A Few Degrees Cooler

Iran's frail, faint-prone Premier Mohammed Mossadeq last week left the Parliament building, where he had been holed up for 20 days in fear of assassins, and moved back to his home. The Iranian situation, for weeks as black as oil, was getting just a shade brighter.

A Matter of Terms. Both the Iranians and the British wanted to negotiate, but on different terms. The British wanted to send a government delegation, obviously intending to dicker over Iran's legal right to nationalize the oil fields. The Iranian government wanted to talk only to Anglo-Iranian company officials and only about how the company could help the Iranians take over. Mossadeq's government issued a virtual ultimatum to the British officials, asking them to help the Iranians and get ready to do it within five days.

In Britain's House of Commons, Foreign Secretary Herbert Morrison publicly accepted "some form of nationalization." Three days later, Mossadeq rose from a sick bed to receive U.S. Ambassador Henry Grady, who delivered a personal message from President Harry Truman.* Gist of it: "Iran's independence is absolutely essential . . . The flow of Iran's oil is absolutely essential . . ." Now that Foreign Secretary Morrison was ready to accept "the principle of nationalization," it looked as if negotiations for a settlement might begin. "I am sure," concluded Truman, "Your Excellency is aware of the possible explosive consequences ..."

A Matter of Principle. Mossadeq read Truman's message before a closed session of the Iranian Senate. "The British," the Premier complained, "agree only to some form of nationalization. How can we consider the question solved?" Mossadeq's position was still that Britain must unconditionally accept the principle of Anglo-Iranian's nationalization. "We have burned all bridges behind us," cried Hussein Makki, secretary of the commission to take over the oilfields. "Either we shall reach our goal ... or we shall be destroyed, and the world with us."

Just when it looked as if no common ground could be found, Anglo-Iranian agreed to send representatives to Teheran for "full and frank discussions." Firebrand Makki cooled off a few degrees, called Anglo-Iranian's gesture "satisfactory." The government was reported ready to postpone the actual take-over of Anglo-Iranian, pending the talks.

Agreement was still a long way off, but for the first time in weeks it seemed at least possible.

*The message given to Mossadeq was actually a copy of a message sent at the same time to Britain's Prime Minister Clement Attlee. The mixup resulted from a cable snafu. Embarrassed Washington officials explained that there were "no essential differences" in the two messages.

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