Evening star., 1951-11-25
Mossadegh on the Way Out?

Although he has been hailed as hero on
his return to Teheran, it is by no means incon-
ceivable that Premier MoSsadegh will fall In the
relatively near future, with the cheers still
echoing in his ears. Up until recently, our
State Departmental contrast to the British
Foreign Office-appears to have been convinced
that the critical Anglo-Iranian oil dispute could
be settled fairly and realistically only on the
basis of negotiating with him and that if he
and his government were tossed out of Office,
the Communist Tudeh Party might then take
over Now, however, there Is some reason to
believe that the Washington view is more in
line with London's.
That is to say London's attitude belief
that DR.. Mossadegh will eventually run his
emotional intransigence into the ground and be
succeeded by a level-headed government at
Richardson's more justified and less wishful
than it did month or so ago At any rate,
after their weeks of medating talks with him
here in Washington. our American experts can
hardly fail to have found in the weepy Premier
an almost hopeless inability, or unwillingness
or incompetence, to recognize the hard realities
of the situation and cooperate in working out
a settlement that would be genuinely good for
his own country and at the same time fair to
Britain. Instead, having won victory of prin-
ciple in establishing Trans right to be master
of it's great petroleum resources, he has shown
blind disposition to disregard the fact that
that victory will be Pyrrhic unless it is backed
up with an agreement that will get the oil out
of the ground and into world markets.
The truth is that Dr. Mossadegh has re-
turned home with empty hands. All he has to
offer now is completely vague talk about some
kind of producing and marketing plan that
will bring prosperity to his country. Further
kl>.A l., I.
plshments on his extended trip abroad, he can
defend himself with little more than ID ex-
tremely feeble suggestions that maybe he will be
able to get American aid and (2) silly statements
about making non-Arab Iran an economic,
cultural and military ally of Egypt and the Arab
League in general. What will happen when he
appears with this sort of stuff before the
Parliament in Teheran? How will he respond
to questions about what is to be done to head
off the national bankruptcy that his uncom-
promising and wholly unrealstic policy is rapidly
bringing on? The answers, of course, are not
certain, but this much is clear enough: He faces
a growing non-C Communist opposition bloc and
there is at least chance that he will be
toppled with vote of no confidence.
And what would happen in that case?
Again, nobody can be certain. But there have
been indications from rather authoritative
sources IN Teheran tnat the British viewpoint
would be vindicated-that the Shah would re-
place DR.. Mossadegh with an anti-Communist,
pro-Western leader fully capable of protecting
Trans interests with a realistic and just agree
ment that would start the oil flowing again,
prevent economic chaos and put an end to
terrorism. The man most mentioned in that
respect is Ahmed Qavam the able, strong
minded former Premier who stood up against
the Kremn In the Azerbaiian crisis of 1946
Perhaps it is over-hopeful to speculate along
these lines, but the possibility nevertheless seems
to exist, and if 1t materializes the outlook for
good settlement certainly will be far brighter
than it has been for many a month past.