891.20 Mission/11–2844
Memorandum by the Secretary of State to the Secretary of War (Stimson)
The Secretary of State presents his compliments to the Honorable the Secretary of War and has the honor to refer to Mr. Stettinius’ letter of October 25, 1944, setting forth the urgent political reasons for the continuance of the American Military Mission to the Iranian Army.
At a meeting held at the State Department on December 18, 1944, between officials of the War and State Departments and attended by Major General Ridley, the political and other reasons for the continuance of the military mission beyond the date already set for its termination, March 1, 1945 were reviewed. General Ridley made it clear that the mission could not attain the objective desired by the Department of State in consonance with the United States policy toward that country, unless high priority could be given by the Joint [Page 443] Chiefs of Staff for the shipment to Iran of certain essential military supplies.
The Department desires to urge that high priority be given to the shipment of these military supplies for the Iranian Army. It is realized that the War Department is being pressed to supply arms not only for urgent war needs but also for the use of postwar armies. It is considered, however, that the Iranian case differs in several essential respects from that of many other countries. American policy in Iran is based specifically on the Declaration on Iran, signed at Tehran on December 1, 1943, by President Roosevelt, Prime Minister Churchill and Marshal Stalin. This Declaration recognized the sacrifices made by Iran in the interests of the war effort and pledged Allied assistance to Iran both during and after the war. A prominent implementation of this policy has been the American adviser program, under which this military mission has so successfully carried out its duties. Protection and advancement of our interests in Iran require that we give the military mission the tools with which to work. Furnishing the Iranian Army with essential supplies is in line with the Department’s basic policy toward Iran, which envisages strengthening the Iranian security forces to the point where they can maintain order after the withdrawal of Allied forces. The United States can contribute substantially to world security by assisting to create a strong Iran, free from internal weakness which invite foreign intervention or aggression. To carry out this policy requires strong and well-equipped security forces.
Iran is perhaps the most prominent area of the world where inter-Allied friction might arise. Such friction would grow out of the chaos and disorder in Iran which would result from a weak Iranian Army. It is in our interests to prevent this from happening.
For these reasons it is urgently recommended that the American military mission to the Iranian Army be continued for an indefinite period beyond March 1, 1945, and that a sufficiently high priority rating be given to General Ridley’s request for military supplies to enable him to continue his mission in Iran with reasonable assurance of success.