ملف ‎٤٤٨٠\ ١٩٢٣ الجزء ١ "الخليج الفارسي: ملكية شط العرب" [ظ‎‎٣‎٥‎٢] (٧٣٢/٧١٧)

4
Enclosure 2 in No. 1.
Interview with His Excellency the Minister of Court on April 18, 1928.
^1k. J ACKS informed the Minister of Court that he had received the following
telegram from the company's administration at Abadan :
“No. 92. Following for/from T. L. Jacks/E. H. 0. Elkington. During^
discussion held with Minister of Finance evening of 15th April he emphatically
expressed objection Persian Government to presence Basra Port Office in Abadan
and informed us Basra Port Office would be required to leave Abadan and all
communications with us severed. After strong representations he admitted
disorganisation entailed thereby and necessity presence of Port Office in vicinity,
but essential it should be in Iraq territory and all communications with port
of Basra should be through Iraq territory. He also informed us warships and
other vessels, including tankers not owned by company, had no right berth or
receive oil Abadan without permission of Persian Government, to which we
replied we had right to export oil under concession and for years we had exported
from Abadan to our ships and others in this manner. Minister of finance left
for Ahwaz Monday morning, and immediately following his departure we were
faced with definite instructions issued by him to Director of Customs, Mohammerah,
as follows : Firstly, no warship to be allowed to berth Abadan without permission
of Persian Government. Secondly, no ship of any sort other than company owned
permitted to load oil Abadan without permission of Persian Government. Thirdly,
Port Office, Bawards, is to be suppressed by 10 a.m., lith April. Military lorce
to be employed if this instruction not complied with. No communication is to
be permitted between port authorities and company. Fourthly, port launches
and other port craft are not permitted berth Abadan nor are pilots and other
officials to be permitted to land Abadan. I have taken following action : Fiistly,
cruiser 4 Enterprise,’ due No. 1 berth to-day, has been moored to buoy and
bunkered in stream. No landing parties permitted pending further advice.
Secondly, have made strongest representations through consul, Ahwaz, regarding
disorganisation and immense financial loss which must result from instructions
issued by Minister of Finance, who as result has empowered Director of Customs
grant permission outside shipping to berth and oil on application. Ihirdry,
Minister of Finance has granted two days’ grace to port officials and has requested
vessels to be moored right bank with assurance that unofficial [communications
may be established with Abadan if this is done. Telegraph earliest possible
moment your instructions, as attitude of Minister of finance and instiuctions
issued by him are disorganising entire shipping arrangements of company and
heavy financial loss must ensue. You are aware absolutely essential company s
shipping to be handled at Abadan should be controUed by port of Basra officials
if safety and prompt despatch of heavy programme is to be provided.
His Excellency, after reading the telegram, said that he was already fully aware
of the nature of the contents from full telegraphic reports he had received from me
Minister of Finance, at present in Khuzistan. He went on to say that, m talking with
me, he would dispense with the language of diplomacy, as he wished to be perfectly
frank
Persia in the south had in the past been Persia in name only, and the Government
in Tehran knew nothing of what was going on there. It is now the policy of t e
Persian Government to make the Province of Khuzistan not only a name but a reality.
The Minister of Finance had telegraphed to him that lie was unable to understan
how it came about that the Port of Basra had a port office in Abadan, appaienty
without the knowledge of the Central Government.
Mr. Jacks replied that the Port of Basra Office at Abadan was not the port ot me
company. One fact was evident, and that was that it was there, and the leisian
Customs had long been aware of this. For some years the company had grow n o
rely upon the services of the Port of Basra as constituted at Abadan, borne ® uc 1
services were absolutely essential to the safety of navigation within the Shatt-eG ra
River, and that the Port of Basra functioned in the Abadan Beach in common t re
rest of the river was entirely due to the fact that under the Turco-Persian I rentier
Treaty the entire waterway becomes Turkish, and subsequently Iraq water. It was
therefore, he considered, a most arbitrary act on the part of Persia to suddenly remove
facilities, as had been done by the Minister of Finance, without at least affording
the company ample warning of her intention.