Foreign Relations of the United States, 1961–1963, Volume XVII, Near East, 1961–1962

214. Memorandum From the President’s Military Representative (Taylor) to President Kennedy⁰

Washington, March 14, 1962.

This memorandum answers your question: “Does the Shah of Iran have any basis for contending that Iran is being discriminated against in the Military Assistance Program in comparison with Turkey and Pakistan?”

It is difficult to compare these three countries as their situations and needs are quite different, as well as the fact that U.S. military aid to Turkey and Pakistan has the indirect effect of enhancing Iran’s security as they are all members of CENTO.

Turkey has received much more military assistance and more modern equipment than either of the other two countries. It is a member of both NATO and CENTO, which gives us a double return on our assistance. It stands astride three traditional routes from Russia to the Middle East: The Thracian Plain; the Black Sea; and the Caucasus. It has much larger and more effective armed forces than Iran, which can absorb considerable equipment, and has been in a position to offer us more quid pro quo in the way of sensitive installations, air bases, etc. The attached table sets forth the relative amounts and types of equipment which all three countries have received.

Our military aid to Pakistan, however, is much more comparable to that received by Iran. It has received roughly the same amount of equipment, and roughly the same proportion of modern equipment. However, it has received a few “glamour” items (F–104’s for example) which Iran has not. Actually, Pakistan has been receiving military assistance only since 1954, so their annual rate has been higher. The Pakistani armed forces, being based on a fairly solid core of British training, were able to absorb this equipment more rapidly than the Iranian armed forces. However, the Pakistani forces are, at this stage, fairly well equipped, and it is expected that their annual military assistance program levels will drop below those of Iran in the future.

There is no factual basis for a claim of discrimination against Iran. There is a difference of view, however, between ourselves and the Iranians in that the United States gives more weight to the requirement for real economic progress than does the Iranian government. The Iranians, understandably, would favor the best of both worlds—more modern military aid and more economic assistance.

Maxwell D. Taylor

0. Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Country Series, Iran Subject: Shah Visit. Secret; Noforn. A chart entitled “General Categories of Equipment Delivered Under MAP” is not printed; see Supplement, the compilation on Iran.