Foreign Relations of the United States, 1946, The Near East and Africa, Volume VII

361.24591/3–2246: Telegram

The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in Iran (Murray)

secret

Washington, March 22, 1946—7 p.m.

233. Soviet Amb in letter of Mar. 20 [19] to UNO requested postponement of Security Council meeting until April 10 on grounds that presentation of Iranian case was unexpected, since negotiations between Russia and Iran are now being conducted, and hence the Soviet Govt is not prepared to discuss the question before Security Council.³⁵ Iranian Amb in note of Mar 21 [20] to UNO requested that action not be delayed, stating that the continued presence of Russian forces in Iran beyond Mar 2 is not a proper subject for negotiation under the Charter or Iranian Constitution.³⁶ He said that delays already encountered have intensified the critical situation in Iran and that further delays would cause harm to Iranian interests.

President Truman in statement to press Mar 21³⁷ stated that this Govt will not agree to postponement of Mar 25 meeting and further that it will insist on immediate consideration of Iranian case.

Soviet Amb told press Mar 22 that Russia has a firm and definite position in this matter. The meeting he said should be postponed in interests of Iran itself since hasty action would only complicate the question as far as Iran is concerned.

Sent to Tehran, repeated to Moscow and London.

Byrnes

35. In telegram 915, March 22, 6 p.m., the Chargé in the Soviet Union stated:

    “I wish to invite Dept’s attention to fact that Iran’s appeal to Security Council, although several days old, has not as yet been referred to directly or indirectly in Soviet press. Neither, of course, has press referred to Soviet request for delay in SC session. Today’s press reported that Soviet Ambassador has arrived in Iran but this brief message contains no hint concerning any further negotiations between the two Governments.

    “On the whole the Soviet public continues to be largely unaware of existence of an international crisis resulting from Soviet action in Iran.” (861.24591/3–2246)

36. The Iranian letter of March 20 also stated that the negotiations between the Soviet Union and Iran called for at the London meeting of the United Nations “have failed”; for text of the letter, see SC 1st yr., 1st ser., supp. No. 2, p. 45.
37. For the text of President Truman’s press conference of March 21, 1946, see Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Harry 8. Truman, 1946 (Washington, Government Printing Office, 1962) pp. 163, 164.