891.00/1985
Memorandum of Conversation, by the Under Secretary of State (Welles)
The British Ambassador83 called to see me this morning at his request.
I read to the Ambassador appropriate portions of London’s 6999, December 10, 10 p.m., and Tehran’s 426, December 9, 10 a.m., and [Page 214] 427, December 9, 4 p.m. I emphasized in the strongest terms the very grave concern of this Government at the way in which British authorities in Iran seem to be undertaking to pursue a policy not only at complete variance with the policy which this Government believed to be wise, but also with the policy which the British Foreign Office was informing this Government the British Government itself was pursuing. I said it seemed to me utterly incredible that at the very moment that the British Foreign Office was informing us that it was instructing its representative in Iran to move heaven and earth to get wheat and barley to Tehran and our own Minister in that capital was informing us that 3,500 tons of barley and 1,500 tons of flour were at Basra and earmarked for Tehran, the British Minister in Tehran should be telling the Iran Government that the British Government did not see any reason why cereal should be sent to Tehran so long as British subjects were abused in the streets of that city. I stressed again the importance of Iran as the one sure means of furnishing supplies to the Soviet Union, and emphasized the fact that in our judgment if the British authorities in Iran continued their present policy, the nation would be in such a state of foment as to make it altogether impossible to control the situation, even with a military strength far greater than that which the British Government had available in that area.
I concluded by saying that our considered views in this matter were being cabled to Ambassador Winant for communication to Mr. Eden.84
The Ambassador said that he fully agreed with the policy of this Government with regard to Iran. He said he thought it was criminally stupid for the British authorities in Iran to pursue the policy they were following when there was nothing to be gained by it and only trouble to be anticipated. He said he would cable Eden himself, indicating in the clearest terms our concern in the matter and expressing the belief that appropriate action should be promptly taken by the British Government.