891.00/12–345: Telegram
The Ambassador in Iran (Murray) to the Secretary of State
[Received December 4—8:47 a.m.]
1054. Following is translated text of Foreign Office note of December 1 to Soviet Embassy in reply to Soviet note of November 26. (Text was published in Tehran press last night).
“The Imperial Ministry of Foreign Affairs presents its compliments to the Embassy of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and in reply to note No 526 dated November 26, 1945 (AZAR 5, 1324) has the honor to bring the following to the attention of the Embassy:
With respect to the statement made by the Embassy in its note of reply to the effect that the interference of Soviet officials in the internal affairs of Iran in the northern provinces is untrue, as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs does not at present wish to furnish any further explanations in this connection or fully clarify the precedents of the case, and in as much as it appears from the Embassy’s reply that the said measures will not be repeated, the Imperial Ministry of Foreign Affairs expresses its pleasure. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs hopes that with the help of the Embassy, during the prompt and complete [Page 474] evacuation of Iranian territory by the Soviet troops, the same thing being expected of the other two friendly and Allied powers, no such actions will ever again be taken by the Soviet Military authorities in the northern provinces, so that the unbreakable friendship of Iran with the Union of the Soviet Socialist Republics may increase daily.
As to the statement that the Govt of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics is not responsible for the grave consequences of the absence of Iranian officials from localities where they are needed in the northern provinces, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs finds it necessary to inform the Embassy that the presence of officials is useful and effective only when security forces are available in the provinces and districts and when the movement of said forces from places where they may not be needed to the places where they are needed is possible. If Government officials are blocked in a state of siege and their hands are tied, while those who are planning disorder are free, and the security forces of the country have no freedom of action and no communication with the capital, naturally the people are deprived of security and govt officials like the people of northern provinces are in danger of invasion, encroachment, injury and death. There have been many instances of deplorable incidents which have happened as a result of such conditions.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs hopes that, as the Embassy has written, interference in the affairs of the northern provinces have stopped, and that the security forces of the country will be free in their movements to the end that order and security may be established in those regions. In this connection the Ministry wished to inform the Embassy that there is no room for any misgivings, such as have been indicated, over the reinforcement of the security forces of the country in the provinces, and this should in no way cause the dispatch of new forces of the Union of Soviet Republics to Iran, for the Imperial Govt requests that the existing Govt forces that have remained in Iran, as well as the forces of our other Allies, evacuate Iran as soon as possible and return to their own countries in order that the Iranian Govt may be able to provide for the peace and comfort of all the people of Iran. It is not and it has not been the purpose of the Imperial Govt security or Army forces to fight the people. The object in reinforcing the security forces in the provinces is only to prevent disorder, encroachment and invasion and to see to it that the well-being of the people is safeguarded. In this manner alone could tranquility be restored in the northern regions of the country and Govt officials enabled to examine anyone’s reasonable statements in accordance with the constitution and other laws of the country.
It is therefore requested that the Embassy inform the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as soon as possible of the Embassy’s prompt measures to ensure liberty of action by Iranian Civil and Military officials in the northern provinces and for the movement of the country’s security and army forces in general and the troops proceeding to the third and fourth provinces in particular, which troops are at present held in suspense at Sharifabad.”