607.1141/3–2550: Airgram

The Secretary of State to the Embassy in Iran 1

[Extract]
secret

A–104. Reference is made to the Department’s Instruction No. 23 dated March 27, 19482 enclosing a copy of a “Summary Memorandum of Informal Conversations Relating to Social and Economic Affairs in the Middle East”,3 which was drawn up in Washington in October 1947 by American and British officials, concerning the desirability of close cooperation with your British colleague in matters of common US–UK interests in the Near East, The Department, as a result of the McGhee–Wright talks in Washington in November 19494 and discussions of the Chiefs of Mission at Istanbul in November 1949,5 wishes again to reiterate its belief that the over-all interest of both countries will best be served by close cooperation between the Foreign Office and the Department of State and between US and UK missions [Page 506] in the Near East. The Department considers it desirable, therefore, that there be a continuing exchange of information and views between you and your British colleague.

The Department believes that cooperation between British and American business communities in the Near East is also desirable. However, foreseeing that a direct general approach to local business communities might not have the desired effect and on the contrary might lend itself to misrepresentation and misunderstanding, the Department feels it preferable to leave the manner of communicating such advice to appropriate American individuals to your discretion in the light of circumstances prevailing in Iran. The desirability of cooperation by American and British business men in your area has also been stressed at the political and economic conference at Cairo early this month.6

The Department is informed that the British Foreign Office has sent similar instructions to all British Missions in the Near East, as follows:

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

Acheson
  1. Similar instructions were sent by airgram to Cairo, Baghdad, Jidda, Damascus, Beirut, Tel Aviv, Addis Ababa, and Amman. The question of issuing such instructions was raised in January 1950 by the British Foreign Office which contemplated issuing similar instructions to its missions in the Near East as well (telegram 238, January 16, from London; 607.1141/1–1650).
  2. Similar instructions were sent to U.S. Missions in the Near East; see instruction 20, March 27, 1948, to Baghdad, Foreign Relations, 1948, vol. v, Part 1, p. 74.
  3. Ibid., 1947, vol. v, p. 614.
  4. For documentation, see ibid., 1949, vol. vi, pp. 50 ff.
  5. For documentation, see ibid., pp. 165 ff.
  6. For documentation, see pp. 1 ff.