Office of the Historian

890H.001 Zahir/7

The Afghan Minister in France (Shah Wali) to the American Ambassador in France (Straus)1

[Translation]
Paris, June 28, 1934.

Mr. Ambassador: By order of my Government, I have the honor to transmit to you herewith an autograph letter of His Majesty Mohammed Zahir Shah, King of Afghanistan, addressed to His Excellency [Page 748] Mr. Franklin Roosevelt, President of the Republic of the United States of America, informing him of the death of his August Father as well as of his accession to the Afghan throne.

I would be infinitely obliged if you would be kind enough to forward the letter in question to its high destination.

Please accept [etc.]

Shah Wali
[Enclosure—Translation]

Mohammed Zahir Shah, King of Afghanistan, to President Roosevelt

6th of Sawr 1313,
Corresponding to the 24th April, 1934.

My Dear and Most Honoured Friend: In view of the friendship and goodwill, which, since the extraordinary embassy of Afghanistan of 1921,2 are established between the two great States of Afghanistan and the United States of America, We were desirous to bring to your high notice, by this friendly letter, the sudden death of Our father-martyr His Majesty Mohammed Nadir Shah, the King of Afghanistan and to announce to Your Excellency, Our dearest Friend, Our accession to the Throne of Afghanistan, which has taken place after election by Our whole dear nation.

At this occasion, We are pleased to notify the desire of the Afghan Government to strengthen the political and economic relations, which he had and has still now with the High Government of the United States. Having towards Your Excellency personally feelings of sincerest friendship, We wish to you as well as to your noble nation all prosperity on the path of welfare.

We renew Our best feelings.

Mohammed Zahir
  1. Transmitted to the Department by the Chargé in France in his despatch No. 1019, July 3; received July 12.↩
  2. See Foreign Relations, 1921, vol. i, pp. 258 ff.↩