Letter, Stalin to Cde. Sadchikov

Dear Cde. Sadchikov!

As you know, Iranian Princess Ashraf was at a reception at my place. In her statements she lamented [her] fate, gave assurances that the Shah is powerless, that he has lost everything, and that the dynasty is falling. She requested [we] support the Shah and come to the aid of the dynasty.

I replied that the question of the dynasty is a domestic question of Iran. As regards the Shah himself, in recent years he has always been hostile to the Soviet Union. I illustrated this by the fact that in the recent past the Shah approved the government of an enemy of friendly Soviet-Iranian relations, namely the government of Hakimi. I told her that the Soviet Union cannot respond with friendship to hostile attacks from the Shah; if the Shah takes a friendly position then the Soviet Union will not have any complaints against him.

I asked her, why does the Shah not wish to support the government of Mr. Qavam, a progressive state figure both from the point of view of the domestic life of Iran, as well as from the point of view of foreign policy? She did not give a direct reply and began to enlarge on the [theme] that the Shah is weak, and he is surrounded by inadequate advisers implanting all kinds of unsuitable ideas in him. She ended her answer with an expression of confidence in the establishment of good relations between the Shah and Qavam.

At the end of the conversation I declared to her that, in my opinion, only such state figures as Mr. Qavam are capable of strengthening the independence of Iran and protecting the dignity of his country.

From the conversation I formed the impression that the Shah’s court is afraid of Qavam and other progressive people but, without having sufficient power, it is ready to follow Qavam’s lead.

I am reporting all this to you for [your] information. If you find it necessary you can use the contents of this letter to inform the appropriate circles of Iran.

P. S. At the same time you will get my reply to the Shah’s letter; please familiarize yourself with it and then present it to the Shah.

respectfully [Stalin’s signature]

28 July 1946

1-ns

[Stalin’s handwritten draft follows]