891.51A/176: Telegram
The Acting Secretary of State to the Minister in Persia (Kornfeld)
[Paraphrase]
Washington, July 30,
1924—7 p.m.
48. Your 67, July 28, 10 a.m.; 68, July 28, 5 p.m.
- 1.
- It is regarded by the Department as unfortunate that circumstances have disposed Millspaugh to demand termination of contracts of Financial Advisers. Department has no complete knowledge of the views of the Persian Ministry and of the course it has taken, or of the attitude and wishes of the Administrator General, but Department views with regret the present crisis. It will be clear to you that for the United States and for the Legation it is of paramount importance that adjustment regarding murder of Vice Consul Imbrie14 should be reached without delay. It is not the wish of the Department that the raising of any other question should become an obstacle to that adjustment.
- 2.
- It is clearly understood here that members of Financial Mission are in the service of Persian Government, and that if stipulations of their contracts are respected there is no proper ground for diplomatic interference. But if the Persian Government has not given pledges for the future as was asked by the American Mission, or if it [Page 533] is about to adopt a course which may cause resignation of American officials, the Department believes that, should you approve and after you have consulted the Administrator General, you may with propriety, in fairness and candor to the Persian Government, make informal representations that if Americans should relinquish posts in consequence of evident intentions of Persian Government, the effect upon sentiment in the United States would be unfortunate, and coming so soon after the murder of Imbrie it might unhappily be regarded in America as evidence of Persia’s intentions toward the United States and its citizens.
Cable report.
Grew
- Robert Imbrie, American vice consul at Teheran, murdered July 18, 1924. See Foreign Relations, 1924, vol. ii, p. 539; also H. Rept. 985, 69th Cong., 1st sess.↩