867N.01/1078
The Minister Resident in Iraq (Knabenshue) to the Chief of the Division of Near Eastern Affairs (Murray)
Dear Wallace: Nuri Pasha has not yet brought me his reply to Dr. Magnus. However, I saw him a few days ago when he apologized for not having as yet brought me the letter. He said that he was discussing it with the Prime Minister and when they had formulated the reply, he would bring it to me. The interesting point of this is that Nuri is not acting entirely upon his own, and that whatever statements he may make in the letter, and I gather that whatever proposals he has made or will make are in accord with the views of the Iraqi Government. This, of course, attaches far more importance to Nuri’s negotiations than would have been the case if he were acting entirely independently, as many people erroneously believe is the case.
Sincerely yours,