501.BC/4–846: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the United States Representative at the United Nations (Stettinius)
urgent
11. For Stettinius. You should not oppose the placing of Gromyko’s letter on agenda, or its being considered as the first item, if he so moves. If a motion to delete the Iranian question from the Council’s jurisdiction is made you should strongly oppose along the following lines:
There seems to be no occasion for the Council on the basis of the letter of the Soviet representative to rescind at this time the resolution that it adopted on April 4 deferring further proceedings on the Iranian case until May 6.
The United States is pleased to learn that the Soviet Government is satisfied (1) that an agreement has been reached between the Soviet and Iranian Governments on all questions and (2) that the Security Council will find no reason for further discussion of the Iranian question on May 6. The United States sincerely hopes that the difficulties between the two governments have been satisfactorily adjusted on the basis of freely negotiated agreements and that on May 6 upon being informed that the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Iran has been completed the Council will be able to drop the case from its agenda.
Twice however the difficulties between the Soviet Government and the Iranian Government have been brought to the Council’s attention by the Government of Iran. On the first occasion the Iranian Government complained of activities of the Soviet troops on Iranian territory which it contended were not authorized or permitted by the Tripartite Treaty of January 29, 1942 and interfered with the sovereignty of Iran. On the second occasion the Iranian Government complained of the continued presence of the Soviet troops in Iran [Page 412] without its approval beyond the date stipulated for their withdrawal in that Treaty.
In the view of the United States the complaints of the Iranian Government were properly brought to the Council’s attention under Article 34 of the Charter. It is the clear duty of the Council to consider the complaint of any sovereign state that foreign troops are being used in its territory to interfere with its sovereignty in a manner not authorized or permitted by treaty. It is the clear duty of the Council to consider the complaint of any sovereign state that foreign troops are continuing to remain on its territory without its consent beyond the date authorized by treaty. Such complaints present grave issues under Article 2, section 4 of the Charter, as to “the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the Charter.” When such complaints are presented to the Council, clearly it is not permissible for the Council to take the position that the continuation of the conditions complained about would not endanger international peace and security.
On the basis of the Soviet assurances that withdrawal of Soviet troops had commenced and that the withdrawal of all Soviet troops from the whole of Iran would be completed within 5 or 6 weeks, the Iranian representative stated that his Government would be willing to have further proceedings deferred until May 6, provided that the Iranian appeal remained on the agenda. The Iranian representative did not state that Soviet troops had remained in Iran after March 2 with the approval of the Iranian Government. The Soviet assurances as to the prompt withdrawal of their troops from Iran and the willingness of the Iranian government to accept those assurances made it possible for the Council to proceed on the basis that the conditions which the Iranian Government had complained about would not be allowed to continue. Those assurances, however, did not establish that the conditions complained of did not exist. The Council must satisfy itself that the Soviet troops in Iran which gave rise to the conditions complained of have been withdrawn.
If nothing occurs to interrupt the withdrawal of Soviet troops and their withdrawal is completed by May 6, there will be no need for the Council to go into the substantive issues involved, and on May 6 the Iranian appeal may be dropped from the agenda. But nothing has been submitted to the Council which would justify the Council in reopening the case to take affirmative action to drop the Iranian appeal from the agenda on the request of the Soviet Government before the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Iran has in fact been completed.78