891.001 Pahlavi, Reza Mohammad/9–444
President Roosevelt to the Shahanshah of Iran (Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi)93
My Dear Shah Mohammad Reza: Of course, I do not pretend to know Iran well on account of the shortness of my visit, but may I write you about one of the impressions which I received on my air trip to Teheran?
It relates to the lack of trees on the mountain slopes and the general aridity of the country which lies above the plains.
All my life I have been very much interested in reforestation and the increase of the water supply which goes with it.
May I express a hope that your Government will set aside a small amount for a few years to test out the possibility of growing trees or even shrubs on a few selected areas to test out the possibility of trees which would hold the soil with their roots and, at the same time, hold back floods? We are doing something along this line in our western dry areas and, though it is a new experiment, it seems to be going well.
[Page 350]It is my thought that if your Government would try similar small experiments along this line it would be worthwhile for the future of Iran.
I do not need to tell you how much interested I am in that future, and the future of the people of Iran.
With my warm regards,
Cordially yours,
- Iranian Communist Party.↩