611.9131/9: Telegram
The Minister in Persia (Philip) to the Secretary of State
[Received February 21—4:10 p.m.]
18. (1) Acting Minister for Foreign Affairs has asked me to request by telegraph the consent of our Government to the application by Persia of the new Persian-Soviet tariff to American imports prior to May 10 next. He said that this tariff will replace Anglo-Persian tariff of 1920 on May 10 next in any event, but that it is desired for the sake of convenience and uniformity to bring it into general effect if possible during the spring as provided for by the customs and tariff convention with the Soviet.
(2) This tariff of 1927 is more favorable to the existing chief American imports (automobiles and accessories, machinery, et cetera) than is that now in force and an [apparent omission] of the request by an exchange of notes might serve as preliminary to a treaty. Nielsen’s report of February 411 deals with the new tariff.
(3) [Paraphrase.] Persia has similarly requested consent from representatives here of all the capitulatory treaty governments, with [Page 686] the exception, of course, of the British. The German Minister has expressed to me some apprehension that, if Great Britain and Persia fail to conclude a treaty prior to May 10, this might result in British assumption of a similar exceptional position toward import duties as the Soviet Union maintained until its recent agreement with the Persian Government. He has, therefore, recommended to the German Government that it accept the application of the new tariff for northern Persia only, on the understanding that the 1920 tariff will remain in force in southern Persia pending Great Britain’s acceptance of the new tariff to apply to British imports as well as to imports of other treaty states. [End paraphrase.]
- Not printed. Orsen N. Nielsen was the consul at Teheran.↩