292. Letter From the Under Secretary of State (Hoover) to the Director of the Foreign Operations Administration (Stassen)1
Dear Mr. Stassen: You will recall that prior to the visit of the Shah of Iran to Washington in December the future of the Iranian armed forces was the subject of considerable discussion between the Foreign Operations Administration, the Defense Department and the State Department. While there were different views expressed as to the extent of military assistance which might be rendered to Iran, it was the consensus that the most important and useful step which could and should be taken at this time was an intensive program of training designed to improve military efficiency and enhance the military capabilities of its existing forces. In the ensuing talks with the Shah we stressed this point and the Shah agreed that all efforts would be turned toward making the best use of the training offered.
As you are aware, the Department of Defense is sending a series of training teams to Iran, arriving there between January and June, which will commence training in all the major fields of military activity. In an effort to learn if the Iranians were in a position to make full use of training being offered, our agencies sent a joint telegram, No. 1236 of December 24, 1954, to Tehran2 requesting this information and further inquiring if additional costs could be met from counterpart funds of the aid program now in effect. Tehran’s telegram 1464 dated January 93 replying, set forth the Country Team’s view that there are several basic categories of items urgently needed to enable the Iranian [Page 697] army to realize fully the training advantages offered. The cost of these needs is $4,065,000 of which approximately $1,500,000 are requirements for local currency. The Country Team believes that these costs should not be taken from resources presently available to the Iranian Government which are badly needed for economic development and recommends that additional assistance be allotted to cover these costs.
The needs set forth are the most elementary requirements for training activities, i.e. rifle and other types of ranges, classrooms, a training aids center, small additional petroleum requirements needed to move troops back and forth for training, clothing, and minimum provisions for shelter in the training areas. Noting the Country Team’s view that it would be most unwise to meet this need by reducing economic development, I believe that it is urgently necessary to assist the Iranian Government to make provision for these elementary requirements essential to making effective use of the training being offered.
When the Shah was in Washington a month ago the United States Government on the highest levels expressed to him a willingness to assist in the program of training for the Iranian armed forces. In view of the desirability that the Shah be given some tangible evidence of our interest before his departure from this country early next month, and in view of the fact that training teams will be giving instruction very shortly, I should like to recommend that you give favorable consideration to the immediate establishment of an ad hoc committee composed of representatives from the Foreign Operations Administration, State Department, and Defense Department to explore means of providing at the earliest possible time the assistance requested by the Country Team, giving consideration to what portion of these requirements might be taken from counterpart funds without serious detriment to economic development.
I am forwarding a copy of this letter to the Department of Defense.4
Sincerely yours,
- Source: Department of State, Central Files, 788.5–MSP/1–2755. Secret. Drafted by Dixon and concurred in by Jernegan, Baxter, and Frechtling (in substance).↩
- Not printed.↩
- Not printed. (Department of State, Central Files, 788.11/1–955)↩
- Sent under cover of a letter from Hoover to Anderson, January 27. (Ibid., 788.5–MSP/1–2755)↩
- Printed from a copy that bears this stamped signature.↩