Office of the Historian

233. Memorandum From Harold H. Saunders of the National Security Council Staff to President Johnson1

Washington, August 23, 1967.

SUBJECT

  • Your Second Meeting with the Shah—5:30 p.m. Today2

Secretary Rusk discussed the Middle East, Soviet objectives there, Soviet-Iranian relations, Pakistan and Vietnam. However, they mainly talked about the past in the Middle East. You might want to look to the future. We understand the Shah may raise the following with you:

1.
Future arms purchases. He will be coming straight from tea with Senator Fulbright so should understand Congress’ mood. Secretary Nitze feels the best you can say right now is that you want to continue our close military relationship but you hesitate to make firm promises while Congressional action is uncertain.
2.
Private investment. You can say we’ll encourage it. Governor Harriman’s dinner tonight with business leaders will be a good chance for the Shah to argue his own case.
3.
Desalting. We understand he just wants to discuss general prospects. All you need do is state your strong desire to have a breakthrough. In this connection, you might want to suggest adding a paragraph on water to your joint press release (see attached note).3

Beyond these, unless you have something you feel is left over from your talk yesterday, I recommend only these points:

1.
Defense Department will substantially meet his yesterday’s request for additional jet pilot training in FY 1968 through a combination of U.S. training and final training in Iran. (Nitze programmed for 60 trainees this morning—the Shah’s Commander told our military mission this was the number needed—but would raise to 75 if Iran requires.)
2.
You think one of the most serious questions in the Middle East is how other leaders can be brought around to following his constructive example. How can we help the Middle East to begin acting like a region?

Hal
  1. Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, Iran, Visit of Shah (con’t.), Aug. 22–24, 1967. Secret.↩
  2. The President held a second private meeting with the Shah in his office from 5:34 p.m. to 5:50 p.m. (Ibid., President’s Daily Diary) No record of the meeting has been found, but see Document 236. Following this meeting, a joint statement was released to the press; for text, see Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Lyndon B. Johnson, 1967, Book II, pp. 806–807.↩
  3. Not attached to the source text.↩