218. Telegram From the Embassy in Iran to the Department of State1
4475. Subject: Increased Iraq-Soviet Ties.
1. Court Minister Alam, acting on instructions from Shah, presented Ambassador on 23 June with what alleged to be new information about Iraq. Items listed were following:
(A) Iraqi Government has asked Soviets to send experts to help reorganize Iraqi Ministry of Interior and to overhaul governmental administrative system.
[Page 629](B) Soviets are planning to hold soon in Baghdad trade union conference with Iraqi trade union officials looking to affiliation between trade union components of both countries.
(C) Soviets have 1,000 technicians and advisors in Iraq.
(D) Iraq Communist Party and Ba’ath Party are to set up coalition government wherein Communists will have Ministerial portfolios as well as Deputies in legislative body.
(E) By early fall of this year Soviets will have given Iraqis four TU–22 aircraft equipped with missiles which have range of up to 100 miles. (Alam comment: Such missiles could reach certain important targets in Iran without the aircraft approaching the national border.)
2. Action requested: Shah would like to know whether or not USG has above information. Therefore would appreciate appraisal from Intelligence Community. No coordinated study is necessary, simply an informed reaction.
3. Comment: Shah feels that such developments in Iraq, if they were to come to pass, would justify referring to it as a satellite country of Soviet Union. It somewhat difficult at this point to judge whether or not he simply worries about such an eventuality, really believes it, or is bolstering his case for increased armaments. It probably a bit of all three.
- Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy Files, [no film number]. Secret. Repeated to Beirut, Moscow, and Baghdad.↩