791.003/104
The Minister in Persia (Philip) to the Secretary of State
[Received April 19.]
Sir: In my cable message No. 23 of March 7, 1 p.m. (paragraph 2), I mentioned that the Persian Government had furnished certain of my colleagues with its draft of a treaty which it proposes as a substitute for treaties with foreign powers carrying capitulatory rights, the denouncement of which will take effect on May 10th, next.
I have the honor to transmit herewith copies and translations of (1) a proposed Treaty of Friendship, and (2) a proposed Commercial Convention,22 which have been handed by Abdul Hussein Teimourtache, Minister of the Court, to the representatives of those treaty Powers who have initiated negotiations for new conventions with the Persian Government.
I am indebted to the courtesy of my French colleague for the copies of the French text of these projects, in which there appear numerous typographical errors.
Insufficiency of time and lack of personal touch with such active negotiations as are now being carried on with the Persian Government prevents me from passing the separate features of these drafts under review.
The reaction to them of my French and German colleagues seems to be one of tolerance with the proposed Friendship Treaty and of disappointment with that for the Convention of Commerce. Neither proposal is deemed to offer any real assistance in the reaching of a solution of the treaty question now confronting the Powers. No provision for the extension of the “most favored nation” treatment appears in them.
I shall hope to submit to the Department further comments regarding these proposals in the near future.
The Department will understand that copies of these projects were not handed by the Persian Government to the British representative here, owing to the fact that the Anglo-Persian treaty has not been denounced. However, I am informed that the British Legation has procured copies of them.
Article 3 of the proposed Treaty of Friendship provides for the making of separate Consular Conventions, and I am informed that the Persian Government plans to initiate, on May 10th, next, a new Customs Tariff with maximum and minimum rates which would call for special Customs Agreements. Thus, the following pacts now seem to be contemplated by this Government: (1) Treaty of Friendship; [Page 699] (2) Commercial Convention; (3) Consular Convention; (4) Customs Agreement.
I have [etc.]
- Neither printed.↩