891.00/1925: Telegram
The Minister in Iran (Dreyfus) to the Secretary of State
[Received October 23—11:55 a.m.]
334. Section 1. Refer my 333, October 20. There is quoted in section 3 below text of a draft prepared by British Legation of a proposed joint Anglo-American declaration.
Iran Government has prepared and telegraphed to its Legation in London a counterdraft which differs from British draft in following main respects:
- (1)
- The joint declaration is changed to an agreement between Iranian, British and American Governments.
- (2)
- Iran Government has struck out paragraph (b) of the engagement which British draft would have imposed on them and agrees only to put into [effect food] and road transport measures recommended by Sheridan.
- (3)
- Iranians have introduced new clause which British had stricken from an earlier draft as objectionable. Clause states British and American Governments are at once importing into Tehran 25,000 tons wheat to be stored in silos as reserve to be supervised by Ministry of Food and Sheridan and disposed of only case necessity and then only on consent of majority of following: Minister of Food, Sheridan, American and British Legations.
Section 2. Iranian draft should be changed to place responsibility for measures regarding road transport on Anglo-Iranian-American Transport Committee which is supreme in such matters.
British state that Iranian allocation on railway is only 200 tons a day so that it would take 125 days to move 25,000 tons of wheat to Tehran from the port to the exclusion of other goods. This argument is hollow for if Iran’s pressing need for essential goods is established it is the duty of the Allies to lend their assistance. In view of length of time involved in shipping wheat and transporting it to Tehran and considering great possibility of a wheat deficiency I am of the [Page 162] opinion that we should approve the Iranian Government’s demand for a reserve of 25,000 tons.
Section 3. Draft declaration dated October 19, 1942:
“The Governments of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and United States of America bearing in mind that the responsibility for feeding the people of Iran rests primarily upon the Imperial Iranian Government, and having in mind the economic distress that war conditions may bring to the people of Iran, and the desirability of ensuing [ensuring] the supply of bread for the people of Iran until the 1943 harvest, thereby declare as follows:
In consideration of the undertaking given by the Imperial Iranian Government to carry out,
- (a)
- All the measures recommended by the American adviser to the Ministry of Food, such as measures to prevent hoarding and the introduction of rationing of foodstuffs, and
- (b)
- All such recommendations of the Road Transport Committee as are certified to be essential for the regulation of the means of road transport in Iran by the majority vote of the following three members of the Committee, namely, the Iranian Chairman and the British and American members of the Committee respectively designated for the purpose by the British and American Ministers in Tehran.
Then, if the Iranian Minister of Food, with the concurrence of his American adviser, and the American and British Legations in Tehran, by a majority vote, are satisfied that all practicable steps have been taken by Iranian Government in accordance with their undertaking referred to above, and that nevertheless the supply of cereals (wheat and barley) which has been or can be collected in and transported to the various centers of consumption, or any one of them, is likely to prove insufficient to feed the population of such center or centers, the following procedure shall be observed:
- (a)
- In the case of a deficiency in the total supply of cereals (wheat and barley) the Governments of the United States of America and United Kingdom undertake to arrange for the importation into Iran and delivery to the various centers of consumption of the quantity of cereals (wheat and barley) necessary to make good the deficiency until the following harvest, at such times as may be necessary to obviate the possibility of famine.
- (b)
- In the case of a temporary deficiency in the supply of cereals (wheat and barley) at any particular center (whether there should simultaneously be a general deficiency) the Governments of the United States of America and the United Kingdom undertake to provide and deliver to the particular center of consumption the amount of the temporary deficiency at such times as may be necessary to obviate the possibility of famine.”