501.BC/4–1546: Telegram
The United States Representative at the United Nations (Stettinius) to the Secretary of State
[Received 6:19 p.m.]
73. Letter from the Iranian Ambassador to the President of the Security Council, dated 15 April, 1946:
Iranian Embassy New York, 15th April, 1946.
Sir: On April 9, 1946, I had the honour to state, in accordance with the instructions of my Government, its position regarding the request of the Soviet representative on the Security Council that the Council remove from its agenda the matters relating to the continued presence of Soviet troops in Iran and the interferences in the internal affairs of Iran. In my letter, I informed the Council of the desire of my Government that these matters remain on its agenda as provided by the resolution adopted on 4 April, 1946.
Yesterday, April 14, my Government instructed me to make to the Security Council the following statement:
“As a result of the signature of the agreement between the Iranian Government and the Government of the Soviet Union, it has been agreed that the Red Army evacuate all Persian territory by the 6th May, 1946. The Iranian Government has no doubt that this agreement will be carried out, but at the same time has not the right to fix the course the Security Council should take.”
This morning I received a further telegram from my Government reading as follows:
“In view of the fact that the Soviet Ambassador has again today, 14 April, categorically reiterated that the unconditional evacuation of Iranian territory by the Red Army will be completed by the 6 May, 1946, it is necessary that you immediately [Page 424] inform the Security Council that the Iranian Government has complete confidence in the word and pledge of the Soviet Government and for this reason withdraws its complaint from the Security Council.”85
- In a telephone conversation at 9:15 a.m. and in person at approximately 10 a.m. on April 15, Ambassador Ala informed Mr. Stettinius of his Government’s binding instruction to withdraw the Iranian complaint. The same morning, Mr. Stettinius informed Sir Alexander Cadogan that he had notified the Secretary of State of this development by telephone and that Mr. Byrnes felt “they should play for time.” Shortly after, Mr. Stettinius gave Dr. Quo his opinion that “they should just wait and let nature take its course and see what happened.” The memoranda by the United States Representative summarizing his conversations with the Iranian, British, and Chinese delegates are filed under 501.BC/4–1546.↩