Memorandum, State Department Summary of Telegrams

DECLASSIFIED 3-102 OFFICE OF Guiclolines, Sec. March 6, 1932 THE SECRETARY OF STATE WASHINGTON State DEB Dept. NLT, By. January 25, 1952 SECRET SECURITY INFORMA TION SUMMARY OF TELEGRAMS IRAN British Foreign Secretary Eden has confirmed to our Embassy in London the Iranian refusal to grant an agreement to Mr. Robert Hankey as British Ambassador to Iran. Eden said that the British Government will not propose another name to the Iranians as Ambassador, but will leave their Embassy in Tehran in charge of the Counsellor of Embassy. FRANCE A possibly major irritant in Franco-German relations has developed as a result of the French intention to announce the appointment of a diplomatic representative to the Saar. We asked our Embassy in Paris earlier this week to make representations to the French urging them to consider deferring such an announcement until the Secretary had another opportunity to discuss the matter with Schuman either at Lisbon or before if tripartite meetings take place. Our appeal was based on our belief that the announcement would cause serious reper- cussions in Germany where a large segment of the population are now excited over the question of the status of the Saar. Announcement of any step which would give the appearance of finally establishing the atonomy of the Saar (and thereby definitely separating it from Germany) might cause further public agitation and provide ammunition for the opponents in Germany of European integration enabling them to enlarge the issue to a point where the entire program of European integration and defense might be endangered. We have now learned that the French, after full dis- - cussion of our appeal, have decided not to delay the nomination of a diplomatic representative but, on the contrary, to proceed with it immed- iately. Our Embassy comments that our approach, coming at a time when the French feel they have made many major concessions to "German sensibilities", has hit a raw nerve in the French Government and has resulted in ill humor and a hardened determination to proceed. We believe that the question is one of timing and not of substance and have stressed this to the French. However, they fail to see why this is a particularly bad time to proceed. They believe that inasmuch as the French Council of SECRET SECURITY INORMATION-