Railway, without previously taking them into its confidence. The Emperor
replied that the assurances which he had received last year on this subject had given
him great satisfaction, and that he would certainly act in the same frank and loyal
manner. Pie would not, His Majesty assured me, contract any engagement respecting
the Bagdad Railway without first submitting it to His Majesty’s Government and
consulting their views. As the Emperor made no allusion whatever to the draft
agreement which had been communicated to us by M. Sazonow, I did not, on my part,
venture to refer to it. I would, however., call attention to the fact that the Emperor’s
assurances go much further than those given me by M. Sazonow, as, while His Majesty
distinctly said that he would consult our views, his Excellency, on my taking exception
to the wording of article 1, declared that it was too late to alter it, as it had already
been communicated to the German Government. It is difficult to explain the
discrepancy between the two statements, except on the supposition that the Emperor
[1821 t —1] F
[45699]
(No. 488.
Sir,