340.1115A/1133: Telegram
The Minister in Iraq (Knabenshue) to the Secretary of State
[Received July 9—9:55 a.m.]
65. Referring to the last sentence of my telegram No. 56, June 27,22 reliable sources of information confirm the activity of Italian submarines in the Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf. One was rammed recently at the entrance of the Gulf by a British destroyer and another spotted in the Gulf is being searched for today by British bombing planes. Steamer service between Iraq and India is uncertain and fully booked for at least next 6 weeks. I am encouraging Americans evacuating through here to travel when possible by air to Karachi and thence by rail to Bombay.
- Not printed.↩