Evening star., 1951-08-29
The Issue in Iran

HG ISSuG III iran
In an interview in London, W. Averell Harri-
man, the Presidents mediating envoy to Teheran,
has voiced cautious optimism about the posi-
bility of working out an amcable settlement of
the critical Anglo-Iranian oil dispute. Although
negotiations to that end are in a state of bleak
suspension, he apparently feels that the present
impaSSe can serve as a cooling-oh period in
which both sides may have some sober second
thoughts and acquire the kind of perspective
and emotional calmness that must be brought
to bear upon the situation If there is ever to
be a satisfactory agreement
The issues involved, of course, are not
simple matter of black and white. The Iranians,
as Mr.. Hartman has intimated, have an excel
lent case-up to point. Wholly apart from
their undisputed right to nationalize their fab
ulous oil resources and get as much out of them
as possible, they can argue pretty effectively
that the British-owned company has been high
handed in the past less than generous or far
sighted in dealing with Iran. and dispoSed-in
a colonial-minded sort of way-to inject itself,
rather clumsily and pretentiously, into the coun-
trys domestic politics. AS result, though COM
pletey irrational in many respects, intense
Anglophobia is a real national ailment over
there. The ailment is so widespread, in fact,
and so acute, that Premier Mossadegh and his
government-or any succeeding premier and his
government-must reckon with 1t as a highly
explosive force that threatens such things as
assassination and political upheaval in case Of
any seeming surrender to Britains point Of view.
This fact-the fact that an unreasonng
kind of Anglophobia is endemic in Iran-un-
doubtedy has played an important part in
DR.. MoSSadeghs rejection of London's proposal
for settlement The proposal, which has been
backed in its essentials by Mr.. Hartman, still
looks fair and reasonable. Besides turning over
to Trans nationalized company all the assets of
the dissolved British company, it would create
two new enterprises The first of these would
buy oil from the Iranians market it and split
the profits on $3.50 basis. The second would
be top management organization-run by
Britons but subject to Teheran's authority-to
direct the complicated producing and distrib-
uting activities involved in the whole vast under
taking. Britains negotiators have been especially
inSiStent on the management arrangement,
holding that 1t is absolutely essential to insure
that the large and indispensable corps of
trained British techncians stay on the job-a
corps vital to the efficient operation of the
industry.
But Dr. Mossadegh has turned all this down
particularly the management proposal, which
many Iranians (Who want the technicians to
stay. but under direct Iranian contract and
give the British too much say and enable them
to exercise far-reaching economic and political
influence throughout the country. This sus-
picon seems to be quite ill-founded, but never
theleSS it exists, and London-in the current
cooling period-ought certainly to try f1gur-
ing out some compromise to dissipate it, What
the Teheran government wants, above every
, thing, is settlement which the Communists
and the Nationalist extremists cannot misrep-
resent as disguised continuation of the status
quo ante At the same time, however, If Britain
must bend over backwards in this respect,
DR.. Mossadegh and his followers must not let
threats Of assassination, or riots by zealots,
frighten them into refusing to be realistic They
principle. If they do not if they just ride on
the wave of popular passion. the situation is
certain to become even worse than it is
Actually at this stage, the Iranians have
more reason than anybody else to think soberly
and get rid of emotionasm. They cannot afford
to do otherwise. They cannot let the present
impaSse continue indefinitely without impover-
iShing their treasury, upending their economy
and inviting political and social conditions that
could lead quickly to Communist coup and
their Imprisonment behind the Iron Curtain.
Some of their spokesmen declare that the coun-
try can prosper on it's own in this matter, but
all the hard facts indicate that such view is
wishful and naive to the point of irrationality.
The truth is that there must be sensible settle
ment here or the Krenlin will win great
victory, likely to be even deadlier for Iran than
for Britain and the free world as whole.