September 15, 1953 — Cleveland Plain Dealer
| Arash Norouzi The Mossadegh Project | January 25, 2025 |
When the The Cleveland Plain Dealer ran this short, snarky editorial about Dr. Mossadegh’s treason trial, it got picked up and republished by a number of other newspapers with credit.
The Troy Record in upstate New York liked it, too. Without acknowledging the source, they gave it a new title and doubled it in length, but kept most of the exact words.
It should be noted that they regularly plagiarized Plain Dealer editorials 100%, so this instance of marginal originality was atypical. Yet even its concluding paragraph, which appears legit, was likely ‘inspired’ by the
punchline in this
Sept. 15th editorial in The Philadelphia Inquirer
The Cleveland Plain Dealer (Cleveland, Ohio)
No Ascetic, He
We had always thought of Iran’s former Premier Mohammed Mossadegh as an ascetic gentleman, living on a higher astral plane.
How shocking to read that Mossadegh staged and won an overnight strike for richer food, declaring: “I have only been able to preserve my physical powers with strong food. I must eat three roast chickens every day. I must eat a
robust soup, a cutlet and a good dessert.”
It is quite obvious why they got rid of poor Mossadegh. The national budget wouldn’t stand it!
The Times Record (Troy, New York)
SUGGESTION TO THE SHAH
We are somewhat disappointed in Iran’s former Premier Mohammed Mossadegh. We have never admired his politics and the idea of his playing footsie with the Commies, but somehow we have always thought of him as an ascetic
gentleman, misled, of course, but living on a higher astral plane than most of us.
Thus it is shocking to read that, though up to his neck in trouble, facing court-martial for treasonable activities against the Shah, it’s neither his troubles nor his ideals that bother him. It’s only his appetite. He has
just won an overnight strike for more and richer foods, declaring: “I have only been able to preserve my physical powers with strong food. I must eat three roast chickens every day. I must eat a robust soup, a
cutlet and a good dessert.”
It’s perfectly obvious why they got rid of poor Mossadegh. Iran’s depleted national finances couldn’t stand the strain of his appetite.
We have heretofore sometimes doubted Mossadegh’s capacity as a statesman, but who now can doubt he has a capacity of a sort—for food. In view of this, if we were Iran’s Shah, we’d countermand that order for the former premier’s
court-martial. If the Shah really wants to punish him for his crimes against the state he could cut him down to only one chicken a day.
Related links:
Mossadegh’s Histrionics: This Is a Trial? | The Cleveland Plain-Dealer, Dec. 3, 1953
Columnist Calls Mossadegh “the laughing stock of all the world” | Erich Brandeis (1954)
Mossadegh’s Acting Ability Is Slighted | Detroit Free Press, Dec. 24, 1953
MOSSADEGH t-shirts — “If I sit silently, I have sinned”
