Behind the 1953 Coup in Iran
Thugs, Turncoats, Soldiers, and Spooks

This book reconstructs the events surrounding the Iranian coup d'état in 1953 that led to the overthrow of Mohammed Mosaddeq and his government.

Ali Rahnema (Author)

9781107429758, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 1 September 2016

348 pages, 4 maps
23 x 15.2 x 2 cm, 0.5 kg

'Based on far-ranging Iranian, British, and American archival sources, Behind the 1953 Coup in Iran is an indispensable and fair-minded account of the clandestine operations that overthrew the legal government of Mohammed Mosaddeq. It studies Mosaddeq's own ethical and economic dilemmas as well as the calculations of British and American intelligence agents. Not least it includes a clear chronological table, biographical notes and detailed maps, which will establish it as a work of reference. Above all, it assesses the consequences for the Iranian people and the way in which Mosaddeq's fate has engaged generations of historians.' Wm. Roger Louis, University of Texas

Ali Rahnema's work is a meticulous historical reconstruction of the Iranian coup d'état in 1953 that led to the overthrow of Mohammed Mosaddeq and his government. Mosaddeq's removal from power has probably attracted more attention than any other event occurring during his tenure because of the role of foreign involvement, the political, economic and social impact on Iran, and the long-term impact the ousting had on Iran-US relations. Drawing on American, British and Iranian sources, Rahnema closely examines the four-day period between the first failed coup and the second successful attempt, investigating in fine detail how the two coups were conceptualised, rationalised and executed by players on both the Anglo-American and Iranian sides. Through painstaking research into little-studied sources, Rahnema casts new light on how a small group of highly influential pro-Britain politicians and power brokers revisited the realities on the ground with the CIA operatives dispatched to Iran and how they recalibrated a new, and ultimately successful, operational plan.

Introduction: Mosaddeq's overthrow according to the shah
1. The British reaction to Mosaddeq in power: 'Mossie Grabs Britain's Oil - But Navy to the Rescue' (Daily Express)
2. Mosaddeq's opposition strikes: testing tactics
3. Who beckoned and who executed on 28 February (9 Esfand)
4. TPAJAX: company (CIA) commanders and firm (SIS) functionaries operationalising the coup
5. The CIA-affiliated organisations: propaganda and combat
6. The precision coup flops: back to the drawing board
7. Second coup and capabilities of the military network
8. A viable homespun coup
9. The crucial last-minute preparations
10. The second coup begins with the pincer movement of the thugs
11. Coup agents occupying the city centre
12. Attacking ministries and pro-Mosaddeq buildings
13. The enigma of the tanks: betrayal or incompetence
14. Mosaddeq overthrown
15. Religious representatives and the coup
16. Why did the second coup succeed?
17. Mosaddeq's exit: legal transfer of power or coup d'état
Conclusion.

Subject Areas: Postwar 20th century history, from c 1945 to c 2000 [HBLW3], History of the Americas [HBJK], Middle Eastern history [HBJF1]