3. Mossadeq asks US to train Iranian naval officers in exchange for oil:

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Prime Minister Mossadeq asked Ambassador Henderson on 5 November if the United States would complete the training of 24 Iranian officers in American naval schools and accept payment in oil. [Loy Henderson] Mossadeq said that the officers had been studying in Great Britain, but that the rupture in diplomatic relations and the lack of foreign exchange make it necessary to withdraw them.

The Ambassador warned Mossadeq that this method of payment might not be practical, and that there was also the question of available vacancies.

Comment: A prime motive for this request would appear to be Mossadeq’s desire to get American aid in breaking the British-imposed oil blockade. Iran’s lack of foreign exchange has, however, also forced a drastic curtailment in Iranian diplomatic activities and may have been in part responsible for the recent abandonment of a naval training program in Italy.


4. Prime Minister charges the United States with responsibility for Iran’s fate:

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Mossadeq informed Ambassador Henderson on 4 November that the rupture in relations with Great Britain has focused Iranian attention on the United States and has made it even more responsible for Iran’s fate. A passive attitude toward Iran at this time, Mossadeq insisted, would make the United States just as culpable for Iran’s collapse as would frank hostility.

Comment: This is the most direct statement Mossadeq has yet made of his attitude toward the United States.