501.BC/5–2146: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the United States Representative at the United Nations (Stettinius)
urgent
67. For Stettinius. We suggest that at tomorrow’s meeting of the Security Council you make a statement along the following lines with respect to the Iranian matter:
In view of the record of Soviet-Iranian difficulties and differences and in view of the conflicting reports relating to the current situation in northern Iran, particularly in Azerbaijan, my Government would consider it most unfortunate for the Security Council at this time to | drop the Iranian matter from its agenda. It will be recalled that in the Council’s resolution of April 4 the Council called upon the Soviet Government and the Iranian Government to report by May 6 whether the withdrawal of all Soviet troops from the whole of Iran had been completed. The Soviet Government has made no report and no statement on this subject. Until today the Iranian Government was unable [Page 472] to report factually as to Azerbaijan. It has today made a report which on its face is incomplete and deals with only a portion of the province of Azerbaijan. Moreover we must bear in mind that the presence of Soviet troops on Iranian territory has been only one of the subjects which has been a matter of dispute between the Soviet and the Iranian Governments. For these reasons my Government earnestly recommends that the Security Council should not at this time drop the Iranian matter from its agenda.
I wish to add that my Government, which, as is well known, has followed developments in the Iranian matter with the greatest concern, has recently been giving careful consideration to requesting upon its own initiative an investigation by the Council of the situation in northern Iran in order to assist the Council to determine whether the continuation of the situation in northern Iran was likely to endanger the maintenance of international peace and security. I do not at this time propose that the Council take further action with respect to the Iranian matter but I do wish to emphasize the feeling of my Government that it is most desirable that the Council continue to remain seized of the Iranian matter and indicate thereby its continuing concern in the developments with respect to northern Iran.