891.77 Ulen & Company/17
The Minister in Persia (Kornfeld) to the Secretary of State
[Received June 4.]
Sir: I have the honor to advise the Department that, in response to the request of Mr. L. E. Bennett of the Ulen company that the latter communicate to him the opinion of Mr. Mallet-Prevost, the company’s counsel, regarding the validity of the alleged British option for the construction of railways in Persia, he received the following cable:
“Mr. Mallet-Prevost has studied carefully all the documents sent him regarding the alleged British option on railway construction in southern Persia. He finds the position taken by the Persian Government is sound and considers they have no legal option or preferential right. They sent engineers to Persia and made certain surveys and studies for railway construction and the government tacitly allowed their engineering investigations to go on and they may have a claim for reimbursement of their expenses for work done but nothing more.”
I have [etc.]