891.105A/5–2048: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Embassy in Iran
459. Urtel 537, May 18.1 State and Army approve (1) your arranging with Iranian FonMin that Kupal be withdrawn June 1; (2) after [Page 146] command function is actually restored to Schwarzkopf, your addressing note to FonMin proposing deletion of executive function from Gendarmerie Agreement (Deptel 444, May 17); and (3) departure of Schwarzkopf about June 20.
When Iran Govt has made prompt satisfactory reply to Emb note, (2) above, Dept will request Amb Ala to obtain agreement Col. Pierce2 (urtel 541, May 193). Immediately upon receipt agreement, Pierce will depart for Tehran directly. It is hoped that arrangements might be so expedited and coordinated as to permit Pierce’s arrival several days before Schwarzkopf’s departure.
While we agree that qualified personnel of Gendarmerie Mission could be used advantageously elsewhere and that we might consider withdrawing them if Iran Govt continues to prevent their effective functioning, Dept feels we should avoid any appearance of stimulating desire on part of Iran Govt that Mission leave Iran. Mere presence of US Gendarmerie Mission, however ineffective, (1) fulfills policy objective of preventing possibility of Iranians employing Soviet advisers, and (2) tends to restrain Iranians from consummating merger Army with Gendarmerie.
With regard to Grow Mission, would appreciate elaboration of reasons behind your stated intention possibly to recommend strengthening Army Agreement.4 While we agree that Article 24 should not be eliminated, we have offered to Iran Emb Wash (Deptel 344, Apr. 20) substitute wording suggested in Deptel 310, Apr. 9, which offer we believe should not now be retracted unless there are overriding reasons.
Arms credit program and future of Grow Mission are, in our minds as apparently in yours, closely related. At the same time we think we should avoid specific inference that US implementation of arms credit agreement is conditioned upon Iranian action relating to the Grow Mission Agreement. What changes in Agreement would you consider desirable?5
- Not printed.↩
- Col. James R. Pierce, who was to succeed General Schwarzkopf as Chief of the American Military Mission with the Iranian Gendarmerie.↩
- Not printed.↩
- In summarizing his conversation with the Iranian Foreign Minister on May 17, Ambassador Wiley said in part: “On subject of Article 24 of military mission contract I informed Foreign Minister that, if anything, I intended to strengthen it. Under no circumstances would I eliminate it. I went on to say that indeed in light of arms credit program I desired to review whole matter of future status of military mission.” (telegram 537, May 18, noon, from Tehran, 891.105A/5–1848)↩
- Ambassador Wiley, on May 26, replied that “I feel, and General Grow concurs, that there should be no change in the present contract, especially in article 24 which provides the best and only safeguard to Iran.” (telegram 575 from Tehran, 891.20 Missions/5–2648)↩