November 19, 1953 — U.S. Editorial
| Arash Norouzi The Mossadegh Project | November 30, 2016 |
It’s remarkable how many newspapers reproduced this inane little “editorial” on ex-Premier Mossadegh’s treason trial.
No, this is not syndicated content — it ran under the mastheads of numerous U.S. papers in late Nov. 1953 as an original piece. Though usually identical, about half had this slight variation: “We have tried desperately to understand this whole affair...” became “As an earnest student of foreign jurisprudence, we have tried desperately to...” Those that had this difference are marked with an asterisk in the list below.
The Shamokin News-Dispatch had a slightly different version, choosing “they” instead of “we” (“Earnest students of foreign jurisprudence...” / “...all they have been able to come up with...”)
It should also be noted that in the majority of these cases, their lead editorial, lauding the election of President Ramon Magsaysay (“a stout foe of communism”, backed by the CIA) over Elpidio Quirino in the Philippines, was also unoriginal. His victory, it was said, was “heartening to the entire free world.”
It Proves One Thing
For several days now, former Iranian Premier Mossadegh has been on trial in Tehran before a court-martial. He is charged with illegally resisting the Shah’s order to step down as premier last summer.
We have tried desperately to understand this whole affair, and particularly the details of the defense Mossadegh is making.
So far, unluckily, all, we have been able to come up with is this: Mossadegh does not believe the military court has jurisdiction over his case at all. But he wants the trial to keep going because the courtroom is warmer than his jail cell.
List of newspapers included:
The Republic (Columbus, Indiana) — Nov. 19, 1953
The Poughkeepsie Journal (Poughkeepsie, New York) — Nov. 19, 1953*
The Dixon Evening Telegraph (Dixon, Illinois ) — Nov. 19, 1953*
The Daily Chronicle (De Kalb, Illinois) — Nov. 19, 1953*
The Maryville Daily Forum (Maryville, Missouri) — Nov. 19, 1953*
The Grape Belt and Chautauqua Farmer (Dunkirk, New York) — Nov. 20, 1953
The Naugatuck Daily News (Naugatuck, Connecticut) — Nov. 20, 1953 (editorials on front page)
The Daily Times (New Philadelphia, Ohio) — Nov. 20, 1953*
The Mt. Vernon Register-News (Mt. Vernon, Illinois) — Nov. 20, 1953*
The Shamokin News-Dispatch (Shamokin, Pennsylvania) — Nov. 20, 1953
The Miami Daily News-Record (Miami, Oklahoma) — Nov. 20, 1953*
The Kingston Daily Freeman (Kingston, New York) — Nov. 21, 1953
The Daily Capital News (Jefferson City, Missouri) — Nov. 21, 1953*
The Palm Beach Post (West Palm Beach, Florida) — Nov. 21, 1953*
The Statesville Daily Record (Statesville, North Carolina) — Nov. 23, 1953*
The Daily Herald (Provo, Utah) — Nov. 23, 1953
The Daily Chronicle (Centralia, Washington) — Nov. 24, 1953*
The Yuma Daily Sun (Yuma, Arizona) — Nov. 25, 1953
The Anderson Daily Bulletin (Anderson, Indiana) — Nov. 27, 1953
Related links:
Let’s Rassle | December 7, 1953 editorial
Mossadegh, Angered, Tries To Quit Court | AP, November 24, 1953
Mossadegh’s Histrionics: This Is a Trial? | Cleveland Plain Dealer, Dec. 3, 1953
MOSSADEGH t-shirts — “If I sit silently, I have sinned”
