891.00/12–346: Telegram
The Ambassador in Iran (Allen) to the Secretary of State
[Received December 3—1:11 p.m.]
1549. During talk with Qavam today he said election preliminaries would begin on December 7 as scheduled in Azerbaijan. He expects preliminaries to take some time, and while procedure may be completed in some areas sooner than others, he does not expect actual balloting to begin anywhere for at least 40 days, and elections will not be completed for perhaps 3 months. His manner in referring to elections shows he was not greatly concerned about them and I suspect his principal interest is in going through sufficient motion to keep down Soviet pressure on the subject.
Question of ratification by Majlis of Soviet oil concession came into conversation briefly. I said I had no instructions on this subject, although I believed that my Govt would not wish to oppose in principle the granting of a concession to USSR. Qavam said drafting of detailed Soviet oil proposal was “something for the future” and that he would like to discuss details with me when time came for drafting.
I said only American interest in question of which I was aware was our general interest in preservation of Iranian sovereignty. I hoped final agreement would adequately protect Iranian economic as well as political interests and would contain provision regarding sale of oil at world market price in free foreign exchange.