Yet Another Crazy Little “Editorial”
October 31, 1951 — U.S. editorial

Arash Norouzi
The Mossadegh Project | May 2, 2013                       


This “editorial” was distributed by newspapers across America on their editorial pages from around Oct. 31 - Nov. 14, 1951. In each and every case, it was presented as an original commentary (see a list below).

Note the convoluted logic. Having observed that, contrary to expectations, Dr. Mossadegh has not cried at all since arriving in the U.S., the anonymous author offers this as proof that the Iranian Premier has fully functional tear ducts. (??)

Perhaps this was meant to suggest that he could turn the waterworks on or off at will, and prior alleged incidents were merely performances for his domestic audience. Yet why then, would Mossadegh pass up the golden opportunity to ham it up on the world stage? Whatever.




GLYCERINE — OR JUST OIL?

Premier Mossadegh of Iran is setting some kind of a record. He has been in the United States about a month, now, and he hasn’t cried once. This seems to indicate that, whatever may be wrong with his health, there is nothing flabby about the mechanism controlling his tear ducts.

If Tehran were not so far from Hollywood, one might suspect that for purely national consumption the old fellow was resorting to the ancient device of the glycerine tear. Many a movie fan’s heart has been wrung by such deception, and Mossadegh has shown a definite aptitude for the tricks of the theater.



Newspapers that published this as their very own editorial include:

October 31, 1951:

The Middlesboro Daily News (Middlesboro, Kentucky) —
(titled Glycerine—Or Just Oil, Mebbe?)

November 1, 1951:

The La Crosse Tribune (The La Crosse Tribune from La Crosse, Wisconsin) —
(titled Just Oil, Mebbe?)

The Suffolk News-Herald (Suffolk, Virginia) —
(titled Glycerine—Or Just Oil, Mebbe?)

The Wilmington Morning Star (Wilmington, North Carolina) —
(titled Glycerine Tears, Maybe)

The News-Herald (Franklin, Pennsylvania) —
(titled HE HASN’T CRIED ONCE)

November 2, 1951:

The Mt. Vernon Register-News (Mt. Vernon, Illinois) —
(titled GLYCERINE—OR JUST OIL, MEBBE?)

The Monroe News-Star (Monroe, Louisiana) —
(titled Glycerine—Or Just Oil, Mebbe?)

The Carrol Daily Times Herald (Carroll, Iowa) —
(titled Glycerine—or Oil, Mebbe?)

November 3, 1951:

The Daily Times (New Philadelphia, Ohio) —
(titled GLYCERINE—OR JUST OIL, MEBBE?)

The Morning Herald (Gloversville, New York) —
(titled GLYCERINE ••• OR JUST OIL?)

The Evening Standard (Uniontown, Pennsylvania) —
(titled Just Oil, Mebbe?)

The Courier News (Blytheville, Arkansas) —
(titled Glycerine—Or Just Oil, Maybe?)

November 5, 1951:

The Victoria Advocate (Victoria, Texas) —
(titled Glycerine Maybe?)

The Denton Record-Chronicle (Denton, Texas) —
(titled Glycerine ~ Or Just Oil, Mebbe?)

November 7, 1951:

The Panama City News-Herald (Panama City, Florida) —
(titled What! No Histrionics?)

November 8, 1951:

The Lead Daily Call (Lead, South Dakota) —
(titled Glycerine—Or Just Oil?)

The Deadwood Pioneer-Times (Deadwood, South Dakota) —
(titled Glycerine—Or Just Oil?)

November 14, 1951:

The Statesville Record and Landmark (Statesville, North Carolina) —
(titled GLYCERINE—OR JUST OIL, MEBBE?)



British Humorist Nathaniel Gubbins’ Demeaning Mossadegh Mockery (1951)
British Humorist Nate Gubbins’ Demeaning Mossadegh Mockery (1951)

Search MohammadMossadegh.com



Related links:

Tears Are New TV Vogue | U.S. editorial, December 17, 1951

Mr. Mossadegh Abed | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Oct. 17, 1951

George McGhee’s First Meeting With Dr. Mossadegh (Oct. 8, 1951)



MOSSADEGH t-shirts — “If I sit silently, I have sinned”

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