Premier Mossadegh is reportedly reluctant to accept further American military aid which would commit Iran to the west, according to dispatches from Teheran. In proof of this he has agreed to receive a Polish trade mission to discuss new ways of disposing of Persia’s nationalized oil.

The report adds that the new U.S. Ambassador, Loy Henderson, achieved “no concrete results” in his latest conference with the ailing Iranian leader. This is not surprising, but the intimation that Mossadegh has been warned to moderate his anti-western course by the Iranian general staff may have profound significance.

The Iranian army, though it could not offer much resistance to a Russian invasion, is a fairly well disciplined and equipped internal security force as Eastern armies go. It proved itself easily able to control the country during the tense period when the British were being inched out of Abadan and has maintained order in Teheran despite frequent mass demonstrations. The Iranian officer corps is well aware that its present condition is largely due to American military aid funds, and, while simple gratitude is as rare in Iran as anywhere, practical self-interest is not lacking.