Foreign Relations of the United States, 1955–1957, Near East Region; Iran; Iraq, Volume XII

310. Letter From the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs (Hensel) to the Secretary of State¹

Washington, May 14, 1955.

Dear Mr. Secretary: Reference is made to your letter of November 8, 1954,² commenting on the country team proposals for an expanded MDA Program and related defense support and direct forces support for Iran.

The contents of your letter and additional comments from the Director of the Foreign Operations Administration have been considered by the Joint Chiefs of Staff, whose subsequent recommendations are embodied in a memorandum to the Secretary of Defense dated April 12, 1955, a copy of which is attached.³

The proposed reorganization of Iranian Army forces approved by the Joint Chiefs of Staff in paragraph 3 of the attached letter has been adopted by the Department of Defense as the basis for future MDA planning. The Director of the Foreign Operations Administration is being informed of this in a letter of this date, copy of which is also attached.⁴

The Department of Defense acceptance of this reorganization envisages no increase in the current level of military assistance programmed for Iran at this time. However, it is requested that you join the Department of Defense in requesting the Director of the Foreign Operations Administration to consider an increase in the magnitude of the planned FY 1956 allocations of defense support and direct forces support funds for Iran, in light of the recommendations recently submitted by the country team in cable Tehran 1948⁵ and related cables, and the comments in the attached memorandum from the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

In the absence of a comprehensive plan covering the role intended for Iran in future Middle East defense, I have requested the Director of the Foreign Operations Administration to confine his consideration to training support and those projects which the country team can assure will not prejudge any future decision to support or not to support a change or addition to the current mission of the Iranian forces involved.

A copy of this letter has been furnished to the Director of the Foreign Operations Administration.

Sincerely yours,

H. Struve Hensel

1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 788.5–MSP/5–1455. Top Secret.
2. Foreign Relations, 1952–1954, vol. X, p. 1063.
3. Not attached, but printed as Document 306.
4. Attached but not printed; the letter is substantively the same as the one printed here.
5. Document 302.