Office of the Historian

800.24/9–1145: Telegram

The Acting Secretary of State to the Ambassador in Iran (Murray)

Washington, September 11, 1945—8 p.m.

516. Re Depts. 483, Sept. 4; reEmbs 680, Sept. 1; 673, Aug. 31, 641, Aug. 22; and 618, Aug. 14.75 After announcement of Jap surrender Dept. was not willing to approve the conclusion of a lend-lease agreement even if changes proposed by Finance and Foreign Ministers had been acceptable. Same point of view also held by FEA.76

Both Dept. and FEA were willing to approve resumption of lend-lease deliveries of pipe-line items in view of fact that we originally favored halting such deliveries primarily to get a lend-lease agreement.

Every effort should now be made to get prompt payment of lend-lease obligation77 or a written statement of when such payment shall be made. (ReEmbs 641) Immediate payment is preferable in view [Page 575] of U.S. Govt’s, desire to come to early settlement of all lend-lease everywhere.

Acheson
  1. None printed.↩
  2. Foreign Economic Administration.↩
  3. In a memorandum of November 28, 1945, to Col. Frederick F. Greenman, General Counsel of the Office of the Foreign Liquidation Commissioner, Robert R. Williams, Special Assistant to the Foreign Liquidation Commissioner (McCabe), stated: “For some two years or more there has been outstanding an unpaid debt of the Iranian Government in the amount of approximately $6,000,000 for Lend-Lease goods purchased on a cash reimbursable basis. In addition, approximately $2,500,000 worth of rials are held by FEA as payment for cash Lend-Lease goods sold to Iran. These rials were to be converted into dollars by the Iranians, but have not so been converted. (891.24/11–2845)↩