The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1941-09-01

ndleu Is HlyS-l
terry. but the state department fell
for il. and formerly officially listed
IL as Persia in its roster Of foreign
diplomatic representations in the
Congressional Directory. Compare
lively recently the Iranian legation
in Uncle Sans capital created a
terrific outcry over the misnomer
and now its countrys properly on
record as Iran.
Siam also got its name corrected
into Thailand.
Greece wasn't so successful. It's
Washington legation raised hol-
Ter in favor Of translation into
Hellas, but the Congressional Dr.
rectory still stands pat for Greece
what's left Of it since the war
stopped over onto its soil. +
The state department knows
where Iran is on the map, but isn't
very we'll acquainted. with 1t other
wise, and consequently hasn't
much to say yet concerning Win
ston Churchills and Joe Stains
contention that their forces had to
invade the small monarchy to put
a stop to Nazi plotting there.
Mohammed Schayesteh. Iranian,
minister here, has made a fearful
howl to Secretary Hull, on the
ground that his country has only
the merest handful Of Germans, as
experts in its oil fields, instead Of
the small army Of 'em, alleged by
Winnie and Joe to be making
medicine in the direction Of an
Axis grab Of the whole place.
Revolution Feared
That there weren't enough Ger
mans actually on the spot to take
over the Teheran government, all
by themselves, is considered pretty
likely. That isn't the point, though.
The story Secretary Hull is told by
British and Russian Ambassadors
Halifax and Oumansky Is to the eff
feet that Herr Hitler's scheme was
to have his agents instigate a local
lranian revolution and set up a
native Quisling regime that would
be completely subservient to him.
Lord Halifax and Comrade
Oumansky represent that Ria
Khan Pahlevi, Trans present ruler,
might be pretty susceptible to an
overthrow. He got in by revolu-
ton himself, and perhaps the ele-
ment he supplanted needed only a
little encouragement to try to
abolish him. He was a hostler
originally, and there are suspicious
that it wasn't job to train him to
direct affairs like today's.
Being as anti-Nazi as it Is, the
state departments inclination is to
give the benefit of all doubts to
Winnie Churchill and Joe Stain,
who, in the midst Of their other
troubles, presumably wouldn't be
bothering with Iran il they didn't
deem it imperatively necessary to
do So
Geography enters into the ques-
ton, too.
We want to send war supplies
to Russia, don't we?
Well, to deliver EN- via Siberia,
we must ferry EN- across the Pa
cifc and then, through Japanese
waters, to Vladivostok, for trans
shipment by rail. And the Japs
may resist navigation Of their wa
ters. No doubt we can lick EN-,
with our navy, but II would involve
delay and some losses, in all prob
ability.
But suppose we send 'em from
our west coast, around India,
through the Indian ocean, into the
Arabian sea and then into the Per-
sian gulf, landing EN- at the north
western end Of the latter, on Iran
ian soil. Thence there's good rail
transportation across Iran, plus
short hop over the Caspian sea,
and we hand the stuff over to Joe
Stain. It may sound complicated,
but it's the quickest way Of get
ting to Russia through no war
zone. But, Of course, it wouldn't be
available IL the Axis could get con-
troll 81 Iran