861.24591/3–3046: Telegram
The Ambassador in Iran (Murray) to the Secretary of State
us urgent
[Received 8:10 p.m.]
426. For the Secretary. Last evening I delivered to Qavam message contained urtel 248, March 28. I urged upon him that our Govt and Security Council were trying to help him and that his best course was to be entirely open and honest and establish completely clean record for Iran.
Qavam agreed and assured me he would send instructions to Ala last night. However, he pointed out that it was vitally important [Page 399] to avoid breach with Soviets and he feared Soviet Ambassador here might break off conversations if Ala took initiative in informing SC of current Irano-Soviet negotiations. He thought it would be far better if this information were elicited from Ala by questions from Council members. I concurred. PriMin therefore said that his instructions to Ala would authorize him to divulge negotiations only in response to questions which might be put to him.
He was also reluctant to have revealed all details as to terms of proposed agreements. I said that so long as agreements remained in present stage of negotiation I thought it would be unnecessary for Ala to do more than state subjects under discussion and explain that exact terms had not yet been settled because talks were still continuing and no final understanding had been reached. However as soon as agreements should be signed I felt Ala might as well inform SC of full details especially since they would certainly become known sooner or later. Again Qavam agreed and said he would instruct Ambassador accordingly.
[Here follows final paragraph of telegram, which concerns the Prime Minister’s conversations with the British Chargé.]