Office of the Historian

891.20 Mission/9–2149: Telegram

The Acting Secretary of State to the Embassy in Iran

confidential
Washington, November 10, 1949—7 p. m.

1002. Embtel 1186 Sept 21.1 Emb shld send note FonOff indicating willingness US Gov extend ArMish contract additional year without change except for certain revisions made necessary by estab US Dept Defense which exercises in part auth formerly vested in War Dept, and by creation Dept Air Force. Emb shld point put US Gov does not desire introduce changes in contract but must request revisions to com ply with legal provisions, governing structure US Gov.

Revisions required are:

Preamble; insert “and US Air Force” after “Army”.

Art 5; Delete “Initially”. Insert “and United States Air Force” fol “Army”. Similar insertions shld be made in Art 10 (twice), and in Art 19 “Army” shld be deleted and “Air Force” inserted in its place in identifying Mission aircraft. Phrase “War Dept” shld be deleted and phrase “Dept of Defense” inserted in its place in Article 5 (twice) and in Art 19.

For ur info only we do not wish tie extension mission contract in any official manner with existence or operation MAP. This not intended preclude augmentation mission for purpose instr Irans re use equipment recd, but we desire avoid possible inference on part Irans [Page 569] that end MAP (even after two or three years, assuming extension program) wld be useful or convenient time eliminate mission.

Depcirins June 25, 1947 and supplementary instr Jan 10, 19492 entitled “Treaties and Agreements”, Dept requires original Iran FonOff notes and certified copies US Emb notes.

Webb
  1. Not printed; it conveyed the text of a note just received from the Iranian Foreign Office requesting the extension of the agreement for the employment of the American Military Mission with the Iranian Army for a further one year period to March 20, 1951 (891.20 Mission/9–2149).↩
  2. Neither printed.↩