861.24591/3–2346: Telegram
The Ambassador in Iran (Murray) to the Secretary of State
[Received 4:51 p.m.]
384. Mytel 383, March 22. While Qavam was telling me yesterday of his thoughts regarding possible arrangement with USSR on oil he interposed statement that if any such arrangement were made he would see that Americans were given same rights for exploitation of oil in Baluchistan.
When I mentioned in passing that British had also sought oil concession in Baluchistan he expressed surprise and said that British have already received all oil rights they will ever get in Iran and that southern oil still unallocated will go to Americans.
This bears out his long record of favoring American enterprise in Iran. Among other instances Dept will recall he was Prime Minister in 1923 when Sinclair concession was negotiated.40
- For documentation on the granting of an oil concession in Iran to the Sinclair Exploration Company, see Foreign Relations, 1923, vol. ii, pp. 711–736.↩