861.24591/11–3045: Telegram
The Ambassador in the Soviet Union (Harriman) to the Secretary of State
[Received 3:21 p.m.]
4015. Referring to my letter of November 2482 proposing withdrawal of all Allied troops from Iran, Molotov, on November 29, wrote me as follows:
[“]The statement made in that communication concerning the armed uprising in northern Iran does not, according to information at the disposal of the Soviet Government, correspond to reality. The events which have taken place in recent days in [northern]83 Iran not only do not constitute an armed uprising but also are not directed against the Shahanshah Government of Iran. Now that the declaration of the Popular Assembly of northern Iran has been published, it is evident that this is a matter of aspirations with respect to the assurance of the democratic rights of Azerbaidjanian population of northern Iran which is seeking national autonomy within the limits of the Iranian State and which has its own particular language, different from the Persian language. It is also apparent from the contents of the above-mentioned declaration of the Popular Assembly which took place in Tabriz November 20 to 21 that the Popular Assembly addressed the expression of its wishes to the Shah, the Majlis and the Government of Iran, basing itself in this on the Iranian Constitution. The undesirable incidents which have taken place in conjunction with these recent events at various points of northern Iran have been caused by reactionary elements which have opposed the extension of national rights to the populations of northern Iran, although there is nothing in these desires of the local population which is unusual for a democratic state.
As far as the Soviet military command is concerned it has not hindered, and is not hindering, the movements of the Iranian military forces and the gendarme police units which are in the districts of northern Iran. According to information at the disposal of the Soviet Government there are in these districts of Iran one infantry regiment, two infantry brigades, two regiments of gendarme police units, the presence of which can assure order and calm in these parts. The Soviet Government opposed the despatch of new Iranian troops to northern districts of Iran and informed the Iranian Government that the despatch of further Iranian forces to northern Iran could cause not the cessation but the increase of the disorders, and likewise bloodshed, which would compel the Soviet Government to introduce into Iran further forces of its own for the purpose of preserving order and of assuring the security of Soviet garrison. Inasmuch as the Soviet Government considers the further introduction of Soviet forces into Iran undesirable, it took the position that the introduction of [Page 469] new Iranian forces into the northern province of Iran at the present time would serve no useful purpose.
As to the reference in the communication of the Government of the United States to the Three-Power Declaration concerning Iran December 1, 1943, the Soviet Government as far as it is concerned must state that it adheres unwaveringly to the principles of that declaration. The Declaration in question, however, does not affect questions of the number of Soviet armed forces on Iranian territory just as it does not affect the question of the period of the stationing of Soviet troops in Iran.84 This latter is determined by another document, namely the Anglo-Soviet-Iranian Tripartite Treaty of 1942, and in connection with the stationing of its troops in Iran notwithstanding the fact that the right of introduction of Soviet troops into the territory of Iran was envisaged by the Soviet Iranian treaty of February 26, 1941 [1921]. Furthermore, as the Government of the United States is aware, the question of the time for the removal of Soviet and British troops from Iran was subject of consideration at the Council of Foreign Ministers in London as little as 2 months ago and was decided by exchange of letters between the Soviet and British representatives which was brought to the attention of the above-mentioned Council of Ministers and which did not find objection in any quarters. In connection with the above it should also be noted that the British Government, in its note on the Iranian question, received by the Soviet Government on November 25, does not raise the question of the removal of Soviet troops from Iran.
On the strength of the consideration set forth above with relations to Soviet troops, the Government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics does not see grounds for renewed consideration of the question of the time limit for the removal of these forces from Iran.”
To Dept 4015; repeated to London 610; Tehran 165.
- See footnote 56, p. 448.↩
- Insertion based on copy of this telegram in Moscow Embassy files.↩
- In telegrams 531 and 538, dated March 23, 1946, the Department requested the Embassy in the Soviet Union to send the most literal and careful translation for purposes of verification of the Soviet note of November 29, 1945 (861.24591/3–2346). The Chargé in the Soviet Union, George F. Kennan, sent “a most literal rendition” of the Soviet note in telegram 926, March 24, 1946, 4 p.m. The only significant change concerned this sentence, which was corrected to read: “The declaration in question, however, does not touch upon questions of the movement of Iranian armed forces on Iranian territory just as it does not touch upon the question of the period of the presence of Soviet troops in Iran.” (861.24591/3–2446) The unquoted parts of the revised translation contained only minor language alterations which did not affect the sense of the original translation.↩