It might have been better had the Iranian changed their government with ballots instead of bullets; the ballots (as we have just had a reminder) are much slower, but surer.

But even if the Iranians felt disposed to change Mr. MOSSADEGH by the somewhat rude process of burning down houses and cutting up ministers, the riddance was good just the same. [Foreign Minister Hossein Fatemi was falsely reported to have been “torn to pieces” by mobs.]

MOSSADEGH seemingly had no policy except hatred of Britain. In incoherent anger he “nationalized” an oil industry which already belonged to his country and in the process deprived Iranians of their right to live. When this course failed, as it was bound to fail, Mossadegh, encamped in fortress, ruled by force. At first pretending to anti-communism, he turned in the end to Moscow, certainly began supping with the Soviets with a short spoon. In fact the supping became so cozy, the spoon so short, that negotiations were about to be launched with Moscow to “iron out” financial and territorial disputes. The “ironing out” began with the expulsion of the Shah. [The Shah ‘expelled’ himself. Upon his return, he said publicly that he would be willing to accept aid even from the Soviets.]

There come conflicting tales of MOSSADEGH having fled the country, of his being assassinated, of his forthcoming trial. And it could be that in a country like Iran, this fantastic person could come back, a thing he did once before. [July 1952]

In the meantime the Shah, after the shortest royal exile in history, is preparing to fly back home, and Western Powers, hoping for the best, are talking of being able to deal with Iran on reasonable grounds. Meanwhile, too, the new Iranian regime set up with a bang which must make many of us wonder why it takes so long to transfer from one Canadian ministry to another, has issued a statement of policy which sounds all the world like an election manifesto of our Liberals or PC’s. [Progressive Conservative Party]

As for the Shah, he talks like a young man of much common sense, and his record has been good. He once told an interviewer that “dictatorships and autocracies are short-lived” and added that they “are likely to be disastrous, because no man can always make the right decision.” Moreover, when he succeeded his father [Reza Shah Pahlavi] he sold most of the royal estates and broke up others. This won him the hearts of his people, but also won him the eternal enmity of the big landholders, one of whom was MOSSADEGH. Incidentally the Shah is a noted athlete, and was educated in Switzerland. [Mossadegh was educated there, too]

Thus, on balance, things in Iran seem to have taken a turn for the good—and not only for Iran. We wouldn’t want to invest too much money there just yet, but at least we’d feel safer than before.