U.S. Socialists React To 1953 Coup
August 29, 1953 — Weekly People

Arash Norouzi
The Mossadegh Project
| July 27, 2013       


Weekly People, the “official organ of the Socialist Labor Party” was the longest running Socialist newspaper in American history, in print for 117 years.

On Saturday, August 29, 1953, the Brooklyn-based paper published a small item on its front page alleging Western support for the overthrow of Iranian Premier Mohammad Mossadegh — just ten days after the fact. One facet that aroused suspicion was the lack of U.S. outrage over the grisly violence reported from Iran, in direct contrast with criticism leveled at many feisty labor demonstrations.

It should be noted that despite its Marxist ideology, the Socialist Labor Party of America (SLP), founded in 1876, was not pro-Soviet. And though they opposed imperialism (just another attribute of capitalism), they also expressed little sympathy for the nationalist surge in Iran.



Did U.S. and Britain Plan the
Overthrow of Mossadegh?


How different is the reaction of the plutocratic capitalist rulers of America to the revolution in Iran from their reaction to an uprising of workers! In the latter case they evince the greatest horror over the slightest violence. Incidents are exaggerated by the press out of all proportion, and the rebellious workers are pictured as monsters and barbarians. But the capitalists appear completely unconcerned over the violence in Teheran. Foreign Minister Hossein Fatemi was literally "torn to pieces" in the office of his newspaper "Bakhtar-e-Emruz." [this was only a rumor] Another Mossadegh supporter, Col. Ezatollah Mumtaz, was also physically torn to pieces [another falsehood]. But these deeds of horror do not cause even a raised eyebrow in the plutocratic camp.

The reason is, of course, that this revolution is very welcome to the American capitalists. "Washington," said "Business Week," August 8, "is pinning its hopes on an army revolt against Mossadegh." The charge has been made, and it is entirely plausible, that the revolution was planned and instigated by British and American imperialist interests. It occurred just in time to throw a monkey wrench into the plans of Soviet imperialism, plans revealed by the blandishments in Premier Georgi Malenkov's speech of August 8. And it has opened the way for the resumption of capitalist-imperialist trafficking in Iranian oil.





Related links:

"U.S. Involvement in Iran Revolt Now Believed Sure" — Fulton Lewis Jr., October 8, 1953

"Iran's Nationalism a Tool of a Reckless Ruling Class" — Weekly People, August 16, 1952

"Fluid Iranian Situation Might Still Be Dangerous" — August 28, 1953



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

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