Foreign Relations of the United States: Diplomatic Papers, The Conferences at Cairo and Tehran, 1943

Cairo Legation Records: Telegram

The Presidents Special Assistant (Hopkins) to the Minister in Egypt (Kirk)¹

secret

[Tehran, November 30, 1943.]

To Kirk for Frank Shea from Hopkins.

Re Shea’s query² instructions are as follows: Eliminate or hold for later release all references to Mena House, villas occupied by any members of party, or Mena itself. It is permissible to release details of trip to Pyramids and Sphinx and other color stories so long as no hint or disclosure of local conference locations is given. Cairo dateline still stands. Text of communiqué unchanged. Repeat this message to Steve Early for reference to Surles.³

1. Sent via Navy channels.
2. Shea at Cairo, in a telegram to Hopkins at Tehran (“for Russell Barnes”), had noted that the communiqué merely gave “in North Africa” as the location of the Conference, and he queried whether specific mention of Mena in the background material was permissible (copy sent to Early; Roosevelt Papers).
3. Sent to Early in paraphrase, via Army channels.