Mohammed Mossadegh, premier of Iran, has urgently requested that the United States make his country a $120,000,000 loan, $50,000,000 of it to be handed over immediately. According to Mr. Mossadegh, Iran’s income from its nationalized oil industry would make repayment of the loan an easy thing, although he hasn’t explained how you get much income from an oil industry that is crippled by lack of technicians and operating at only a fraction of its capacity.

Aside from the fact that the United States government couldn’t shell out $120,000,000 to Iran without congressional action, the Mossadegh plea offers an exceptional opportunity to serve notice to the world that Uncle Sam has taken off his Santa Claus suit and from now on is willing to help only those who help themselves and who contribute to the common welfare.

Why not make Mr. Mossadegh a business-like offer that would benefit both his nation and ours? Why doesn’t our government tell the premier it won’t give him or lend him a wooden nickel but that it will buy $120,000,000 worth of his oil, with $50,000,000 down, and will provide the necessary managers and technicians to put the Iranian petroleum industry back on its feet?

If Premier Mossadegh were to reject such a fair and sensible offer, he would be on record as another of the gimme boys. And the time has come to tell the gimme boys that America has ceased to be interested in blackmail threats of “money or we’ll go Communist” and from now on is making self-interest the key point in this nation’s program for world betterment.