891.51A/862
The Minister in Iran (Dreyfus) to the Secretary of State
[Received October 8.]
Sir: I have the honor to transmit herewith French translations (as published in the Journal de Tehran, September 16 and 17) of a recent exchange of letters between Dr. Millspaugh and the Minister of the Interior, Taddayyon, regarding a proposed new census of the population of Tehran.45
As will be seen from the letters, Dr. Millspaugh considered that a revision of the previous census was essential in order to eliminate widespread fraud in the distribution of rationed bread. He accordingly issued an order for the formation of a commission to organize the new registration, to be composed of two American representatives [Page 537] of the Ministry of Finance and an Iranian representative of the Ministry of the Interior. Mr. Taddayyon took strong exception to this procedure, asserting that all matters relating to the registration of the population fell under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of the Interior and that Dr. Millspaugh had no authority in the premises. The result was an acrimonious exchange of letters. Despite a request by the Prime Minister that he refrain from doing so, Dr. Millspaugh gave his letter to the press, whereupon Mr. Taddayyon made public the entire correspondence.
Both the Shah and the Prime Minister were much disturbed by Dr, Millspaugh’s attitude in this affair. The Prime Minister especially regretted the publication of the letters in defiance of his wishes. At his request, I have spoken to Dr. Millspaugh on the subject, and the latter has admitted that the procedure adopted may have been unwise However, he feels that Mr. Taddayyon is a difficult man to deal with and that the best way to handle him is through a strong frontal attack. In support of this reasoning, he points out that Taddayyon has, in fact, been stirred into ordering an immediate census, which was the objective in view.
I believe that this incident will have no serious repercussions. However, it is an illustration of Dr. Millspaugh’s tendency to take direct action without previously consulting other officials who may be concerned, notably his nominal superior, the Prime Minister. This may be necessary in some cases, but it is a cause of great irritation not only to the Iranians but also to Dr. Millspaugh’s American associates. In several instances the morale of the latter has been seriously affected by the failure of their chief of mission to seek their advice, or even to inform them, regarding important measures. In this respect, Dr. Millspaugh appears to suffer from what I believe the French call “the defects of his qualities”, since his great strength lies in his ability and willingness to take decisions and shoulder responsibility alone, while at the same time this characteristic leads him to ignore the help others could give him and to overlook the intangible factors of personal relationships.
Respectfully yours,
- Enclosures not reprinted.↩