March 25, 1951 — Publisher John S. Knight
| Arash Norouzi The Mossadegh Project | January 9, 2025 |
John Shively Knight (1894-1981) was the editor and publisher of eight papers that formed the Knight Newspapers chain based in Akron, Ohio. The better known Knight-Ridder, Inc. was formed after a 1974 merger with
Ridder Publications, Inc.
The following editorial Knight wrote on Iran was published in his papers under various titles. He later won the 1968 Pulitzer prize for his editorials on the Vietnam War.
March 25, 1951
Iran’s Oil Nationalization
Turns Tables On British
IRANIAN OIL: Action of the Iranian Parliament demanding the expropriation and
nationalization of the British-owned
Anglo-Iranian Oil Co. has its ironical side.
The British are in a dither because Iran’s oil constitutes six per cent of the world’s output and Western Europe’s greatest source of supply.
They are understandably concerned also, over the loss in revenue now accruing not only to the
Anglo-Iranian Oil Co. but to the British government which owns
52.55 per cent of the corporation’s voting stock.
But, you see, Britain’s Labor party believes in nationalization of industry at home. Thus far, steel, transport, coal, airlines, the Bank of England and other basic industries have already been taken over by the government.
However, when it comes to the Iranians doing what the British have already done, that’s a horse of another color.
Clem Attlee’s men claim that Iran just does not have the “know-how” to operate the world’s largest oil refinery. There are those in Britain who take an equally dim view of Attlee and Co.’s ability to manage coal and steel.
[British Premier Clement Attlee (Labour)]
Commented London’s Daily Mail: “If this business were not so serious, It would be very funny indeed. For the Socialists to lecture another government for wishing to nationalize a basic industry is a prize example of the devil
rebuking a sinner.”
Still, our guess is that the British will find a way to keep a firm grip on that Iranian oil, even if they have to resort to some dirty capitalistic practice like raising the ante and paying the Iranians what they were justly
entitled to get in the first place.
Knight Newspapers that ran this editorial included:
The Akron Beacon Journal (Akron, Ohio) — March 25, 1951 (title: Iran’s Oil Nationalization Turns Tables On British)
The Miami Herald (Miami, Florida) — March 25, 1951 (title: The British Will Find Some Way To Control Iranian Oil)
The Detroit Free Press (Detroit, Michigan) — March 25, 1951 (title: Iranian Oil)
Related links:
Iran and Oily Semantics | Hamilton Butler, March 25, 1951
An American Policy in Iran | Muncie Star, June 26, 1951
Nationalization of Iran’s Oil Cause For Deep Apprehension Here (May 5, 1951)
MOSSADEGH t-shirts — “If I sit silently, I have sinned”
