Draft Reply from President Harry S. Truman to Prime Minister Clement Attlee

NLT(CF) 139 SECRET DRAFT REPLY BY THE PRESIDENT TO PRIME MINISTER ATTLEE not come I deeply appreciate your full and frank statement which you sent plid to file. me on August 23 setting forth the position of His Majesty's Government with regard to the situation in Iran now that the negotiations between the British and Iranian Covernments have boon suspended. I an gratified that you found Mr. Harriman's services of value and you may be confident that both he and I stand ready to take any further steps which may be helpful in finding & solution to this difficult and disturbing problem. The United States understands and fullyshares the disappointment and concern felt by the British Government over the suspension of the recent conversations in Iran. I desire to state at once that the United States agrees with the United Kingdom's views regarding the seriousness of the situation in Iran and the danger it involves for the free world. The United States policies regarding Iran are designed primarily to prevent the present situation from leading to the less of Iran and are, I am confident, directed toward objectives similar to those which the United Kingdom seeks to achieve. On August 23 I made a public statement which expressed my disappoint- ment at the suspension of the negotiations in Tohran and publicly subscribed to the views not forth by Hr. Harriman in his letter of August 21 to Prine Minister Mosadeq. These views clearly stated the United States position and placed the blame for the failure of the negotiations upon the Iranian Covernment. We shall take advantage of any appropriate opportunities DECLASSIFIED E.O. 12065 SECRET ADMIN. CLAIMFICATION state LTR. 6.12.79 By NCT-HL NARS, Date 7-17-79 85 rby, 83 79