This problem of the Persian frontier was, one suspects, at least partly created by the British for use as a bargaining tool in the impending negotiations with Persia for permission for Imperial Airways to fly over Persian territory. There is no doubt that the frontier caused real problems for Junkers. On 15 March 1927, the German Consul and Jarolimek visited the British High Commissioner at Baghdad and said that the present conditions, under which aeroplanes are forced to land passengers and mails at Kermanshah and send them to the Railhead at Khanaqin over a very bad stretch of road, had a crippling effect upon Junkers enterprise. They begged for permission to land at Khanaqin. Also on 15 March 1927, the Persian Minister for Foreign Affairs visited the British Minister in Teheran to say that the Persian Government had decided to allow an international airway along the Southern coast. However, they would be prepared, when the Air Convention had been ratified by the Majliss, to come to an agreement for an airway to India across the centre of Persia. The Minister said that there was considerable opposition, not in Government, but among deputies and the people, to the Southern route. He said that the decision had been made on 13 March 1927. The British speculated on the real reasons for this decision. Sir R. Clive sent a telegram to Sir Austen Chamberlain: “It is clear that we are bound under Article XI of the Anglo-Iraq Treaty not to discriminate against non-British civil aircraft in Iraq. Nature of facilities which will eventually have to be granted to foreign civil aircraft in Iraq is however still being considered here. In the meantime if Persian Government or your French or German colleagues approach you with proposals for linking Teheran with Baghdad by air, you should discourage the project but avoid blunt refusal. Grounds for discouraging project would be that such plans are premature having regard to present state of Iraq. You should lay emphasis on fact that proposed British service will not begin operations for another year at least. In the event of a project of a serious character for air mail service between Teheran and Baghdad, possibility of either Imperial Airways or Royal Air Force linking up at Persian frontier with Junkers service for carriage of mails from frontier to Baghdad will be considered by Air Ministry.” “I gather that influences behind Persian repudiation of their agreement with Imperial Airways are the following:- 1. Strategical objections raised by Chief of General Staff. 2. Nationalist feelings of Shah which have been stimulated by Hankow incident. 3. Shah’s oriental mentality - i.e. inherent deceitfulness and xenophobia. 4. Shah’s irritation at release of Salar-al-Dawlah may possibly have induced in him an outburst of passion and have led him to instruct Cabinet to turn down Southern air route regardless of consequences and impression in England.”
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