255
Page 326
ANNEX
Persian reply, dated 8th April, 1951, to the Note from His Majesty's
Government dated 14th March, 1951
In acknowledging receipt of Your Excellency's note No. 30 of 14th March, 1951, I wish to bring the following to your attention. The Imperial Persian Government in its turn is very anxious to maintain and strengthen friendly relations and mutual confidence in all matters between the peoples and governments of Persia and Britain. As for the question of oil, as Your Excellency is aware, the Persian Government's business is with the A.I.O.C. and that company has not raised the matter or made any statements. However, since you have seen fit to enter on this question, I consider it necessary not to leave Your Excellency's note unanswered, and the following points must there- fore be mentioned:
(i) In spite of the changes that have taken place in the world situation in general and in the social life and public opinion of Fersia in particular, and in spite of the statement I made Your Excellency on June 8th 1950 when I was Minister for Foreign Affairs, the company paid no attention to the justified claims of Persia and declared the draft supplemental agreement to be their maximum possible limit of concession, although events had made it clear that public opinion in this country did not consider that bill as sufficiently assuring the rights of the Persian people.
(ii) As you know, the present position is that both Houses of the Majlis have unanimously accepted the principle of nationalisation of the oil industry and the Special Oil Commission is now studying how to put that principle into practice, in order to submit its proposals to both Houses of the Majlis for final decision. At present the Government's only obligation is to await the result of the Commission's deliberations,
Page 326
Page 326
-5-
G.R.
256