740.00119 Potsdam/7–1445
No. 1330
Proposal by the British
Delegation1
P. (Terminal) 16
Persia
Memorandum by the United Kingdom Delegation
His Majesty’s Government and the Soviet Government are maintaining their troops in Persia by virtue of the Anglo-Soviet-Persian Treaty of the 29th June [January], 1942, under Article 5 of which these forces are to be withdrawn from Persia “not later than six months after all hostilities between the Allied Powers and Germany and her Satellites had been suspended”. His Majesty’s Government have suggested to the Soviet Government that the Allied forces should be withdrawn from Persia pari passu and in stages before the final treaty date is reached. The Soviet Government have not, however, replied.
- 2.
- In His Majesty’s Government’s view the time has now come for
the complete joint withdrawal of Allied forces from Persia and
they propose that this should take place in three stages as
follows:—
- (1)
- British and Soviet forces would be withdrawn completely from Tehran at once;
- (2)
- After the completion of the first stage, British and Soviet troops would be withdrawn from the whole of Persia except that British [Page 1392] troops would remain in Abadan and the southern oilfields area and Soviet troops would remain in a zone in either north-east or northwest Persia;
- (3)
- On the completion of the second stage, British troops would be withdrawn from Abadan and the oilfields area in south Persia and Soviet troops would be withdrawn from the last area in which their troops were stationed in either north-east or north-west Persia.
- 3.
- If this proposal is accepted the demarcation of the withdrawal zones can be worked out afterwards.