- 8 - Corporation achieved this position by virtue of being on the scene when American lend lease supplies began entering Iran. United States representatives in Iran engaged the British Corp- oration, government owned but profit making, to serve as handling agent and middleman for the American goods. This arrangement, which evidently had the approval of the Lend Lease Administration and the State Department, has been profitable to the British Corporation. There has been a United States Commercial Corporation, govern- ment owned, with offices in Tehran. When I was here a year ago, Mr. Philip Kidd was in charge of the corporation. Later Mr. Erik Eriksen was in charge. If we were going to enter the commercial field with lend lease goods, I do not know why we did not use our corporation instead of the British Corporation. I refer again to my report to you on Iran dated at Cairo, May 13, I943 and my report on Lend Lease in the Middle East dated at Delhi, November 7, 1943, Your Minister, Mr. Landis, has made great improvement in the administration of lend lease in the Middle East. Notwith- standing this I am still of the opinion that the present debate between the Americans and British on lend lease will be ended only when America has taken complete control of the distribution of our own lend lease supplies in this area. The Iranians believe that the post-war monopoly plans of the United Kingdom Commercial Corporation now have the support of the United States Government. In addition to all this there have been conflicts between the British and American Ministries that have been evident to the Iranians. This situation has been damaging to both American and |