861.24591/5–546: Telegram
The Chargé in Iran (Ward) to the Secretary of State
[Received 6:45 p.m.]
640. Deptel 386, May 2.17 After consulting both British and Iranian authorities and other sources, Embassy feels it may safely be said that to date all of Northern Iran except possibly for Azerbaijan has been completely evacuated. British Military Attaché has just returned from trip along Caspian Littoral all the way from Astara to Bandar Shah and reports complete evacuation except for scattered units engaged in miscellaneous duties connected with physical details of evacuation. Reliable gendarme officer has returned from trip through all of Mazanderan and reports evacuation completed.
Information on number of Soviet troops left behind in civilian clothes is contradictory but in any case there do not appear to be many. This does not apply to Azerbaijan, accurate information on developments there not being available in Tehran. Gagarine who left for Tabriz by car May 3 should by now have arrived and he and Dooher should be able to provide reports on progress evacuation in Azerbaijan.
[Page 449]Our estimate is that evacuation of uniformed troops will be complete by specified date but that number of troops in civilian clothes will be left in Azerbaijan.18
Sent Dept 640; repeated Moscow on 85.
- Not printed.↩
- In telegram 147, May 6, 4 p.m., Mr. Dooher reported complete evacuation of uniformed Soviet troops and matériel from the Tabriz area except for a small detachment of semi-military railway personnel awaiting the arrival of a Central Government Commission in order to turn over railway materials. He was unable to verify personally the Soviet evacuation of the rest of Azerbaijan because of the refusal of the local government to grant travel permission. However, he cited reliable reports from various parts of the province indicating Soviet withdrawal except for frontier towns, which might easily be evacuated before the deadline (861.24591/5–646). In telegram 148, May 7, noon, Mr. Dooher stated: “Analyzing results of personal observation Tabriz and reliable reports from several large towns in province I am convinced that evacuation of Soviet uniformed troops and such material not turned over to Democrats was completed by last night deadline.” He noted that this opinion was held also by British and other foreign consular officials. He pointed out, however, that Soviet penetration by means of Caucasian immigrants was being pushed. (861.24591/5–746)↩