The British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs ( Bevin ) to the People’s Commissar for Foreign Affairs of the Soviet Union ( Molotov )10

Since it was decided at Potsdam that the question of further stages in the withdrawal of Allied troops from Persia should be placed on the agenda of the Council of Foreign Ministers the situation has been changed by the ending of the Japanese war. Our two Governments will now be completing the withdrawal of their forces from Persia by 2nd March, 1946, six months after the signing of the Japanese Instrument of Surrender and, as far as the end of our withdrawal is concerned, all that we need do is to ask the Council to take note of the 2nd March, 1946, as the date fixed.

It seems to me, however, that since our respective forces in Persia have completed the war-time tasks for which they were sent to Persia, our Governments might well see if they could not do something to satisfy the Persian Government’s natural desire to see as much of its territory as possible freed as soon as possible from the presence of foreign forces.

I therefore propose to suggest, when the question comes up at the Council of Foreign Ministers, that our two Governments shall agree [Page 414] that by the middle of December, 1945, their respective forces shall be withdrawn from the whole of Persia except that British forces may remain until the 2nd March, 1946, in the southern oil area to the south of, and including, Andimishk, and that Soviet forces may remain until the 2nd March, 1946, in Azarbaijan. I should propose excepting from this arrangement the minimum administrative staffs necessary for disposing of military installations; these staffs could remain where there are such installations until they had arranged for their disposal; they would, of course, be withdrawn like our other forces by the 2nd March, 1946. I have thought it well to let you know in advance of my intention to put forward this proposal, when the matter comes up at the Council of Foreign Ministers.

  1. Reprinted from Parliamentary Debates, House of Commons, 5th series, vol. 414, col. 246.