891.00/12–345: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in Iran ( Murray )
669. Moscow telegram 165 of Nov. 30 to Tehran.88 In your discretion please bring at once to the attention of the Iranian Govt the text of the Soviet reply to Ambassador Harriman’s note of Nov. 24. You should stress the fact that this note is not being made public in Washington until we receive Soviet authorization, which is being requested, and that it should not be made public in Iran until it has been published in the U.S. or the Soviet Union. You might add that the American Govt would welcome any comments which the Govt of Iran might care to make with regard to the various statements contained in the Soviet reply.
Any information which you may be able to give us with regard to the following points would be particularly helpful:
- 1.
- Has the Soviet military command hindered in any way the movement of the Iranian military forces and the gendarme police units which are in the districts of northern Iran? If so, an account of specific instances would be helpful.
- 2.
- In the opinion of the Govt of Iran, are the Iranian military forces and gendarme units already in northern Iran capable of insuring order and calm in that area?
- 3.
- Has the Govt of Iran issued orders to these forces and these units to take steps to insure order and calm? If so, have such steps been taken? If not, why not?
- 4.
- Was the meeting of the Popular Assembly in Tabriz on Nov. 20–21 in contravention of any Iranian law? If not, do the acts of that body have legal status? If not, did the Iranian governmental authorities take any steps to prevent the Assembly from taking place?
- 5.
- Are officials legally appointed by the Iranian Govt to posts in northern Iran being replaced by officials who do not have the legal sanction of the Iranian Govt? If so, with which set of officials are the Soviet commanders maintaining relations?
It is hoped that the members of the Embassy who have been sent to northern Iran will be able to obtain information which will assist us in evaluating any comments which the Iranian Govt may make. We would be appreciative of information from them regarding the extent to which the Iranian Governmental officials in northern Iran have been and are reporting developments to their superiors in Tehran, and if not, whether their failure to do so has been due to duress from any quarter or from the severance of means of communication.