Premier Mossadegh of Iran has offered himself a bribery mark in his country’s oil dispute. In a recent letter to Washington he said there were but two roads open to him. [Sept. 24th reply to Truman and Churchill] One, not mentioned outright for it would stink to high heaven, would be for Uncle Sam to increase his ten million loan, already rejected, or turn to Russia for assistance.

The trouble America is experiencing in Iran is illustrative of the type of foreign policy America has been following of late under the leadership of men like Dean Acheson. [Secretary of State]

The Iranian oil dispute is primarily one between that country and Great Britain, and ostensibly has nothing to do with [the] United States.

But the great brains in the State Department, ever ready to fight England’s battle with America’s last thin dime, stuck their nose into the quarrel, and only recently offered Mossadegh an outright loan (gift would be a better word) of ten million dollars to the premier if he would patch up his quarrel with England.

That ten million dollars, let me remind you, is your money. But you have no more to say about how it should be handled than you had anything to say about the billions that have been sent overseas to hapless European countries, only one of which, Germany, has shown any great inclination to get back on her own feet.

As far as can be learned, United States has no investment in men or property in Iran, but being the ever-willing partner of Great Britain in all her troubles, came into the picture as the rich uncle from back home with the moneybags to fix everything.

Evidently Mossadegh is holding out for more dough — an ancient practice in his part of the world — and one in which this country should have no part.