Hopkins Papers
The Administrator General of Finances of Iran (Millspaugh) to President Roosevelt1
My Dear Mr. President: In our conversation today,2 you were good enough to give me permission to write you a personal note about the American effort in Iran.
Iran has on three occasions obtained American administrative assistance:
- 1.
- The Shuster Financial Mission in 1911, dismissed the same year following a Russian ultimatum.3
- 2.
- The first Millspaugh Financial Mission, 1922–27,4 with other missions for agriculture, highways and railway construction.
- 3.
- The second Millspaugh Financial Mission, 1943—with other missions in the Ministries of War, Interior (Gendarmerie and Police), Agriculture, and Health.
Each of these Missions came at or following a time of political, economic and financial disturbance and danger. Each had, from the Iranian point of view, two main purposes:
- 1.
- A political purpose—to hold the balance between British and Russian imperialisms and thus safeguard the independence of the country.
- 2.
- A financial and economic purpose—to help Iran to put its own house in order, to conserve its financial and economic resources, and in this way to prevent Britain and Russia from having an excuse to take over the country.
In general, the Americans in Iran are employees of the Iranian Government, with a period of service that will terminate in about four years. But we feel that we are here and that we can and do appropriately act, not only as administrative employees of the Iranian Government, but also as the practical instruments for implementing your international policies.
Iranians welcome American assistance because they know that Americans are neutral, non-imperialistic, honest, and sincere. But I am convinced that, if Americans are to work effectively over a period of years in this country and really implement your policies, the independence of the country must be safeguarded by an understanding among the three powers—the United States, the Soviet Union, and Great Britain.
[Page 630]Because of fifteen years of dictatorship, because of the War, and because of the Allied occupation, Iran and the Iranians are at present in a condition of inconceivable disorganization, demoralization and corruption. If American assistance is withdrawn at the end of four years, our effort will be largely wasted. To do a permanent job, fifteen or twenty years will be required.
As I see it, therefore, the suggested understanding should provide:
- 1.
- For exclusively American administrative and technical assistance to Iran over a period of fifteen or twenty years;
- 2.
- For the divorcement of this American effort from American commercial interests;
- 3.
- For the harmonizing of this effort with the political independence of Iran, with Iranian self-government through constitutional democratic forms and procedures, and with some form of protection against the reestablishment of dictatorship; and,
- 4.
- For assurances to be given Great Britain and the Soviet Union that Americans in Iran are to be neutral as between these two powers and friendly to both.
The Iranians look to you, Mr. President, to guarantee them freedom from fear. With American administrators to help the Iranians to help themselves, the Iranians can, should and will do the rest. Iran seems to me to be a clinic—a testing ground—for the practical execution of your international policies. Finally, the doing of the job here need not cost the American taxpayers a cent, and need not require any armed intervention.
Permit me to thank you, Mr. President, for seeing me in the midst of your immense responsibilities and let me convey to you on behalf of my Mission our best wishes for your health and continued high accomplishment.
Respectfully yours,
- Sent by Millspaugh to Hopkins, with a covering letter of December 1, 1943, for presentation to Roosevelt (Hopkins Papers). Covering letter not printed herein.↩
- See ante, p. 469.↩
- See Foreign Relations, 1911, pp. 679 ff.↩
- See ibid., 1921, vol. ii, pp. 633 ff., and 1927, vol. iii, pp. 523 ff.↩