The CIA Coup Iran 1953 Link Between the

The CIA Coup: Iran, 1953 Link Between the Cold War and the War on Terrorism

US Response to Basic Reforms • “When Mossadegh [mohsah-dek] and Persia started basic reforms, we became alarmed, we united with the British to destroy him; we succeeded; and ever since, our name has not been an honored one in the Middle East. ” - Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas

US Intervention • In 1953, the United States government along with the British government overthrew a democratically elected leader in Iran.

Serious Repercussions • This overthrow of Iran's Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh had serious repercussions for the future of Western relations in the Middle East.

Self-Serving Motives • The Western motivations for the overthrow of the Mossadegh government were self-serving.

Western Objectives • Four major objectives led to Western intervention in the Iranian political system: • To contain Communism and prevent Iran from falling to Communism, • To protect Western interests in Iranian oil, • To reverse the nationalization of the oil industry by the Iranian government, and • To prevent a possible economic collapse in Iran.

Iranian Cast of Characters • These Iranian characters played a vital role in the coup d'etat: • The Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi [pah-la-vee]. came to power in 1941. According to the CIA, his cooperation was vital to the success of the coup. However, he had "shown himself to be a man of indecision. "

Iranian Cast of Characters • Mohammad Mossadegh was an ardent nationalist elected to the Majlis (Iranian parliament) in 1944. When the Majlis voted to seize control of the British-owned and operated Anglo-Iranian Oil Company in 1951, he was named as the new prime minister.

Iranian Cast of Characters • General Fazlollah Zahedi, the son of a wealthy landowner, was elevated to the rank of general in the Iranian army at the age of 25. He led the military coup in 1953, in cooperation with the CIA, and succeeded Mossadegh as prime minister.

Iranian Cast of Characters • Asadollah Rashidian and his two brothers (Seyfollah and Qodratollah) had important contacts in Iranian society (including the armed forces, the Majlis, and the press). They helped the CIA during the coup and were a communication link to the Shah after the coup.

Iranian Cast of Characters • Ayatollah Abd al-Qasem Kashani was an anti-British religious leader. His position in Iranian society can be compared to that of Ayatollah Khomeini 25 years later. He accused Mossadegh of being pro-British and said, "If Mossadegh yields [to the British], his blood will flow. . "

American Cast of Characters • These Americans were key players in the 1953 Iranian coup: • Kermit Roosevelt, the grandson of Theodore Roosevelt, was the CIA agent in charge of Operation Ajax (the CIA name for the coup).

American Cast of Characters • Averell Harriman served as ambassador to both London and Moscow. He had no special knowledge of Iran , although he had visited there during World War II and had met the Shah.

American Cast of Characters • John Foster Dulles was Eisenhower's Secretary of State. He was an avid anti-communist, and saw the Iranian coup as a way to stop the spread of Soviet Communism. He was also one of the pioneers of brinkmanship.

American Cast of Characters • Allen Dulles, John Foster's brother, was the CIA Director during the coup. He was the first civilian director of the CIA and just as intent as his brother in stopping the spread of communism and liberating those behind the Iron Curtain.

Iranian Political System • The Iranian political system in 1953 was not entirely democratic. The Majlis (parliament) had to share power with the monarch. While some members were elected by the people, others were appointed by the Shah. In addition, the Shah held the right to dismiss the prime minister.

Movement to Nationalize Oil Industry • Starting in 1949, the movement to nationalize Iran 's oil industry grew. Under the First Development Plan, Iranian politicians hoped to accelerate economic growth by incorporating the latest technology. The finances needed to implement the plan would come from oil revenues.

Anglo-Iranian Oil Company • In November 1950, a Majlis committee, headed by Mossadegh, rejected a draft agreement from the Anglo. Iranian Oil Company (AIOC). The company had offered the Iranian government slightly improved terms from their previous contract, but nowhere near the fifty-fifty profits they anticipated.

Nationalization • On March 15, 1951, the Majlis, led by Mossadegh, voted to nationalize the oil industry. The Shah acquiesced to the Majlis' pressure and demonstrations in the streets by naming Mossadegh prime minister in April.

Political Chaos • As Mossadegh's power and popularity grew, so did political chaos. The friction between the Shah and the prime minister was heightened by Mossadegh's unwillingness to change his position on the oil issue. This chaos led to intervention by the United States.

CIA Secret History • The CIA’s secret history of its covert operation to overthrow Iran's government in 1953 details how US and British officials plotted the military coup that returned the shah of Iran to power and toppled Iran's elected prime minister, an ardent nationalist.

British Plan • The document shows that Britain, fearful of Iran's plans to nationalize its oil industry, came up with the idea for the coup in 1952 and pressed the United States to mount a joint operation to remove the prime minister.

Handpicked Successor • The CIA and SIS, handpicked General Fazlollah Zahedi to succeed Prime Minister Mohammed Mossadegh and covertly funneled $5 million to General Zahedi's regime two days after the coup prevailed.

Iranians Posed as Communists • Iranians working for the CIA and posing as Communists harassed religious leaders and staged the bombing of one cleric's home in a campaign to turn the country's Islamic religious community against Mossadegh's government.

Operation in Jeopardy • The shah's cowardice nearly killed the CIA operation. Fearful of risking his throne, the Shah repeatedly refused to sign CIAwritten royal decrees to change the government.

Intermediaries • The agency arranged for Princess Ashraf Pahlevi, the shah's twin sister, and General H. Norman Schwarzkopf, the father of the Desert Storm commander, to act as intermediaries. Nevertheless, he fled the country just before the coup.

Mossadegh’s Trial • After the coup, Mossadegh was brought before a military tribunal and charged with treason. He said “[my]. . . only crime is that I nationalized the Iranian oil industry and removed from this land the network of colonialism and political and economic influence of the greatest empire on earth. "

The Sentence • However, his defense was to no avail. He was sentenced to three years in prison followed by a lifetime of house arrest. When he died in 1967, no national funeral, ceremony, or public expression of mourning was allowed.

US Motives • What motivated the United States to play a hand in the overthrow of Mossadegh? Why take, an almost democratic nation, and turn it over to a power hungry autocrat, such as Mohammad Reza Shah?

Fear of Communism • Iran itself was not an immediate threat to a superpower like the United States. But Iran in the hands of the Soviet Union, America 's Cold War rival, was an immediate threat. So the fear of Communism was one of the motives that drew America to participate in Operation Ajax.

Control of Oil • Control of Iranian oil was another main factor contributing to the Western overthrow of Mossadegh's government. Without oil from the Middle East, the US would have found it difficult to achieve the impressive economic growth it attained in the postwar era. Nor could it have sustained the military forces needed for possible confrontation with the Soviet Union and its allies.

Economic Stability • A military blockade, and economic sanctions and embargos placed on Iran, brought the fragile economy to almost total collapse. This was not something that the US desired. American national security depended upon a politically and economically stable Iran, so that Iran would not fall into the hands of the Soviet Union.

Consequences • The 1953 overthrow of the democraticallyelected Mossadegh and his government set off a series of unintended consequences. It gave the Shah a chance to become an autocrat. His oppressive rule led to the 1979 Iranian Revolution, which overthrew him and placed Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in power.

Carter’s Treatment of Shah • After the Shah was overthrown, the Carter Administration allowed Mohammad Reza Shah to come to America for medical treatment. This led many Iranians to suspect a conspiracy to stage another coup.

Hostage Crisis • This perceived threat caused a frenzy among Iranian radicals who, with their new leader's blessing, stormed the American embassy in Tehran and took fifty-two American diplomats hostage for 444 days.

Support for Saddam Hussein • The Hostage Crisis changed the course of American diplomacy towards Iran. It led America to support Iraq in the Iran-Iraq War, a move that consolidated the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein.

Inspired Terrorism • In the 1980 s, Iran's theocratic government turned the country into a center for the propagation of terrorism abroad. It sponsored, financed, and armed such factions as Hezbollah, Hamas, and other Middle Eastern terrorist groups engaged in political kidnapping and assassinations.

Provided Base for 9/11 Attacks • Iranian leaders, with their devotion to radical Islam, allowed these revolutionary leaders to become heroes to fanatics all over the world and inspired the founders of the Afghan Taliban, which would eventually give Osama bin-Laden a base from which to launch the September 11 terrorist attacks.

War on Terrorism • This gave George W. Bush an excuse to invade Afghanistan and Iraq, resulting in wars that killed thousands of Iraqi and Afghani civilians and military personal and Western soldiers.

Cycle of Violence • They continue to kill, injure, and disrupt the lives of innocent people and fuel hatred for Americans in younger generations of Middle Eastern populations, continuing the cycle.

Man’s Eternal Desire to Be Free • ". . the most powerful single force in the world today is neither communism nor capitalism, neither H-bomb nor the guided missile. It is man's eternal desire to be free and independent. “ -- Senator John F. Kennedy, July 2, 1957

A Democratic Middle East • “Had Mossadegh been left in power, he would have built a democratic Iran, thus paving the way for other democracies to take root in the Middle East. America's shortsightedness reverberates today in the disastrous state of the region. ” --Nosratollah Amini, former mayor of Tehran and attorney to Prime Minister Mossadegh