740.0011 European War 1939/14842
Memorandum of Conversation, by the Secretary of State
The Soviet Ambassador called at his request. He referred to the suggestion of this Government that Russia and Great Britain proclaim to the general public the temporary nature of their occupation of Iran, et cetera, et cetera, and indicated that he thought they were doing so to a sufficient extent. I replied that, of course, what my Government had in mind was intended for the benefit of public opinion both in Iran and especially in the Moslem world, and that I still thought it would be very helpful for this simple declaration to be made. I then said that the President had made an appropriate statement on this subject in reply to a request for mediation by this country made by Iran. I then repeated to him the substance of my conversation with the Rumanian representative here on yesterday.27 He seemed very much gratified to learn this. I also emphasized the point that, of course, this Government, in replying to the Iranian Government, had taken care of the entire situation for Great Britain and Russia so far as it was at all consistent. He was very appreciative of this.
- No record of such a conversation on September 3 found in Department files, but see memorandum by Mr. Cavendish W. Cannon, September 4, 1941, vol. i, p. 326.↩