File No. 763.72/8741
The Secretary of State to the British Ambassador on Special Mission ( Reading )
My Dear Mr. Ambassador: [I have received your Embassy’s note of January 30, No. 138, stating that His Majesty’s Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs recently addressed a note to the Persian Minister in London giving him the assurance that the British Government was genuinely anxious to assist the Persian Government to maintain the independence and integrity of Persia and that the British Minister at Teheran would be instructed to discuss with the Persian [Page 901] authorities the manner in which this object could be carried out in such a manner as to be acceptable to Persian public opinion; and enquiring whether the United States Government would be willing to instruct the American representative at Teheran to associate himself with the British and French Ministers in making a joint declaration to the Persian Government to the effect that it was the “desire and determination of the three Governments to respect the integrity of Persia and to promote the development of the country on independent and self-determined lines as soon as the abnormal conditions created by the present war have been removed.”]
[In reply I beg to state that it does not seem advisable for the United States Government to instruct the American Minister at Teheran to associate himself with the British Minister in making the proposed declaration to the Persian Government.] As I have already indicated to the British Government, this Government is genuinely desirous of assisting in the restoration of a normal condition of affairs in Persia on account of its friendship both for Great Britain and for Persia, but [In view of the very different positions which Great Britain and the United States occupy towards Persia, I cannot but feel that a joint declaration by Great Britain and the United States would not be the wisest procedure at this time.] Moreover, I feel that a declaration to the effect that the British, French and American Governments were ready to promote the development of Persia on self-determined lines “as soon as the abnormal conditions created by the present war have been removed” might be misinterpreted in Persia.
On January 19 the Department was advised by the American Minister at Teheran that he had received a protest from the Persian Government against an alleged violation of Persian sovereignty and independence through the organization in Persia of military forces financed by the United States and the Entente. On January 23 [24] this Government instructed the American Minister at Teheran to deny emphatically that the United States was financing any military forces being organized in Persia and at the same time to inform the Persian Government that the United States strongly sympathized with the desire of Persia to maintain its freedom and sovereignty and would not be a party to any act which would infringe such freedom and sovereignty. [Inasmuch, therefore, as the United States has already indicated to Persia its attitude toward Persian sovereignty and independence, I feel that it would be perhaps superfluous at the present time for the United States to make any further declaration in this respect.]
The note which His Majesty’s Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs has addressed to the Persian Minister in London gives an [Page 902] assurance that His Majesty’s Government are anxious to assist the Persian Government to maintain the independence and integrity of Persia, and it seems to me, therefore, that the first important step will have been taken when the instruction mentioned in Mr. Barclay’s note under acknowledgment is sent to the British Minister at Teheran.
If you will be good enough to let me know when this instruction is sent, I shall be happy to instruct the American Minister at Teheran to keep in touch with his British colleague and advise me of the results of the discussions between the British Minister and the Persian authorities.
May I repeat once more that I shall also be glad to receive any further views which you may have on the Persian situation, more especially if, in your opinion, this Government can help in any way, with the exception of the joint declaration above referred to, towards preserving the independence of Persia and improving the relations between Persia and the Entente Powers.
I am [etc.]