315. Memorandum From the Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs (Hart) to the Executive Secretary of the Department of State (Read)1
SUBJECT
- Desire of Iranian Prime Minister to Meet with President-elect Nixon
Prime Minister Amir Abbas Hoveyda of Iran will be in the United States on an official visit beginning Tuesday, December 3, 1968. He has expressed a desire to call on President-elect Nixon.2
The Prime Minister met Mr. Nixon in Tehran on April 22, 1967 when they were both guests at a dinner at the home of the Iranian Foreign Minister. During that visit, Mr. Nixon also had lunch with the Shah.
NEA strongly recommends that the President-elect receive the Prime Minister. Our interests in Iran would be well served by such an indication that the new Administration will want to maintain our close ties with Iran. These interests include our ability to influence an increasingly powerful Iran to play a constructive role in the Middle East and Persian Gulf and our ability to retain certain strategic intelligence facilities whose importance is increasing as our facilities in Pakistan are being closed down. Should the President-elect not see the Prime Minister the Shah is likely to be concerned that the new Administration may not want to continue our present intimate relationship with Iran.
The Prime Minister will be in New York on December 4, in Washington December 5 and 6, in Florida December 7 and 8 and in Los Angeles December 9–11 and would be available for a meeting with the President-elect on any of those dates.