DEPARTMENT OF STATE Memorandum of Conversation
DATE: September 18, 1952
SUBJECT: First Call of the Ambassador-designate of Iran
PARTICIPANTS: The Secretary The Ambassador-designate of Iran The Chief of Protocol
COPIES TO: S GIT S/S BNA S/S-PR EE NEA TCA
His Excellency Allahyar Seleh, newly appointed Ambassador of Iran, called on me at 10:15 a.m. today to present copies of his credentials and to request an appointment with the President.
After the usual exchange of courtesies, the Ambassador proceeded to tell me of his own friendship for the United States and of the fact that he accepted this appointment principally because he felt that a solution of the present difficulties of his country, particularly with Great Britain, had become an urgent matter in which he might be of some practical assistance.
The Ambassador assured me that his country was deeply appreciative of our friendship and of the Point IV aid we had already given, even though the latter might not be completely adequate. He described the situation of his country as deteriorating from day to day. He said that the revulsion of feeling against Great Britain was very strong, and that he felt that the British were still trying to use dilatory tactics in order to bring Iran "to its knees". He said that this was a mistaken policy, that the Iranians were a proud people and would not tolerate any further injustices in regard to the petroleum dispute. He intimated that present difficulties, if allowed to continue and increase as they now are, would lead to a continued deterioration of the position of the western world in Iran and might throw his people into the hands of the Soviet Union.
I assured the Ambassador that I did not feel that England was trying to bring Iran to its knees and that every effort was being made, both by our Government and by the Churchill Government, to find a
- 2 -
solution to these perplexing problems. I said that I would be glad to talk to the Ambassador on these matters and would certainly give further study to what he had said. I told him that he could count on me to do everything possible to help him in his new tasks here.
After some further general conversation, the Ambassador departed.
S/S-PR:JFSimmons:jjm