ملف ١٩٠٤/٢٧٦٤ الجزء ٣ "سكة حديد بغداد: مفاوضات عامة ١٩١٠-١٩١٢." [ظ‎‎٢‎٣‎٩] (٥٤٤/٤٨٩)

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I said that I would make a memorandum of what he had said and send it in, hut
that it would he impossible to give him an answer before he returned to Paris on the
21st July. My own personal criticisms on the propositions were as follows :~
\ p£ points (n) and (h) were to be arranged between the French and Germans
without a simultaneous agreement being made as to (c), Franco-German financial
co-operation would be brought about and the progress of the Bagdad Railway
facilitated, to the direct damage of British interests. .
(2.) As to point (c), it did not seem to me to offer a practical solution ; m the first
place I did not believe that the Germans would willingly agree to waive their rights on
the Gulf section as suggested ; in the second place, it seemed to me precarious to make
the permanent interests of the British syndicate m the Gulf section dependent on a
contract with Youssouf Said, since such a contract would, I thought, only be enforce
able, if at all, in the Turkish courts which were corrupt; in the third place, I believed
Rie Turks would at once see through the subterfuge of putting forward T oussouf Said
Bey as a figure-head. .
(3.) There were other British firms,* besides that of Mr. Barry, interested m the
project of a railway from Bagdad to the Persian Gulf, and His Majesty s Government
could not give Mr. Barry preferential support.
For these reasons I did not think that His^Majesty’s Government would be likely
to agree to the customs increase if the proposition of Mr. Barry went through ; more
over, it seemed to me doubtful if Youssouf Said Bey would get any concession whatever
from the Turks.
Mr. Barry admitted the force of (1) and (2). As for (3), he said he would he
quite willing to join any other firm approved of by His Majesty’s Government.
Mr. Barry called again next day and I read this memorandum over to him, and he
said it was a correct record of what had passed between us. Since then, however, he
has written the annexed letter :—
« p) ear jyjp Parker, “ 2, Queen Anne’s Gate, Westminster, July 20, 1910,
“ In thinking over my conversation with you last night, I believe you informed me that you had
mentioned in your memorandum that, in your opinion, the agreement entered into by me with
Youssouf Said Bey is of little value, as it could only be enforced in the Turkish courts, which courts
cannot be trusted to administer impartial justice, and that I agreed with you. I would, however, in
order to prevent any misunderstanding, like to point out that, so far as I personally am concerned,
I have no means of forming an opinion as to the trustworthiness or otherwise of the Turkish
courts, but merely accepted your views on the subject.
“ Yours sincerely,
“ A. J. Barry.”
Foreign Office, July 21, 1910.
A. P.
* Viz., Sir E. Cassel and Messrs. Ogilvy, Gillanders, and Go.
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