741.9111/26: Telegram
The Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Winant) to the Secretary of State
[Received January 21—7:45 p.m.]
307. I have just received the following communication dated January 20, 1942 from the Foreign Office.
[Page 265]“You may remember that I told you recently that the Iranians might be putting forward a suggestion that the United States should adhere to the proposed Anglo-Soviet-Iranian Treaty of Alliance. I have now heard from our Minister at Tehran that the Iranian Minister for Foreign Affairs recently put this suggestion to your Minister who replied that the object of the treaty was to regularize the situation between Iran and the two powers whose troops were in her territory and that the United States had nothing whatever to do with this. The suggestion was, however, revived on 10th January in a local newspaper which proposed that Mr. Bullitt,47 who was then in Tehran, should submit it to the United States Government.
I imagine that the State Department will share the views of your Minister at Tehran about the Iranian proposal which we have a shrewd suspicion was put forward with the Iranian object of postponing any action so definite as the signature of a treaty.
In view of our earlier conversation I thought I would let you know what had happened; unless contrary to our expectation the Iranian Minister for Foreign Affairs’ suggestion appeals to the United States Government it would be a help to us if the idea were scotched as soon as possible.” Signed Anthony Eden.48