Office of the Historian

740.0011 European War 1939/14568: Telegram

The Minister in Iran (Dreyfus) to the Secretary of State

Tehran, August 31, 1941.
[Received September 1—3:55 p.m.]

126. Referring to my No. 122,19 the Russian and British terms were presented to the Iranian Government at 5 p.m. yesterday. The Prime Minister informed Russian and British Envoys a short time ago that the Iranian Government accepts terms in principle. The Prime Minister informed the Majlis this morning that negotiations with the British and Russians have reached an advanced stage. In calling on the deputies and people to be more calm he said that the attitude of panic shown by the Iranians had done great harm.

About 9 a.m. today 8 Russian planes over Tehran dropped a number of bombs. Our Military Attaché examined the craters of 2 which fell about a mile from the airport but did no damage. I have definite knowledge that 2 men killed and 1 injured by a bomb which fell in the south of the city and it is possible there were other casualties. Russian planes are at this moment again overhead. It is difficult to understand why the Russians have bombed Tehran after the Iranians have ceased resistance and after terms have been presented. It is [Page 445] possible that it was a reprisal for the incident mentioned in my No. 21 [121].20 If their purpose was to create terror among the Iranians they have succeeded. Some of the leaflets dropped today were addressed to peasant farmers of Iran and stressed how much Russia has done to assist them.

Dreyfus
  1. Dated August 30, 1 p.m., p. 443.↩
  2. August 30, noon, not printed; the incident referred to was the firing on a Soviet plane over Tehran followed by the dropping of two bombs on the airport, probably from that plane (740.0011 European War 1939/14554).↩