Office of the Historian

37. Letter From the Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs (Talbot) to the Deputy Secretary of Defense (Gilpatric)0

Washington, September 13, 1962.

Dear Mr. Gilpatric: I have your letter of August 31st informing Secretary Rusk that you have approved for implementation the major recommendations [Page 91] contained in the report of the U.S. Military Planning Team for Iran.1

I note that the approved plan envisages a reduction of Iran’s armed forces to a level of approximately 160,000, the provision of two radar stations and communications for the entire aircraft control and warning system, and the construction of a forward aircraft operation base with minimum facilities at Meshed. It is understood that over the 5-year period 1963–1967 the cost to the United States of executing this program will amount to $298.6 million. I note that this sum is within the $300 million funding ceiling Secretary McNamara established for this program.

On the basis of your letter Joint State-Defense Message No. 2772 was sent to Ambassador Holmes at Tehran instructing him and the Chief of ARMISH/MAAG at Tehran to present the relevant concepts and plans incorporated in the approved report to the Shah and his military advisers.

You may be sure that we greatly appreciate the commendable task General Twitchell and the United States planning team performed in preparing the report you have approved.

Sincerely yours,

Phillips Talbot
  1. Source: Washington National Records Center, RG 330, OSD Files: FRC 66 A 3542, Iran 381 (TS) 3 Aug 62. Secret. Another copy indicates the letter was drafted by Miklos (NEA/GTI) and cleared with Kettelhut (NEA/NR) and Russell (NEA). (Department of State, Central Files, 788.5/8-3162)↩
  2. Gilpatric’s August 31 letter was addressed to Secretary Rusk. (Washington National Records Center, RG 330, OSD Files: FRC 66 A 3542, Iran 381 (TS) 3 Aug 62) Summaries of the findings of the report of the U.S. Military Planning Team, Iran, are in a memorandum from Sloan (DOD/ISA) to McNamara, August 31, and a memorandum from Lemnitzer to McNamara, August 3, with Appendix A, “Summary of Findings of the US Military Planning Team for Iran and Joint Chiefs of Staff Views Thereon.” (Ibid.)↩
  3. Dated September 8. (Department of State, Central Files, 788.5/8-862) For text, see the Supplement, the compilation on Iran.↩