611.9131/114: Telegram

The Chargé in Iran (Engert) to the Secretary of State

[Extracts]

68. The Prime Minister sent for me this morning to tell me that he hoped the Department and this Legation would not look upon the conclusion of the commercial treaty with Soviet Russia71—see my 63, April 4 [5]72—as in any way indicating a lessening of interest in trade relations with the United States. On the contrary the Iranian Government and he personally continued to believe that close and ever increasing commercial ties with the United States were most desirable and he would make every effort to bring them about.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The Prime Minister then said he still believed his memorandum transmitted with Legation’s desptach 1723 [1767], February 5,73 could form the basis for a satisfactory economic arrangement and asked me why so little progress had been made in the direction of its consummation. Incidentally, he again referred to the subject of the Legation’s 11, January 17, 11 a.m.74 I replied in the sense of my 37, March 1 [2], 8 p.m., and also reiterated to him certain statements in the Department’s 17, February 8, 3 p.m. and 24, March 9, 5 p.m. and Murray’s letter to me January 30, 1940.75

[Page 672]

As the Prime Minister will expect some kind of reply could the Department telegraph briefly a few concrete instances of cooperation between the Department and the Iranian Minister which the latter does not seem to report sufficiently to his Government?

Last pouch received here left Washington about February 20.

Engert
  1. Signed at Tehran, March 25, 1940; for English translation of text, see British and Foreign State Papers, vol. cxliv, p. 419.
  2. Not printed.
  3. Not printed, but see telegram No. 25, February 3, 8 p.m., from the Chargé in Iran, p. 664.
  4. Ante, p. 660.
  5. Letter not printed.