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Some aspects of the Anglo-Russian Convention and its working in Persia, 1907–14—I

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 December 2009

Rose Louise Greaves
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Extract

The Anglo-Russian Convention, signed at St. Petersburg on 31 August 1907, contained provisions relating to Persia, Afghanistan, and Tibet. The text of the agreement would seem to suggest that the matters adjusted were purely local in character—an arrangement arrived at between two countries settling problems in far-away frontier regions. But the Anglo-Russian Convention was of much greater significance. It represented a change not only in Anglo-Russian relations, but in Britain's fundamental European policy. It also meant that the role of the Government of India, which had often been a powerful factor in the determination of foreign policy in the nineteenth century, became less significant. It seems highly probable, too, that in the years when Sir Edward Grey was Foreign Secretary (December 1905 to December 1916—holding office for a longer consecutive period than any other Foreign Secretary in the nineteenth or twentieth centuries, the next being Castlereagh, 1812–22) the permanent staff of the Foreign Office exercised more influence and had a more decisive voice in the conduct of the country's foreign policy than they ever had before of have had since.

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Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies , Volume 31 , Issue 1 , February 1968 , pp. 69 - 91
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Copyright © School of Oriental and African Studies 1968

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References

1 The signing of the Anglo-Russian Convention in 1907 and its subsequent working in Persia inaugurated a new and controversial phase in Anglo-Persian relations. Because the Liberal government was strongly criticized for this policy numerous Command Papers were published. Britain*s Persian policy also had a direct and significant bearing on her European policy. Thus the editors of the British documents on the origins of the War, 1898–1914 published a substantial amount of material on Persia. Since a document does not cease to be a document because it is published I have, on grounds of accessibility to other scholars, cited the published references. The Hardinge papers referred to in this article are those of Charles Hardinge. This collection is now in Cambridge, and should not be confused with the papers of Arthur Hardinge which are in the Foreign Office Library. The following abbreviations appear: ADS for archives of the archives of the American Department of State; BD for G. P. Gooch and Harold Temperley (ed.), British docunents on the origins of the War, 1898–1914, 11 vols., London, HMSO, 1926–30; CAB for a series of Cabinet papers in the public Record Office; Cd. for the British series of command Papers published in that period; FO for British Foreign Office correspondence in the Public Record Office; and, PD for The Paliamentary Debates, Offical Report, Fourth and Fifth Series, House of Lords and House of Lords and House of Commons.

2 For the outlook of and Fifth Series, House of Lords and House of Commons. office see Monger, G. W., The end of isolation, London, 1963, 99–103, 264–6.6.Google Scholar

3 Lord Salisbury was speaking in parliament.

4 Foreign affairs under the third Marquis of Salisbury, London, 1962, 19.

5 Harold Temperly and Penson, Lillian M., Foundations of British Foreign Policy, Cambridge, 1938, 516–, 521–2.Google Scholar

6 For the diplomatic background in this paper I am indebted to the lare Dame Lillian penson's seminar, for the ideas set out herein were part of her general stock in trade.

7 Charles Hardinge to Lansdowne, no. 594, confidential, 4 october 1903, hardinge papers.

8 Lansdowne to Hardinge, 4 September 1905, ibid.

9 Sanderson to Hardinge, 19 September 1905, ibid.

10 See, for example, the Lansdowne-Curzon correspondence in Lord Lansdowne's papers in the Foreign Office Library.

11 Hardinge to Nicolson, 10 July 1907, BD, IV, 294.

12 15 September 1908: see also same to same, 30 September 1908, Hardinge papers.

13 Monger, op. cit., 281–95. See also Harold, Nicolson, Curzon: the last phase, 1919–1925, London, 1934, 121, 126–7;Google Scholaridem, Sir Arthur Nicolson, London, 1930, xii-xv. Grey, s letter to Roosevelt, 4 December 1906, in the Roosevelt papers, points to some extent in the same direction as does his memorandum on morocco, 20 February 1906, in BD, III, 267. See alsoWilliams, Beryl J., ‛ THe strategic background to the Snglo-Russian entente of August 1907’,Historical Journal, IX,3, 1966,360–73.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

14 To Valentine Chirol, 21 June 1907. Reproduced instephen, Gwynn(ed.), The letters and friendships of Sir Cecil Spring Rice, Boston, 1929, II, 101–2.Google Scholar

15 Recollections, London, 1917, 177–9.Google Scholar

16 Grey to Spring Rice, 13 December 1905, BD, IV, 218.

17 Grey to Spring Rice, 19 March and 11 May 1906,BD, IV, 227–8, 382–3; Spring Rice to Grey, 24 May 1906, BD, IV, 232–3.

18 Quoted by Dame Lillian Penson in conversation with the author.

19 Krasnyy Arkhiv, LVI, 60 ff. I am indebted to the Central Asian Research Bureau for translating this and other articles from the Russian.

20 BD, IV, 270. On 27 July 1899 SPring Rice had written a long letter to Hardinge on the general political situation in which he said: ‘ It is quite evident the Russians dont, t want to divide Persia. It must be all or non. What they want is the right of way; both North and South-and they pressing down south for all they are worth, though in view of public opinion in England, and the memory of Fashoda, they are not very likely to seize a port. But they are undeniably strengthening their hold on northern Persia and gradually pressing south—and they are pressing down south for all they are worth, though in view of punlic opinion in England, and the memory of Fashoda, they are not very likely to seize a port. But they are undeniably strengthening their hold on northern persia and gradually pressing south⃛, Hardinge papers. See alsoLamsdorff, toSpeyer, , 30 September 1904, Krasnyy Arkhiv, III, 14–16, 20–1, 29–30.Google Scholar

21 7 August 1906, BD, IV, 241.

22 24 September 1906, BD, IV, 395. See also Sir Sidney Lee, King Edward VII: a biography, London, 1925, II, 569.

23 12 September 1906, BD, IV, 242.

24 Writing to Hardinge on 8 May 1907 Nicolson stated: To my mind the chief gain of the Convention will be the exclusion of Russia from Seisten, Charbar and Bundar Abbas. This fact rendered Isvolsky, s task with the General Staff a difficulg one, as the military party considered they thereby made a great concession for which they received an inadequate quid pro quo, Hardinge papers.

25 7 Novemner 1906,BD, IV, 250∓1. AS a Russian writer put it: ‘ To my mind the chief gain of the Convention will be the exclusion of Russia from Seisten, Charbar and Burndar Abbas. This fact rendered Isvolsky' task with the General Staff a difficult one, as the military party considered they therby made a great concession for which they received an inadequate quid pro quo ’, Hardinge papers.

26 Viscount Grey of Falloden’, Krasnyy Arkhiv, x, 54–5.

27 Grey to Nicolson, 19 March 1907; memorandum by Sir Edward Grey 15 March 1907; BD, IV, 279–81.

28 King Edward VII to Hardinge, Biarritz, 19 March 1907, Hardinge Papers.

29 25 and 27 March and 14 April 1907, BD, IV, 282–4. On 14 April 1907 a cabinet council met in St. Petersburg to come to a decision on the British propossals. The council was influenced by: (1) the state of affairs brought about by the Russo-Japanese war; (2) internal unrest; and (3) the idea that ‘ nothing can actually be more desirable than to release our Black Sea fleet from the inactivity to which it has been condemned and to open the Mediterranean Sea to it’. This could be achieved only with British support. If Britain were willing to negotiate a solution to the question of the Straits’ we could make concessions in the Central Asiatic questin’, Krasnyy Arkhiv, X, 55.

30 O’ Conor to Grey and minutes, 30 April 1907, BD, IV, 289–90.

31 cf. pp. 73–4.

32 Minute by Hardinge on draft convention communicated by Isvolsky to Nicolson, BD, IV, 433.

33 Grey to Nicolson, 8 march 1907, BD, IV, 435–6; Nicolson to Grey, 10 and 13 March 1907 BD, IV, 437–42.

34 Grey to Nicolson and enclosure, 6 June 1907, BD, IV, 465.

35 Knollys to Hardinge, 12 July 1907, H.M. Yacht Victoria Albert, Hardinge papers.

36 Government of India to Secretary of State for India, 19 July 1907, BD, VI, 496.

37 Nicolson to Grey, 24 and 28 June 1907, BD, IV, 477–83 Harold Nicolson, Sir Arthur Nicolson, 252–4.

38 Nicolson to Grey, 29 June 1907, BD, IV, 484.

39 Grey to Nicolson, 27 June 1907; Nicolson to Grey, 29 and June, 1 and 3 July 1907, BD, IV, 481–2, 485, 487–91.

40 Grey to Nicolson, 29 August 1907, BD, IV, 501–2.

41 Spring Rice to Grey, 11 April 1907, BD, IV, 450–3. Spring Rice became convinced of the worthlessness of agreements with Russia during his residence in St. Petersburg, 1903–6. In numerous letters to the Roosevelts he expressed his views on the futility of attempting to bind Russia by written contract.

42 Grey to Spring Rice, 12 June 1907, BD, IV, 470–1

43 Spring Rice to Lady Helen Ferguson, 23 April 1907, reproduced in Gwynn, op. cit., II, 97–8.

44 Spring Rice to Grey and minutes 26 April 1907, BD, IV, 457–8.

45 21 June 1907, BD, IV, 474–5.

46 Grey to Spring Rice, 7 September 1907, BD, IV, 584–5

47 Referred to in BD, IV, 590. Reproduced in E.G. Bwowne, The Persian revolution of 1905–1909, Cambridge, 1910, 190–2

48 Nicolson to Grey, 14 September 1907, BD, IV, 595.

49 Grey to Spring Rice, 14 September 1907, BD, IV, 594.

50 Grey to the Prime Minister, 31 August 1907, Grey, op. cit., I, 165; Morley to Nicolson, 7 September 1907, BD, IV, 587.

51 Minto to Morley, 29 May 1907, Mary, Countess of Minto, India, Minto and Morley, 1905–1910, London, 1935, 175.

52 W. H. Michael to the Assistant Secretary of State, 20 February 1908, case 8570\17, ADS numerical file.

53 Richmond Pearson to Root, 6 November 1907, case 8570/12, ADS numerical file.

54 Leading articles in Times, 2, 6, 14 September 1907.

55 See, for example, special articles of 14 February, 16 July, and 31 August 1907.

56 PD, Fourth Series, Commons, 29 March 1906, CLIV, 1534; 24 May 1906, CLVII, 1416; 29 October 1906, CLXXVIII, 45–6; 16 July 1907, CLXXVIII, 1 August 1907, CLXXIX, 1293–5.

57 PD, Fourth Series, Lords, 29 January 1908, CLXXXIII, 1–2.

58 ibid., 141–2.

59 ibid., 1002.

60 ibid., 1007–8. Curzon referred to the speech delivered by Grey at Berwick-on-Tweed on 19 December 1907. It is reproduced in Paul Knapland (ed.), Speeches on foreign affairs by Sir Edward Grey, 1904–1914, London, 1931, 38–43. Grey said: ‘ If you consider the Persian part of the Anglo-Russian Agreement, I believe you will find that we have secured by that the safe-guarding of the Indian frontier, and that we have done it without forgoing commercial prospects in any part of persia where we had any’.

61 PD, Fourth Series, Lords, 6 February 1908, CLXXXIII, 1013–14.

62 Harold Nicolson, Curzon: the last phase, 126.

63 PD, Fourth Series, Lords, 6 February 1908, CLXXXIII, 1033. Cf. Monger, op. cit., 289–90.

64 Commons, 17 February 1908, CLXXXIII, 499.

65 Lords, 10 February 1908, CLXXXIII, 1345–8.

66 ibid., 1351.

67 ibid., 1325.

68 ibid., clxxxiv, 478–96. See also leading article in the Times, 18 Febrauary 1908; and Grey to Nicolson, 24 February 1908, BD, iv, 616–17.

69 Quoted in Broene, op. cit., 174.

70 Lambton, A. K. S, ‘Persian political societies, 1906–1911’ St. Antony' s Papers, No. 16, 1963, 45–61.Google Scholar

71 Marling to Hardinge, 3 January 1908, Hardinge papers.

72 Jackson to Root, 24 and 29 June 1908, cases 5931/249 and 252– ADS numerical file. See also Gwynn, op. cit., II, 106–7. Marling to Grey 30 June 1908; Grey to Marling, 1 Jully 1908; memorandum by Major Stokes ‘respecting the guards round His Majesty' Legation at Tehran, June 24 to June 30, 1908’, Cd. 4581, 125 ff., 135–7, 164–5.

73 O’ Beirne to Grey, 2 and 3 July 1908, Cd. 4581, 138, 145.

74 Nicolson to Hardinge, 2 October 1908, Hardinge papers.

75 Hardinge to Nicolson, 28 October 1908, ibid. See also PD, Fourth Series, Commons, 9 and 14 July, 1908, CXCII, 63–5, 606–7; 30 July 1908, CXCIII, 1755–6.

76 Muhammad ‘ Alītemporarily held Tehran in his grip in the summer of 1908. He suspended the constitution and held that those who died by his orders had been given a ‘fair if summary trail’, Cd. 4581, 129.

77 Hardinge to Nicolson, 13 April 1908, BD, v, 236–7.

78 The Persian question was discussed. There were two main issues: whether to make a joint loan to Muhammad‘Alīand wheather to construct railways in Persia. Isvolsky suggested lines which would connect the Russian and Indian railway systems (which Hardinge considered premature), but showed no enthusiasm for a line through Persia to the Gulf at Mubammarah. See report by Hardinge on visit to the Tear at Reval, 12 June 1908, BD, v, 240–1.

79 Hardinge to Nicolson, 13 October 1908; Hardinge to Bertie (Paris), 13 October 1908; Hardinge to Goschen, 20 October 1908, Hardinge papers

80 Grey to Nicolson, 12 and 13 October 1908, BD, v, 429–30, 433–4; Grey, op. cit., I, 180–2.

81 Memorandum by Grey, 14 October 1908, BD, v, 441–2.

82 Hardinge to Nicolson, 28 October 1908, Hardinge papers.

83 Hardinge to Barclay, 14 July 1908, Harding papers.

84 For the happenings at Tabrīz see the special correspondent for the Times, Captain Lionel James, whose writings on the subject cease in November 1908 when he was instructed to return to Constantinople. The despatches of the American vonsul, William Doty, are useful as are the reports of the British consul-general, A. C. Wratislaw. Also indispensable are the British Foreign Office Annual Report for Russia and Annual Report for Persia for the years 1908 and 1909. Quotation from Doty's report dated 2 October 1907, case 5931/126–9, ADS numerical file.

85 Enclosure in Barclay to Grey, 25 November 1908, 4733, 7–9.

86 Enclosures in Barclay to Grey, 4 Novermber and 31 December 1908, Cd. 4581, 209–10, and Cd. 4733, 28–31.

87 Barclay to Grey, 5 November 1908, Cd. 4581, 211.

88 Enclosure in Barclay to Grey, 8 October 1908, Cd. 4581, 199–200; same to same, 26 December 1908, Cd. 4733, 16.

89 O‘ Beirne to Grey, 25 July 1908, Cd. 4581, 168.

90 Grey to Nicolson, 17 October 1908, cd. 4581, 192.

91 Nicolson to Grey, 9 January 1909, Cd. 4733, 20.

92 Grey to Nicolson, 13 January 1909, Cd. 4733, 22

93 Nicolson to Grey and enclosure, 17 January 1909, Cd. 4733, 36–41 and the Annual Report for Russia for the year 1909.

94 Grey to Nicolson and enclosure, 3 February 1909, Cd. 4733, 42–4.

95 Barclay to Grey, 27 January 1909, Cd. 4733, 48–9.

96 Barclay to Grey, 25 February 1909, Cd. 4733, 59–62.

97 Barclay to Grey 25, 28, and 30 March 1909, Cd. 4733, 68–9, 71; enclosure in Barclay to Grey, 24 March 1909, Cd. 4733, 68–9, 71; enclosure in Barclay to Grey, 24 March 1909, Cd. 4733, 82–2.

98 Barclay to Grey, 19, 20, 22, 23, 26, April 1909, Cd. 4733, 99, 101, 105, 107, 112. Grey to Nicolson, 21 April 1909, Cd. 4733, 103. Jackson to Knox, 20, 23, 30 April and 8 May 1909, cases 5931/386, 390, 420, 425–6; Doty to Jackson and enclosures; Speer to Wilson and enclosures, cases 5931/398–400, 404–5, ADS numerical file Enclosure in Barclay to Grey, 24 May 1909, Cd. 5120, 38–41.

99 Annual Report for Russia for the year 1909. See also Nicolson to Grey, 22, 23, 24, April 1909, Cd. 4733, 102, 104, 113; Grey to Nicolson, 20, 21, April 1909, Cd. 4733, 102–3.

100 Nicolson to Hardinge, 6 June 1909, BD, IX, pt. 1, 13.

101 Grey to O‘, Beirne, 9 July 1909, IX, Pt. 1, 23.

102 25 September/8 October 1910. Quoted in B. A. de Siebert G. A. Schreiner, Entene diplomacy and the world, London, 1921, 99.

103 Since Muhammad Alīhad pledged his estates in Āzarbāyjān as security to Russia for his debts, foreclosure would not have been to the interest of the Persian government; Barclay to Grey, 19, 22, 26, July and 3 and August 1909, Cd. 5120, 66, 70–1, 84–1. See also Annual Report for Russia and Russia and Annural Report for Persia for the year 1909.

104 Barclay to Grey, 18 August and 9 September 1909, Cd. 5120, 107–8, 127–8, 130–1. See also Annual Report for Russia and Annual Report for Persia for the year 1909.

105 At the time of Muhammad ‘ Alīs deposition there were 6,300 Russian soldiers in Persia-4,000 at Tabrī 1,700 at Qazwīn, and 600 in other places in northern persia in addition to the consular guards. See figures given by Grey in answer to a question in Parliament in PD, Fifth series, Commons, 13 July 1909, VII 1831.

106 Taft to Macveagh (Secretary of the Treasury), 7 January 1911, Letterbook no. XXI, no. 376, Taft papers.

107 Taft to Huntington Wilson ‘ and enclosure, 28 December 1910, case 891.51/ ADS decimal file. Knox to Taft and enclosure, 5 January 1911, Taft papers, Persia file. For the Shuster mission see William Morgan Shuster, The strangling of Persia New York, 1912; Sister Rosaleen Gilroy, The Shuster mission to Persia, 1911–12’ Journal of Modern History, XII, University, 1947; phillip Mosely, 'Russian Policy in 1911–12, unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, Fordham University, 1947; Philip Mosellly, ‛ Russian Policy in 1911–12’. Journal of Modern History, XII, March, 1940, 69–86; Abraham Yeselson, United Status-Persian diplomatic relations, 1883–1921, New Brunswick, 1956, 105–29. Both American and British official archieves contain a considerable amount of correspondence on the Shuster mission. A good selection from the British archives has been published in BD, x, pt. 1. For the Russian attitude at the outset see Baron von Rosen to Huntington Wislon, 12 September 1910, case 891.51/43, ADS decimdal file. Also relevant are cases 891.51/21a, 22, and 33.

108 Editors' comments in ‘of volume x’ BD, x pt. 1, xi.