Foreign Relations of the United States, 1952–1954, Iran, 1951–1954, Volume X

888.2553/12–3052: Telegram

No. 257
The Secretary of State to the Embassy in the United Kingdom¹

top secret
priority
niact

Washington, December 30, 1952—11:00 a.m.

4291. Due clerical inadvertence two paras omitted from Deptel 4273 rptd info Tehran 1567. Add final word “appropriate” to para 7 of msg. This para will then begin with words “He wld agree” and end with words “US Govt might consider appropriate”.

Fol two paras shld be inserted immed fol foregoing:

“Henderson said he did not know whether this offer wld be considered satis basis for US action but wld transmit it to Wash. Mosadeq reiterated his belief Brit Govt wld reject it. Instead of prompt acceptance there wld be protracted negots and premature publicity which wld make his position difficult. Said time was of essence; he cld not hold offer open indefinitely.

Despite Mosadeq’s continued suspicious attitude, we consider this offer encouraging. It gets over principal difficulty which has been blocking agreement on arbitration, namely, question of taking future profits into consideration. It also seems to show that Mosadeq has dropped his insistence on advance payment of 49 million pounds claimed to be due Iran.”

Msg continues “(info we have from private sources).”²

Acheson

1. Repeated to Tehran. Drafted by Stutesman and approved for transmission by Richards.
2. On Dec. 30 Ambassador Gifford reported that he had a subordinate deliver the message contained in telegram 4273 to the Foreign Office with the request that it be brought to Eden’s attention at the earliest possible moment. Gifford did not indicate if those portions of the text provided in telegram 4291 were included in the note sent to the Foreign Office. He did inform the Department, however, that several changes had been made in the Department’s text in the interests of clarity, tone, and precision. (Telegram 3583; 888.2553/12–3052)