Baggage & Effects

Because constables at a place called Elkton, Md. had dared to snap handcuffs on the aristocratic wrists of Iran's Minister Plenipotentiary, the Great Ghaffar Khan Djalal, arrest him for speeding, all diplomatic and consular agents of Iran have been withdrawn from the U. S. (TIME, Dec. 9 et seq.). To Teheran went word last week that the end of insults was not yet. Though Iran's charge d'affaires, Hossein Ghods, has already left the U. S. in the wake of his chief, the U. S. Customs was vulgar enough to suggest that Iran's charge d'affaires was little better than a common smuggler.

To the Imperial Iranian Foreign Office, the U. S. is not an important nation. Iran's best diplomats are sent to Moscow, Afghanistan and Britain. Until he was suddenly elevated to the post of charge d'affaires, M. Hossein Ghods was a diffident, nervous little man who tiptoed about the Legation in Washington, and whose chief cross was the fact that his Minister's British wife did not like him, made him use the servants' entrance.

As charge, he suddenly attempted to give a large diplomatic party in honor of the Shah's birthday, received so few answers to his invitations that the party was hastily canceled. Not long after that modest M. Ghods returned to Iran.

Last week the Washington Art Galleries announced an auction sale of M. Ghods's personal effects. Listed were 153 separate items, including 144,656 sq. ft. of Persian rugs and carpets, miniatures, manuscripts, brocades, silverware, paintings, etc., the rugs alone dutiable at $72,233.35. Customs men suddenly sprang to life.

Accredited members of the diplomatic corps are allowed to bring into the U. S., duty free, "baggage and effects for personal use." Investigation could trace only 26 of the articles on sale to the Iranian Legation. Washington promptly telegraphed the customs office in New York to see how many more of these rugs and knickknacks had appeared on M. Ghods's original customs declaration.

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