The Coup: 1953, the CIA, and the Roots of Modern U.S.-Iranian Relations

The CIA-sponsored coup in 1953 that deposed Muhammad Mossadeq, Iran's popular prime minister, is often noted as a failure of interventionist foreign policy. In this slim, readable volume, Iran scholar Abrahamian (A History of Modern Iran) delves into the genesis and aftermath of that operation, challenging the idea that Mossadeq's intransigence made the putsch inevitable. Making extensive use of recently declassified diplomatic cables and the archives of multinational oil companies%E2%80%94especially the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company, now BP%E2%80%94the author makes the case that the U.K. and the U.S., unwilling "to back down over the hard issue of nationalization [of the oil industry]... were the main stumbling blocks" in the relationship between Iran and the West. Abrahamian's conclusions are no longer as controversial as he claims, and the basic outlines should be familiar to students of modern Middle Eastern history, yet his primer skillfully weaves together primary sources to tell an engaging tale of the machinations, intrigues, and personalities at the heart of the crisis. But the full story of the coup may have to wait, as Abrahamian makes clear: "[i]t is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a historian to gain access to the CIA and MI6 files." (Feb.)