891.001 Pahlavi [, Reza Shah]/12–649
Memorandum of Conversation, by Mr. C. Vaughan Ferguson, Jr., of the Office of Greek, Turkish, and Iranian Affairs
| Participants: | Mr. Ala—Iranian Ambassador |
| G—Mr. Rusk1 | |
| GTI—Mr. Ferguson |
The Iranian Ambassador called this afternoon at his request to appeal for some substantial commitment by the United States on the occasion of the Shah’s departure which would enable him to show the Iranian people some concrete result of his visit.
Mr. Ala mentioned a number of Iranian desiderata including a promise of increased military assistance, an Export-Import Bank loan, an extension of the Truman Doctrine to include Iran, a U.S. guarantee of a Mediterranean regional defense grouping including Iran, and U.S. assistance in development of the Iranian province of Khuzistan.
While Mr. Ala obviously called merely to restate previous requests and expected no detailed replies to the various subjects he touched on, Mr. Rusk said he knew he could speak informally and frankly to the Ambassador and wished to suggest without in any sense offering it as a definite principle, that the idea that the Shah must have something tangible to take back with him might set an undesirable precedent for future state visits. Mr. Ala said he understood.
Mr. Rusk asked the Ambassador if the inclusion of Iran in a defensive alliance of the sort he suggested would not be considered provocative by the Soviets. Mr. Ala said he thought not. Mr. Rusk [Page 589] also pointed out later in the conversation that a regional defense pact in an area remote from the United States which relied on American guarantees might do the countries concerned more harm than good.
The Ambassador also mentioned his Government’s concern over the granting of a $21,000,000 loan to Afghanistan for development projects in the Helmand River in which Iran, he stated, has definite rights under existing treaties and international law. He said he had received instructions from Tehran to draw this matter to the Department’s attention.
Mr. Ala left with Mr. Rusk copies of the Aides-Mémoires on both Iran’s requests for aid and the Helmand River question which he had previously handed officers of NEA.2