891.114 Narcotics/13
The British Ambassador (Howard) to the Secretary of State
[Received July 14.]
Sir: I have the honour to inform you that the growth of the illicit opium traffic from ports in the Persian Gulf to China and other Far Eastern countries has for some time past been the subject of serious conversations by His Majesty’s Government and detailed study has been devoted to the possibility of devising means to control this traffic at any rate so far as consignments shipped in British vessels are concerned. As a result it has now been decided to issue King’s Regulations on the subject to His Majesty’s Consular Officers in the Persian Gulf laying down the procedure to be observed in future before granting clearance to a British ship with a cargo of opium on board. The regulations, a copy of which is enclosed herewith, are to be issued on January 1, 1925, this date having been selected in order that the Persian Government may first be given the opportunity of cooperating in the control of the opium traffic and, also, having regard to the very considerable interests involved in Persia and elsewhere, in order to avoid the financial and economic dislocation which would inevitably occur were the proposed measures to be brought into force immediately.
His Majesty’s Chargé d’Affaires at Teheran has been requested to communicate the text of these regulations to the Persian Government and to invite suggestions from them as to the best method of securing their cooperation with His Majesty’s Government in controlling exports of opium from Persia. Mr. Ovey has at the same time been instructed to draw the attention of the Persian Government to Article 3 of the International Opium Convention75 and to emphasize the fact that His Majesty’s Government are bound, by their obligations under that Convention, to do all in their power to prevent the export of opium to countries such as China, which have prohibited its entry, and to control the export to countries which restrict its import. It is indeed a notorious fact that a great part of the present traffic from the Persian Gulf to the Far East is illicit i. e. is not covered by import licenses granted by the authorities of the importing countries.
His Majesty’s Government are of opinion that the likelihood of the Persian Government proving amenable to representations in the [Page 583] above sense would be very materially increased were it possible for the United States representative at Tehran to associate himself with his British colleague in the proposed démarche. I accordingly have the honour to enquire whether, in view of the great interest evinced by the United States Government in all measures tending to the suppression of the opium traffic and having regard to the considerable public attention given to this problem in this country, you would be prepared to instruct the United States representative at Tehran to support the representations of Mr. Ovey who has been instructed to postpone action for the time in the hope of securing his American colleague’s support in this matter.
The prestige and influence enjoyed by the American Financial Adviser in Persia would also render any assistance which he may be prepared to offer of the greatest value and I have the honour to express the hope that you may also see your way to intimate privately to Dr. Millspaugh that you trust he will take such steps as may be possible to induce the Persian Government to cooperate wholeheartedly with His Majesty’s Government with a view to securing the suppression of this traffic.
I have [etc.]
- Malloy, Treaties, 1910–1923, vol. iii, p. 3025.↩