791.003/105: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in Great Britain (Houghton)
[Paraphrase]
Washington, April 25,
1928—6 p.m.
99. Your 83, April 24, 6 p.m.34
- (1)
- The Department has been furnished by the British Ambassador with a summary of British instructions to their Minister at Teheran, with a view to having the Persian Government address an official note to the interested Legations and set forth its intentions respecting the adoption of modern codes, etc., and embody the safeguards to be given by Persia to foreign nationals after May 10.
- (2)
- As to the usefulness of this proposed note, the Department is in accord with the British Government and accordingly has instructed the Minister in Persia to cooperate with the British and German representatives at Teheran in elaborating an appropriate text which at least would reproduce the detailed assurances of safeguards for foreign nationals given by Teimourtache, Minister of the Court, to the United States, British, and German Ministers.
- (3)
- Of vital importance appears to this Government to be the [Page 711] question of Persia’s exercise of penal jurisdiction over foreign nationals after May 10 and prior to the actual putting into successful operation of a modern penal system. The Persian Government indeed has undertaken the adoption of modern codes and the inauguration, in other ways, of an administration of justice conforming to Western ideals. However, the fact remains that as yet these reforms have not been carried out, nor has any indication been given as to when such reforms will be carried out and effectively carried out. There would thus, logically, appear to be only one way of meeting this situation: to urge Persia to postpone the exercise of penal jurisdiction over foreign nationals until the effective functioning of the modern penal system which it is proposed to adopt. The Department would welcome from the British Foreign Office an expression of its views on this point and also with respect to the feasibility of collective diplomatic action in the Persian capital early next month for the purpose of trying to induce the Persian Government to provide for postponing the exercise of penal jurisdiction, in the official note proposed by Great Britain to the Legations and mentioned above.
You will please discuss the foregoing with the British Foreign Office and cable a report as soon as possible.
Kellogg
- Not printed.↩