Office of the Historian

888.2553/10–1252: Telegram

No. 224
The Secretary of State to the Embassy in the United Kingdom1

top secret
priority
Washington, October 12, 1952—6:51 p.m.

2592. London eyes only for Gifford. Following is substance of telegram dated October 11 from Mr. Eden to Sir Oliver Franks:

“I am glad to see that Mr. Acheson also holds strong views on Musaddiq’s latest message. As he surmises, we hope to reply within the seven-day period and our reply must be a firm negative. It must also be fairly detailed, since we have repeatedly been warned by Mr. Middleton that our case is in danger of going by default.

[Page 491]

I also agree with Mr. Acheson that we have probably exhausted the possibilities of a settlement by inter-governmental negotiation. There is at least a possibility that we may break the deadlock (without breaking the common front) by means of an indirect approach. We are in contact with a suitable person who should shortly be in a position to influence Musaddiq and who is willing to do his best. Any ideas he might wish to put forward would of course be his own and he would not be in the position of an intermediary. We understand that he has ideas of his own and we are ready to give him any information he requires.

We will examine Mr. Acheson’s new idea with all possible speed and consult the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company who are of course vitally affected. We cannot promise to give our views before we have to deliver our reply to Musaddiq, but we are not optimistic about it at first sight.

I doubt whether anything we could say short of capitulation would deter Musaddiq from breaking off relations if his mind is made up. In any case I would rather run the risk of a break than commit myself in advance to a proposal which will almost certainly be found unacceptable and which Musaddiq himself would be likely to reject. Mr. Acheson and his department have repeatedly recognised the fairness of the joint proposals and have declared they do not wish to urge us to accept or offer anything going beyond them.”

Acheson
  1. Repeated to Tehran eyes only for Henderson. Drafted and signed by Nitze.↩