Iran and the CIA

In the early 1950s, the frail septuagenarian Iranian prime minister shook the world, challenging superpower Britain by nationalizing the British-run oil industries in Iran. His name was Doctor Mohammad Mosaddeq. His subsequent downfall in August 1953 changed the course of Iranian history, and remains a haunting memory for the people of Iran today. The British and American governments collaborated in a plot to remove Mosaddeq but which nonetheless failed to ignite. However, days afterwards, amid violent street disturbances, Mosaddeq's government did indeed fall. So, for half a century the conventional wisdom attributed the events of 19th August 1953 to foul play by the CIA and a myth of CIA power and success was created that has mesmerized opinion ever since and cast a shadow over Iran's continuingly troubled relations with America. This pathbreaking study unearths new documentary evidence to suggest the truth lies elsewhere and that Mosaddeq's fall actually took Washington and London by complete surprise. The author provides compelling evidence to suggest that the toppling of Mosaddeq was rooted primarily in internal Iranian dynamics and that prominent clerics of the time, notably the grand Shiite Marja of the time, Ayatollah Boroujerdi, played a crucial role.

ISBN 0230579272   Pages 272 ISBN13 9780230579279 (What's this?)   Volumes 1 Publisher Palgrave Macmillan   Weight (grammes) 456 Imprint Palgrave Macmillan   Published in Basingstoke Format Hardback   Height (mm) 223 Publication date 12 Mar 2010   Width (mm) 144 DEWEY 955.053   Spine width (mm) 20 DEWEY edition DC22   Academic level Tertiary education

1		The context		11
2		The advent of Mosaddeq and the oil crisis		27
3		Mosaddeq's second government, July 1952 to August 1953		52
4		The downslide		74
5		The downfall		98
6		The anatomy of 19 August		118
7		Where did the spark come from?		147
8		Summary and conclusions		155
		Notes		176
		Direct sources of the study		234
		Index		238

'The author has tackled a subject of great importance, infused with emotions and obscured by political manipulation, objectively and with care, using all available sources and to put the events in their proper context. The book deserves a wide audience and should do much to bring this episode into proper perspective. In short, a first-rate scholarly contribution which has implications for contemporary politics.'- Shahram Chubin, Director of Studies, Geneva Centre for Security Policy 'This is an important and beautifully balanced study of the overthrow of Iran's Prime Minister Mosaddeq. For over fifty years the literature has concentrated on the role of CIA and British intelligence. The author has now revealed the critical participation of important Iranian individuals and political factions.'- Charles Naas, former Director, US-Iranian Affairs at the State Department, Washington and Minister-Charge d' Affaires in Tehran 1977-79 'It is helpful to be reminded that history often needs re-examining.' - The Economist 'This is an interesting and provocative book.' - Hugh Arbuthnott, Asian Affairs

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