29 November 1999
Text: State Department Releases Foreign Relations Volume on Iran
(Years 1964-1968 included) (480) The State Department November 18 released a volume on U.S. relations with Iran covering the years 1964-1968. Following is the text of State Department Spokesman James Rubin's statement on the release of the material: (begin text) U.S. Department of State Office of the Spokesman November 18, 1999 Statement by James P. Rubin, Spokesman Release of Foreign Relations Volume on Iran, 1964-1968 The Department released today Foreign Relations of the United States, 1964-1968, volume XXII, Iran. This volume, part of the ongoing official published record of American foreign policy, presents the documentary record of U.S. policy toward Iran during the administration of President Lyndon B. Johnson. Good relations with Iran were a top priority for U.S. policymakers, who agreed on Iran's strategic importance and remained concerned over potential threats to the long-term stability of Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi's regime. The volume documents the administration's policy of support for the Shah and its emphasis on buttressing Iran's internal security by encouraging a far-reaching program of political, social, and economic reform -- the Shah's so-called "White Revolution." Johnson's personal relationship with the Shah was closer than President Kennedy's had been. The two leaders corresponded frequently, and the Shah met with Johnson three times during his presidency. The only real bone of contention between the two countries was the Shah's seemingly insatiable appetite for more and newer military equipment. His insistence on spending more of Iran's growing oil revenues on weapons conflicted with U.S. policy goals of advocating Iranian economic development and reform as a check against internal upheaval or revolution. The Shah was prepared to buy arms from the Soviet Union until the United States warned him that there would be an adverse U.S. reaction. During subsequent negotiations, the Shah responded to warnings by assuring U.S. representatives that he would not buy sophisticated military equipment from the Soviet Union. In May 1968 the President approved a 6-year, $600 million military credit sales package for Iran, and as the Johnson administration drew to a close, an inter-agency review concluded that the United States should continue to plan on the basis of $100 million in annual U.S. military credits to Iran. Military cooperation with Iran would continue to be a very high priority. U.S. policymakers' concerns over the stability of the Shah's regime increased during this period, especially after an upsurge of anti-Americanism and opposition to the government beginning in October 1964. Following the arrest and exile of dissident religious leader Ayatollah Khomeini in November, some U.S. analysts warned that Khomeini's views were symptomatic of widespread popular opposition to the government. A statement by the State Department's Office of the Historian and a summary of the volume are available at www/usia.gov/regional/nea/gulfsec/iranpage.htm. (end text) (Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State)
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