124.91/104
Memorandum by the Secretary of State to President Roosevelt
In his report to you of May 13, 1943, General Hurley1 recommended that our Legation at Tehran be raised to the status of an Embassy. He also recommended that we assure Iran that the principles of the Atlantic Charter2 apply to that country, and that Iran be permitted to join the United Nations in a declaration of war against the Axis.
Since that time Iran, of her own volition, has declared war against Germany and Japan, and adhered to the United Nations Declaration.3 The recent Three-Power Declaration at Tehran4 definitely assures Iran’s future in accordance with Atlantic Charter principles.
The elevation of our Legation at Tehran to an Embassy, at this time, would constitute recognition of these facts, and of the difficulties and suffering which Iran has experienced in making available her transport system, by means of which huge quantities of military supplies have been and are being moved to Russia.
A certain precedent for the action suggested lies in the fact that about a year ago, the Shah5 appointed a distinguished elder statesman to Washington and asked that he be received with the rank of Ambassador. This request was referred to you and received your approval. Unfortunately Mr. Foroughi, the statesman in question, died before he could leave Iran.
[Page 304]A further precedent exists in the fact that General Hurley recently received a temporary appointment to Tehran with the rank of Ambassador.6
As you know, Soviet Russia already has an Embassy in Iran. If it is decided to raise our Legation to the status of an Embassy it would seem desirable to inform the British of our plan in order that they may consider taking similar action at approximately the same time.
I should be glad to know whether, in view of the considerations above-mentioned, you concur in the suggestion of raising our Legation at Tehran to the rank of Embassy.7
- Brig. Gen. Patrick J. Hurley, Personal Representative of President Roosevelt in the Near East. In March 1943, General Hurley had been designated to undertake a mission to the Near East in this capacity to report on general conditions in that area. For his report of May 13. 1943, see Foreign Relations, 1943, vol. iv, p. 363.↩
- Joint statement by President Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Churchill, August 14, 1941, ibid., 1941, vol. i, p. 367.↩
- Declaration signed January 1, 1942, ibid., 1942, vol. i, p. 25; for correspondence regarding the entry of Iran into the war and adherence to the United Nations Declaration, see ibid., 1943, vol. iv, pp. 428 ff.↩
- Declaration Regarding Iran, signed December 1, 1943, by President Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Churchill, and Soviet Premier Stalin, Foreign Relations, The Conferences at Cairo and Tehran, 1943, p. 646.↩
- Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi.↩
- This occurred in October 1943; see Foreign Relations, 1943, vol. iv, pp. 392 ff., passim.↩
- Notation on the original reads: “CH OK FDR.”↩