891.248/117
The Minister in Iran (Dreyfus) to the Secretary of State
[Received March 29.]
Sir: I have the honor to refer to my telegram No. 276 of December 24, 4 p.m.,11 the Department’s telegram No. 125 of December 30, 9 a.m. [p.m.],12 and previous correspondence regarding the desire of the Iranian Government to purchase aviation material in the United States and to establish an airplane factory in Iran.
[Page 357]It was with the greatest reluctance on my part that I injected myself into this matter, knowing full well that it was being handled in Washington. I did so only because of the persistence of the Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs13 in stressing to me the paramount importance to the Iranian Government of securing the desired material which is needed in connection with the preparations for the national defense of this country against possible military aggression. Mr. Amery urged me to such an extent to take up the matter with the Department that I considered it best to do so if only to keep him from getting the idea that I might be unwilling to cooperate with him.
On each occasion that I have seen the Acting Minister, he has brought up this same question and, notwithstanding that he has been confined to his home by illness for the past ten days, only a day or so ago he telephoned the Legation from his sick bed to say that he would like to see Interpreter Saleh. When the latter called upon him at his home, Mr. Amery explained that he had gained the impression from the telegrams of the Iranian Minister in Washington that the Curtiss Wright Aviation Corporation was willing to go ahead with this matter, but that the Department was still holding out and that without its authorization it was impossible to obtain the desired material. Mr. Saleh, thereupon repeated to Mr. Amery as I had done previously, the present great need of the United States for aviation equipment for defense purposes and the necessity of making war material available to the British in these critical times. Notwithstanding all these explanations, today a further note has been received from the Foreign Office renewing the request. As soon as the Acting Foreign Minister recovers from his illness I will, call upon him and reiterate the existing difficulties which make it virtually impossible to obtain aviation material from the United States at this time.
From Mr. Amery’s insistence, it is evident that he is being forced to act by some higher authority, and this can only be the Shah14 himself who has in mind the great necessity for Iran to have sufficient planes for its defense in the event of war.
I realize full well that the Iranian Legation in Washington has had the question constantly before the Department and that therefore there is no excuse whatever for any participation on the part of this office. I do feel however, that it is of interest to the Department to know of the indefatigable efforts made by the Iranian Government at this end to bring to a successful conclusion the negotiations with American firms of war material.
Respectfully yours,
- Foreign Relations, 1940, vol. iii, p. 658.↩
- Ibid., p. 659.↩
- Djevad Amery.↩
- Reza Shah Pahlavi.↩