Foreign Relations of the United States: Diplomatic Papers, 1943, General, Volume I

740.0011 Moscow/212

Summary of First Meeting of the Sub-Committee on Iran, October 26, 1943⁸²

October 26, 1943

The sub-committee met for the first time on October 26. The British members proposed consideration of their draft declarations,⁸³ and the American members put forward a memorandum (enclosure No. 3)⁸⁴ containing a proposed amendment to the British draft of a tripartite declaration together with a draft of a declaration to be made by the United States regarding withdrawal of its troops from Iran. It was proposed that this latter declaration be made simultaneously with the similar Anglo-Soviet declaration suggested by the British members. The British members at once accepted the American amendment to the draft tripartite declaration.

Owing to delay in delivery, the Soviet members had not received advance copies of either the British draft declarations or the American memorandum. They felt that they could not discuss those documents without written Russian translations, and it was agreed, therefore, to defer their consideration until the following day.

Members of the Sub-Committee on Iran were as follows: For the American delegation, Mr. George V. Allen, Assistant Chief, Division of Near Eastern Affairs, Department of State, and Mr. John D. Jernegan, Third Secretary of Legation in Iran; for the British delegation, Mr. Adrian Holman, Counselor of the British Legation in Iran, and Mr. William Iliff, Financial Counselor of the Legation; for the Soviet delegation, Mr. S. I. Kavtaradze, Soviet People’s Vice Commissar for Foreign Affairs, and Mr. Andrei Smirnov, former Soviet Ambassador to Iran. Mr. Philip E. Mosely of the Department of State attended the meeting of October 26 as interpreter for the American members.

The British members put forward, for later discussion, the following specific points on which they thought it desirable to reach agreement, at least in principle:

(1) That all three powers should do what they could to relieve the food situation in Iran.

(2) That all three powers should do what they could to relieve the Iranian road transport situation.

(3) That all three powers should coordinate as far as possible their policy with regard to local purchases in Iran.

(4) That during the war period all three governments should coordinate their programs of imports into Iran.

(5) That an understanding should be reached regarding matters of finance involved in the operation of the Trans-Iranian railroad. (In this connection, the British members presented a memorandum containing the principal points which they considered should be incorporated in a four-party Anglo-American-Soviet-Iranian agreement (enclosure No. 4),⁸⁵)

(6) That the three powers should conclude an agreement regarding payment of Iranian taxes.

(7) That there should be regular consultation in Tehran between the three chiefs of mission on all economic and financial questions.

82. Extract from an unnumbered despatch to the Secretary of State from George V. Allen (apparently at Tehran), November 4, 1943; the despatch is printed in full in vol. iv, p. 400.
83. See Conference Document No. 27, enclosures 1 and 2, pp. 732 and 733, respectively.
84. Printed as Conference Document No. 29, p. 735.
85. See enclosure to Conference Document No. 28, p. 734.