501.BC/5–2846: Telegram
The United States Representative at the United Nations (Stettinius) to the Secretary of State
urgent
247. Security Council. Sir Alexander Cadogan revealed in a conversation Tuesday afternoon, May 28, that the Foreign Office agreed [Page 490] that a Council meeting should be deferred for a few days in the expectation of a report from the Iranian Government. If this report states that Soviet troops have been evacuated, but does not state that they withdraw charges of Soviet interference, then the Council should remain seized only of the latter charge. If Iran desires to withdraw both complaints, the Foreign Office feels that the complaint on interference should be retained on the agenda until the Council was fully convinced there was no interference.
Cadogan explained that this would be done by changing his draft resolution—dropping the second paragraph and adding to the end of the fourth paragraph a sentence to the effect that the Council should remain seized of the Iranian matter until it was satisfied that there was no longer any interference by the U.S.S.R. in the internal affairs of Iran.
Mr. Stettinius explained to Cadogan that he probably could not support Cadogan’s original draft resolution since the U.S. felt it would be unwise for the Council to state formally that it was dissatisfied with its own decision, thus putting the Council in an undignified position. Cadogan said he would inform the Foreign Office of this immediately and, in addition, of the fact that the U.S. favored a simple resolution merely referring to the Iranian report and stating that the Council therefore dropped the matter.
It was agreed that if no report were received from Iran by June 4, there should be another discussion of the question of whether a Council meeting should be called to consider what should be done.
[Here follows an account of further discussions by members of the American delegation with members of the Australian, Mexican, and French delegations on the Iranian situation and on other matters.]