501.BC/12–746
Memorandum of Conversation, by the Acting United States Representative at the United Nations (Johnson)
SD/S/795
| Participants: | Ambassador Hussein Ala of Iran |
| Mr. Gholam Abbas Aram, First Secretary of Iranian Embassy | |
| Mr. Herschel V. Johnson |
Ambassador Ala: I believe Mr. Johnson has seen my letter which was addressed to him and it has been circulated as I understand. That letter was purposely restrained in tone and I asked for no immediate action from the Security Council because the Iranian Prime Minister was anxious to give the Soviet Government an opportunity to refrain from interfering and for saving face and not creating difficulties for the Iranian Government. He is acting with great tact in Teheran, but unfortunately I must give Mr. Johnson some more inside information to show that if the letter is restrained and no action is asked, it doesn’t mean that we are not feeling very strongly about the situation, that we are extremely anxious. In fact, several cables have been received [Page 559] since I sent in that letter to the President to indicate that the Prime Minister is getting almost desperate in this present situation because the Ambassador—the Soviet Ambassador—has called on him again, and now in this second interview has intimated that not only is he giving friendly advice not to send those forces into Azerbaijan but he says also that the Soviet Government cannot disregard—cannot remain indifferent to the situation which will be created once these forces get into Azerbaijan.
[Here follows a further account by Ambassador Ala of the conversation between the Iranian Prime Minister and the Soviet Ambassador in Iran, along the lines of Mr. Henderson’s memorandum printed supra.]
Mr. Johnson: Thank you very much, Ambassador.
Ambassador Ala: It is a very great emergency in our country and I may come at any moment to write another letter to ask that action is taken.
Mr. Johnson: Until that is done, I am going to simply take note of the information which you have communicated to me and it will not be necessary, I think, unless there is some further development between now and Tuesday for me to make reference to this communication before the Council, because the Council is still seized of the Iranian question.
Ambassador Ala: That’s right.
Mr. Johnson: And all of the members of the Council will have received this letter and unless it is commented by someone else and unless there is some new development, I do not intend to bring it up.29 I think that perhaps that would be the best.
[Here follows further discussion of Iranian-Soviet problems.]
- Mr. Ala’s communication was not referred to at ensuing sessions of the Security Council.↩