Churchill on Persia (1944)
10, Downing Street, Whitehall.
May 21, 1944.
My dear Mr. President,
Many thanks for letting me see General Hurley's memorandum on Persia, which I am returning to you herewith as requested. I am sorry to have delayed answering it, but several Departments of State had to be consulted on the points which it raised. The General seems to have some ideas about British imperialism which I confess make me rub my eyes. He makes out, for example, that there is an irrepressible conflict between imperialism and democracy. I make bold, however, to suggest that British imperialism has spread and is spreading democracy more widely than any other system of government since the beginning of time.
As regards Persia, however, I do not think that "British imperialism" enters into the picture. It is true that we, like the United States, are inevitably concerned about our strategic supplies of oil, the more so because, unlike the United States, we have no metropolitan sources. From the same security point of view, we have responsibilities which we cannot at present abandon for the western frontier of India and the eastern frontier of Iraq. Apart from this we have the same wartime interest as the United States in the safety of the trans-Persian supply route to Russia. For all these reasons we want a strong and friendly Government in Persia, and have no wish to see the establishment of foreign "zones of "influence". In short, we are certainly no less interested than the United States in encouraging Persian independence, political efficiency and national reform.
I agree with what you say about Persia's need for outside assistance. Whether she would welcome the principle of international trusteeship seems open to doubt. It sounds rather like the mandatory system. I think that our best way of helping the Persians is through the American advisers. Dr. Millspaugh and his colleagues have undertaken a very necessary but a long, arduous and thankless > task. We are giving them, and intend to continue giving them, all the help in our power, as we have since made clear in our discussions with the Stettinius Mission.
I assume that you have had no reply from Stalin to your suggestion for a free port at the head of the Persian Gulf, and for international management of the Persian Railway. On this point we might await Russian reactions. I am by no means certain that after the war, when the Black Sea ports are again open, the trans-Persian route will continue to be necessary for Russian trade, or indeed could be operated under such conditions as would enable it to compete commercially with the Black Sea route.
I quite recognize that the position of the U.K.C.C. and
the use of Lend-Lease supplies in Persia, to which Hurley drew your attention,
required some looking into. I am glad to be able to say that since the
date of your letter to me, the matter has been discussed with your people
and a mutually satisfactory arrangement reached. I think they also appreciate
that we have no intention whatever of trying to establish a British monopoly
through the U.K.C.C. which is under instructions not to interfere with
private trade unless absolutely necessary ...
I return General Hurley's memorandum, of which I have kept a copy.
Yours sincerely,
Winston S. Churchill