891.24/192
Memorandum of Telephone Conversation, by the Chief of the Division of Near Eastern Affairs (Alling)14
The Iranian Minister telephoned to me the first thing this morning to say that he had received a telegram from the Iranian Prime Minister which read approximately as follows:
“The Japanese Legation has now left Tehran, and it would be most helpful and useful to me if I could announce to the Majliss and to the public that my country has been made eligible for Lend-Lease assistance. Anything you can do to expedite a decision would be greatly appreciated.”
The Minister went on to say that he was reading the text of the telegram to show what great importance the Prime Minister attached to making a public announcement regarding Lend-Lease. I told the Minister that the whole matter had been placed before the Under Secretary and I thought a decision would be made in the very near future, possibly today. The Minister said that he was leaving for Chicago tomorrow, and he would be most appreciative if we could give him some word before his departure. He said that he would telephone direct to Mr. Welles if I thought that was the proper step for him to take. I told him I did not think that would be necessary since, as I had indicated, a decision would doubtless be forthcoming in the very near future.
- Addressed to the Under Secretary of State (Welles), the Assistant Secretary of State (Acheson), and the Adviser on Political Relations (Murray).↩