861.24/1742
The Chargé in Iran ( Ford ) to the Secretary of State
[Received February 28.]
Sir: I have the honor to report that on February 10, 1944, at the invitation of Major General Connolly, commander of the Persian Gulf Command, the Shah32 and Prime Minister33 of Iran made a trip by American Army airplane from Tehran to Abadan and return. In addition to the Shah, the Prime Minister and General Connolly, the party included Minister of Roads Entezam, General Yazdan Panah, General Razmara, the Chief of Ceremonies of the Imperial Court, and Colonel John B. Stetson, fiscal officer for the Persian Gulf Command.
The trip south was made in a C–87 (Liberator) which has been waiting at Tehran at the disposition of Ambassador Harriman. No stops were made, but the plane flew over Isfahan and Basra en route. Lunch was served at the American Army mess at Abadan, after which the Shah inspected the assembly plant for airplanes being delivered to the Soviet Union. Because of a defect in one of the motors of the C–87, the return trip was made in a transport plane of the Douglas DC–3 type, and the Shah was given an opportunity to handle the controls while the ship was in the air. The line of flight was arranged to enable the members of the group to see from the air several of the camps and installations of the P.G.C.34
I understand that the excursion went off very well.
This gesture by General Connolly toward the Iranian Government was, apparently, the first move on his part in a general change of policy toward the devotion of more attention to Iran and Iranian problems. When I saw him several days ago, following his return from an extended visit to the Soviet Union, the General said that his trip had convinced him of the success of the P.G.C. in its primary objective, the movement of supplies to the U.S.S.R. Consequently, he felt that the command could now afford to concern itself more with [Page 317] Iran, which he realized was an important country, and to extend assistance in various ways to the Iranians.
As additional indications of interest in the Iranian scene, it may be mentioned that the General is also making plans for the Shah to visit Camp Amirabad, P.G.C. headquarters at Tehran, and review the troops stationed there in the near future. When Nelson Eddy35 came to Tehran recently on a tour of American camps, General Connolly arranged for a special concert at Amirabad, which was attended by the Princesses Ashraf and Shams, the Prime Minister, several cabinet ministers, and a number of high Iranian Army officers, in addition to the British Minister,36 Soviet Ambassador,37 and Soviet and British army officers.
The General has also suggested to me, and to some of the others concerned, that he would like to arrange periodic meetings of the American advisers in Iran, Legation representatives, and P.G.C. officers, to discuss their respective problems in an informal, round-table fashion. His idea was to combine these discussions with a luncheon or dinner. I have told General Connolly that I heartily approve and feel that such meetings would serve a very useful purpose.
Respectfully yours,