Dough-Ray-Me

September 14, 1953 — The Troy Record


The Mossadegh Project | January 16, 2016                      


Soon after the 1953 coup in Iran, The Troy Record newspaper in New York harped on a particular pet peeve of theirs — foreign handouts — in this Monday morning editorial.




Very Amusing

The scramble among the international hucksters for American dough has its comic aspects, except the ticket to the show comes high.

It reminds us of a story.

It reminds us of a story a friend of ours told us the other night about his middle granddaughter, aged six. She climbed into his lap, threw her arms around his neck and cooed, “Grandaddy, I love you so. I love you more than anyone in the world. Leave me all your money.”

We fancy we see an international application of that episode in the jealousy of the foreign countries which are vying for Uncle Sam’s favor—and cash. Iran on the strength of the royalist coup that unseated Premier Mossadegh reopened competition at the paying teller’s window in Washington when the Shah displayed threadbare coat-sleeves and said that, in his extremity, he would take money even from the Russians.

This is an old, old story. Naturally Washington fell before this horrifying thought. And so Washington responded promptly with an earmarked $43,000,000 to meet Iran’s financial stringencies. But Russia proved so slow on the draw that the wallet is not out yet.

“The speed,” said the Iranian Premier of the gift, “is particularly appreciated.” [Gen. Fazlollah Zahedi]

But apparently, not enough. What Iran needs is $300,000,000.

But that isn’t all. This philanthropic gesture immediately encouraged France to think of raising the ante on American assistance to France’s war in Indo-China. [Vietnam] Already in receipt of $400,000,000 for this purpose during the present year, France has indicated that another $200,000,000 would he helpful.

This is all very amusing to everybody but the American taxpayer who, seemingly, has to pick up the check for everybody.



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Related links:

This ‘Aid’ Business | The Schenectady Gazette, August 28, 1953

Iran Needs Chance To Earn Its Way | The Saratogian, August 27, 1953

No Time For Fainting | Sept. 12, 1953 editorial on Mossadegh



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

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