Page 354 - Gulf Precis(VIII)_Neat

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(il) Lord Curzon’a Despatch. Russian ambition to construct a Railway line through
Persia and acquire a part in the Persian Gulf, 1901.
153. On 9th November 1901* Lord Curzon's Government addressed the
Lord Curton’t dtiptUli of 9*1* November 1901. Secretary of State for India another
Secret November igoi, No. 61. despatch on the general question of Per­
sian af.airs especially Russian ambition to construct a railway through Persia
and acquire a part in the Persian Gulf:—
" In our despatches of 21st September 1899 and 6th September 1900, we have already
fully acquainted Your Lordship and His Majesty’s Government with the views which are
entertained by us with regard to British interests and British policy in Persia. Subsequent
events have more than confirmed the forecasts that were contained in our earlier letter, and
have lent additional weight to our appeal for a clear and emphatic enunciation of British
policy in regard to that country. The negotiations for a further Russian loan to the Persian
Government, and for a new Commercial Treaty, designed in the interests of Russian and to
the detriment of British trade ; the apparently imminent construction of a Russian railway
from Ashkabad to Meshed, the capital of Khorasan ; the activity of Russian representatives
and agents in Scistan and the regions contiguous to the Baluch border ; the obstacles
placed in the way of the Nushki-Seistan trade route by Russian influence, both in respect of
customs arrangements and of quarantine ; the appearance of Russian Consular Agents and
of a mercantile service subsidised by the Russian Government in the Persian Gulf—all of
these circumstances illustrate the rapidity with which the weakness of Persia is being
turned to account by her powerful neighbour ? while they also testify to the unswerving
purpose with which the police of the Russian Government is directed to an obvious and
unmistakable gold. * We have so recently submitted to Your Lordship our views of the
imperative necessity of making up our minds as to the j^oint to which these ambitions may
safoly be pursued without coming into direct collision with British and Indian interests, and
of shaping our future action, both diplomatic and commercial, accordingly, that we do not
propose upon the present occasion, to trouble Your Lordship with any repetition of opinions
with which you are already familiar. U is sufficient to say that the events of the past two
years have but strengthened the unanimity and force of the conviction to which we have
previously given expression ; and that, in our judgment, the question of Persia and the
Persian Gulf is on the verge of becoming the most critical issue of Central Asian politics.
That these views are not substantiallydissented from His Majesty's Government is apparent
fro.m the telegraphic information which has reached us from Your Lordship since the above
paragraph was written—to the effect that the British representative at St. Peters­
burg has been authorised to speak frankly to the Russian Foreign Minister concerning
the respective parts that should be played by Great Britain and Russia in the future main­
tenance and development oithe Persian Kingdom.
u 2. On the present occasion we address Your Lordship with another though correlative
object. The determination of the attitude which is to be adopted by the British Government
in view of the;conditions, which we have described, while to a large extent dependent upon
declarations or pledges already made, and upon the traditional history of British policy in
those regions, must also, be greatly affected by a consideration of the practical effect likely
to be produced upon British Interests in the future by a. continuance of, or an abrupt departure
from,, those traditions. We take it to have be.en a common-place of British statesmanship
throughout the past century that in Southern Persia and the Persia Gulf British influence
should remain supreme.; and that, while at no time could the commercial competition of
other Powers be reasonably resented or legitimately opposed, yet the creation of rival
political interests in that quarter could not be permitted, without seriously compromising
the interests of India and therefore of Great Britain IVe know of no Indian Adminis­
tration and of no responsible British statesmen, who have not subscribed to these views.
Mow recently we have observed indications of a willingness in some quarters to recede
from tbisattitude. and to. argue that the political predominance which has been acquired by
Great Britain in the regions in question, at so great an expenditure of energy and treasure,
may with impunity be challenged by others, andean safely be shared with therq/and that no
menace need ensue to. British interests.from the construction, for instance, of a Russian
railway to the Persian d:ulf or the acquisition by that Power of a port and naval station
upon ifcs c.oast-ijne. Upon this subject we conceive that no one has so strong a right to
speak as the Government of India, seeing that it is Indian interests that are directly
involved : and we are confident that in. any decision that may be taken by His Majesty's
Government, due weight will be attached to this plea.
. “3. We have, therefore, decided to send to Your Lordship for communication to His
Majesty's Government, in such manner as you may deem dcsirablei a Minute on this
aspect of the case which has been written by His Excellency the Viceroy, and with which
we desire to record our complete agreement. We endorse the view expounded by him that,
while there is no objection to the granting of sucli commercial access to the Persian Gulf,
by Persian railways or otherwise, to Russia or to anv other Foreign Power, as their own
mercantile necessities or the expanding requirements of Persia may demand, the acTu1*1*
tion of; political interests or rights by the Russian Government in those quarters would be
fraught with positive danger to the security of the Indian Empire ; and we hope that any
such idea or proposal may continue in the future, as it has done in the past, to meet with
the strenuous opposition of His Majesty's Government''.