Office of the Historian

740.0011 European War 1939/8900: Telegram

The Chargé in Egypt (Hare) to the Secretary of State

Cairo, March 8, 1941—4 p.m.
[Received March 9—12:50 p.m.]

107. The Iraqi Foreign Minister11 arrived in Cairo day before yesterday accompanied by the Counsellor of the British Embassy at Baghdad. The [apparent omission] Secretary of the Embassy here [apparent omission] me confidentially that the Foreign Minister came here at the suggestion of the British to consult Eden12 who was unable to go to Baghdad but desired to discuss with the Iraqis the general subject of the uncooperative attitude of the Iraqi Government in respect of the British war effort and particularly the interference of certain military leaders in politics and the desirability of discontinuing diplomatic relations with Italy. According to my informant who himself participated in the conversations, the Iraqi Foreign Minister gave the impression of being sympathetic to the British suggestions but pointed out the difficulty of precipitate action in such matters and made no definite commitments. My informant added that the Iraqi Foreign Minister took the occasion to raise the question of the return of political refugees from Palestine without however discussing the case of the Mufti specifically.

Repeat to Baghdad.

Hare
  1. Towfiq as-Suwaidi, appointed February 6, 1941, by Gen. Taha al-Hashimi, who had become Prime Minister February 1, 1941.↩
  2. Anthony Eden, British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.↩