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Patriot of Persia: Muhammad Mossadegh and a Tragic Anglo-American Coup Hardcover – Illustrated, 15 May 2012
by Christopher De Bellaigue (Author)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars (133)
Christopher de Bellaigue, a former contributor to The Economist, brings to light the fascinating story of one of the great anti-colonial heroes of the twentieth century: Muhammad Mossadegh, the great Iranian leader whose untimely demise resulted in the Islamic Revolution of 1979, and a man who has been demonized, ridiculed, and misunderstood in the West while remaining an icon and an inspiration across the Middle East. Patriot of Persia, a new biography exploring his life and impact, opens a crucial new window into Mossadegh--whose role in the evolution of Iran's political climate cannot be overemphasized--providing a resource that will prove equally invaluable to academics, newshounds, and activists as they struggle to understand Mideast politics, Iran, Ahmadinejad, and the future of the region--and the world.
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320 pages
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"A compelling biography... Bellaigue...writes with economy and a lightly ironic touch...The result is a three-dimensional profile of Mossadegh that contrasts sharply with the heroic democrat mythologized by his supporters." -- Wall Street Journal
"Economist Tehran correspondent de Bellaigue uses plenty of local insight to provide general readers with an intriguing combination of biography, history and strategic study." -- Kirkus Reviews
"...superbly researched..." -- Huffington Post
"...a major strength of the book is that it does not seek to lionize the protagonist." -- Washington Independent Review of Books
"Brilliant...A sweeping new biography...also a rich portrait of Iran amid the revolutionary upheaval of anti-colonial reform movements...-the antecedent, in many ways, of today's Middle East uprisings." -- The Daily
"...thanks to veteran journalist Christopher de Bellaigue's brisk, engaging 300-page biography, Mossadegh's strange personality and at times baffling motives come into clearer focus." -- The Daily Beast
"A timely book...elegantly written...feels both fresh and relevant...highlights the dangers of a foreign policy that ignores the perceptions of those with memories longer than our own." -- The Guardian
"Superbly timed...portrays some fascinating, and often farcical, stories of political life in Iran" -- Independent
"Compelling... the West has handled its relationship with Iran as badly as possible... we have little leverage with its people...de Bellaigue's book goes far to explain why." -- Max Hastings, Sunday Times (London)
"De Bellaigue's book is unsurpassed as a rounded portrait of Mossadegh." -- Times Literary Supplement (London)
"Authoritative...a politically astute biography" -- Pankaj Mishra, London Review of Books
"Portrayed by Bellaigue as a classic tragic hero...the book presents a nuanced portrait of an enigmantic man whose brilliance and fairmindedness fatally collided with his pride and rigidity." -- Tara Bahrampour, Washington Post
"Brilliant...deft...De Bellaigue, fluent in Farsi, draws on previously unused Iranian sources to bring Mossadegh to vivid life...De Bellaigue's powerful portrait is also a timely reminder that further Western recklessness toward Iran...would only pile tragedy upon tragedy." -- Roger Cohen, New York Review of Books
From the Back Cover
On August 19, 1953, the American and British intelligence agencies launched a desperate coup in Iran against a cussed, bedridden seventy-two-year-old man. His name was Muhammad Mossadegh, and his crimes had been to flirt with communism and to nationalize his country's oil industry, which for forty years had been in British hands. To Winston Churchill, the Iranian prime minister was a lunatic, determined to humiliate Britain. To President Dwight Eisenhower, he was delivering Iran to the Soviets. Mossadegh must go.
And so he did, in one of the most dramatic episodes in modern Middle Eastern history. But the countries that overthrew him would, in time, deeply regret their decision. Mossadegh was one of the first liberals of the Middle East, a man whose conception of liberty was as sophisticated as any in Europe or America. He wanted friendship with the West--but not slavish dependence. He would not compromise on Iran's right to control its own destiny. The West therefore sided against him and in favor of his great foe, Shah Muhammad-Reza Pahlavi.
Who was this political guerrilla of noble blood, who was so adored in the Middle East and so reviled in the West? Schooled in Europe of the Belle Epoque, Mossadegh was pitted against dictatorship at home, a struggle that almost cost him his life and had tragic consequences for his family. By the time of the Shah's accession in 1941, Mossadegh had become the nation's conscience, and he spent the rest of his life in conflict with a monarch whose despotic regime was eventually toppled in the Islamic Revolution of 1979.
Here, for the first time, is the political and personal life of a remarkable patriot, written by our foremost observer of Iran. Drawing on sources in Tehran and the West, Christopher de Bellaigue reveals a man who not only embodied his nation's struggle for freedom but also was one of the great eccentrics of modern times--and uncovers the coup that undid him. Above all, the life of Muhammad Mossadegh serves as a warning to today's occupants of the White House and Downing Street as they commit to further intervention in a volatile and unpredictable region.
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Patriot of Persia: Muhammad Mossadegh and a Tragic Anglo-American CoupProduct details
Publisher : Harper
Publication date : 15 May 2012
Edition : Illustrated
Language : English
Print length : 320 pages
ISBN-10 : 0061844705
ISBN-13 : 978-0061844706
Item weight : 499 g
Dimensions : 15.24 x 2.72 x 22.86 cm
Best Sellers Rank: 1,114,144 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)271 in History of Iran
515 in Historical Middle East Biographies
612 in History of Eastern Europe (Books)
Customer Reviews:
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars (133)
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Lance Grundy
5.0 out of 5 stars What a Tangled Web We Weave...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 27 January 2024
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The 1953 Anglo-American-backed coup in Iran was, I have to come to realise, one of the defining geopolitical events of the twentieth century. It was the first time America’s CIA, working in tandem with Britain’s MI6, set out to destroy and replace a democratically-elected foreign government by covert means. The overthrow of Muhammad Mossadegh and his replacement with the Western puppet, Mohammed Reza Shah, was deemed such a success in London and Washington that ‘Regime Change’ operations, so-called ‘color revolutions’ and most recently ‘Maidans’ [ironically a Persian word], have been baked into the CIA/MI6 operational playbook ever since. Indeed, it is credible to assert that the primrose path to Kiev started in Tehran.
First published in 2012 [and therefore prior to the American National Security Archive releasing two declassified documents in 2017 which confirmed that Britain approached the United States in 1952 requesting help fomenting a coup against Mossadegh] Christopher de Bellaigue was, even then, in no doubt that the true instigator of the coup was Britain’s MI6 rather than the CIA – hence the subtitle “A Very British Coup”. Educated at Cambridge University, where he read Indian and Iranian Studies, he is married to an Iranian wife and they divide their time between London and Tehran, giving him an invaluable ‘boots-on-the-ground’ insight into Iranian culture and history which adds credibility to his thesis.
Putting the wider geo-political implications of Bellaigue’s book aside, this is basically a well-researched, interesting and insightful biography of one of the most fascinating, yet little known, world leaders of the twentieth century. Bellaigue paints a sympathetic picture of a principled and eccentric gentleman whose concern for his country and the welfare of its people set him on a collision course with powerful political and economic interests in both the fading British Empire and the rising American one. The crux of the problem was, of course, oil and neither Britain nor America could allow the nationalisation of Anglo-Iranian Oil [now British Petroleum] to go ahead. For them, it was essential to secure access to Iranian natural resources for exploitation by Western multinational corporations while ensuring a ready market for western goods and weapons. Although largely pro-Western, Mossadegh was just too nationalistic and had to go. Follow the money, as they say.
Yet it would be unfair of me to give the impression that Bellaigue’s book is just another anti-Anglo-American hit-piece. It most definitely is not. His narrative is both fair & balanced and he apportions blame wherever it is due. As he makes clear, Mossadegh was a complicated character and both he, and the Iranians themselves, bear much of the responsibility for the 1953 coup [it was the Iranian elite who ultimately deposed Mossadegh even if it was at the behest of Britain and America] and to blame it, as many do, both inside and outside of Iran, solely on the West is far too simplistic. However, if you want to gain an understanding of Iranian animosity towards the West and their distrust of the British in particular, this is as good a place as any to start. Unfortunately, for mainly mercantile reasons, in 1953 Britain and America set in train events which killed freedom and democracy in Iran and the implications of that are still with us to this day.
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David Young
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book, very informative and useful information
Reviewed in Canada on 7 November 2016
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Excellent book, very informative and useful information. I have read other books by de Bellaigue and they are also very good.
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F. J. Junkers
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent!
Reviewed in the United States on 3 September 2012
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de Bellaigue has written an exceptional book. Although there's a good bit about the coup that took down Mossadegh, the book's focus is greater than that. It serves as a lesson on Iranian politics from the 30's to the 50's and it gives a good glimpse of life and politics at the time.
The British do not, of course, come out of it looking good, neither do the Americans, who even going against the advice of some of its own more enlightened foreign service men, lets the British fool them into a coup that did not benefit American interests. That it later led to the '79 Revolution and the Iran of today is even more tragic. It also helps the reader who does not know the real history of the area to understand the deep mistrust and oftentimes hatred of the US and the UK that can be found in some Iranian circles. Sometimes is hard to think them wrong. It is tragic to see that had the US taken a different path, the history of the Middle East could have been different.
BUT, and it's a big but, de Bellaigue does not tell an one-sided story. He criticizes Mossadegh on many occasions and points out on others how his behavior helped, in the end, the positions taken by the US and the British. Had he been more politically able on the international scene, he could have helped his cause a lot.
So it is a balanced book, which gives praise and criticism on the right places. It does not make an excuse for anything that came after or during that time. That the author has real experience living in Tehran is a welcome bonus, since some books about this period have been written by people with fairly limited real experience of Iran.
It is a recommended reading for today, since Iran is back on the news for the wrong reasons and it, at least, shows the reader that meddling in other countries carries long term consequences that can hardly be foreseen. It is also a tale of how a country can do something so contrary to it's values and principles (the US and UK) while the 'victim' also fumbles the ball and helps the cause against it, sometimes out of political ineptitude. A sad, but real and very interesting tale.
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Duke of Wellington
4.0 out of 5 stars interesting topic and book
Reviewed in Germany on 16 March 2025
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Very interesting book sheding light on an interesting country, time, and personality. Well written, too. Helps to understand the present situation of Iran, too.
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manou Farrokhzad
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Reviewed in Canada on 17 April 2015
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perfect
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thrubwell
4.0 out of 5 stars well written
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 7 April 2025
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if iran is of interest this books helps to see how they are where they are now
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Dr. R. Brandon
4.0 out of 5 stars A Forensic Examination of the Rise and Fall of Muhammad Mossadegh, Premier of Iran
Reviewed in the United States on 10 December 2020
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This book relates the life and overthrow of Muhammad Mossadegh, the democratically elected Prime Minister of Iran in August 1953.
The book is interesting in that it analyses the life and career of Mossadegh in forensic detail, and in doing so tells us much about the history, politics and social customs of Iran between the turn of the century and 1960. The book is a highly valuable piece of work mainly for this reason. Despite having to grapple with a host of Iranian names and characters I felt I had learnt a lot about the country and could appreciate better why modern Iran adopted some of its present postures.
I remain unconvinced that the coup that took place, which is described in moment by moment detail, was actually Anglo-American. Whilst British diplomats certainly frequently expressed their desire to be rid of Mossadegh because of his intransigence in negotiations over the British restarting of oil extraction and refining facilities at Abadan after nationalisation by the Mossadegh government, that does not make them co-conspirators. As far as I can understand from the evidence presented by the author, no British diplomats or agents were in Tehran at the time of the coup. It appears to me to be an entirely American affair, and they were certainly short term beneficiaries from the restoration of the Shah and his subsequent dictatorship. American companies were subsequently heavily involved in the Iranian oil business. The coup was in line with the Dulles-Eisenhower policy of the time to combat the perceived threat of communism on all fronts. Certainly, the chaos promoted by the actions of Mossadegh facilitated a much more prominent role for the Tudeh (Communist) Party and its Soviet backers in Iran which would have been a cause for alarm.
The book is clearly the result of copious research and for the most part reads well. However, the story of the premiership of Mossadegh can become a little tedious as he was a difficult and infuriating politician to deal with and it is a tale of frequent lost opportunities. Probably the benchmark work in English on Mossadegh and recommended for all interested in the history and background of modern Iran.
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Metallurgist
5.0 out of 5 stars Well written and highly informative
Reviewed in the United States on 24 March 2017
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The is a well written and highly informative biography of Muhammad Mossadegh, which concentrates on the 1953 fall of his government of Iran. The book captures Mossadegh’s highly idiosyncratic life and his impact on Iran and on the history of the 20th century. The book is a complete biography, covering his early life and education France and Switzerland, and his early political life leading up to his becoming the Iranian prime minister. The emphasis is, however, on his tenure as prime minister and on the coup that drove him from power. While the book clearly favors Mossadegh side of events, he is also criticized as having contributed to his own downfall. While the US and Britain are held responsible for the 1953 coup, the book also shows how others, - the leaders of the religious establishment, the communist Tudeh party,royalist elements in the army, and Mossadegh’s indecisive leadership in the crisis all led to the fall of his government.
Mossadegh is described as a man who could not compromise on his beliefs, even when a short-term compromise would have likely fostered his long-term goals. He was focused on the British control over the oil fields of Iran, but refused to accept a deal that, while not 100% of what he wanted, would have given Iran almost all of what he wanted and would have alleviated a severe economic crisis. He is pictured as a man prone to dramatic gestures, but indecisive when action was critically called for. I liked the book a lot and found that it gave me a better understanding of the 1979 Iranian Revolution that was in effect a continuation and result of the events of 1953. The book contains photographs, but in this paperback edition they are printed on the same course paper as the rest of the book and are therefore quite indistinct and rather useless. It has a bibliography, notes and an index.
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Fari M
5.0 out of 5 stars A forthright window on a much admired patriot.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 24 March 2021
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A timely book on the dispicable interference by the West on Iran and the role of Britain in maligning an honourable and patriotic man who championed his country's independence.
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F.M
5.0 out of 5 stars Very good book for those interested on the history of Iran
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 26 September 2018
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Very good book for those interested on the history of Iran
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Bahram
5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Biography Of A Great 20th Century Political Personality
Reviewed in the United States on 22 August 2013
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Very few people in the west know about Dr Mossadegh. Simply he was a great man, a patriot and an honest politician that was rare during his time and even rarer now. The proof of this is the love and respect that is bestowed on him by the majority of Iranians then and even now after over 60 years. By writing this biography Christopher de Bellaigue has provided insight into the personality and political life of Dr. Mossadegh and the circumstances that led to the nationalization of Iranian oil industry and his unfortunate and subsequent overthrow by CIA under pressure from the British government. In addition this book provides valuable information about socioeconomic circumstances during those crucial years in Iranian history and the deepening of Iranian miss-trust of the foreign powers particularly of the British and American that lingers on to the present day. One can possibly relate the present crises in the region as a result of the foreign powers meddling in the affairs of the developing nations solely for financial gains and through supporting and establishing corrupt and poppet governments without concern for the oppressed population of that country. This is simply a historic crime by British/American governments of the time. Through efforts by the writer of this excellent book and other historians what happened in those dark years will not be forgotten and more importantly it may serve to prevent such misguided policies being repeated in future.
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DavidB
3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting, particularly for the light it sheds on Mossadegh's ...
Reviewed in the United States on 2 December 2017
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Interesting, particularly for the light it sheds on Mossadegh's family background and early life, as well as for the way it captures the essence of Iranian culture and politics. But de Bellaigue's style of writing is at times eccentric and over literary. This gets in the way of understanding what is already a complicated enough story.
5 people found this helpful
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tamara
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 27 September 2015
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This book is great to learn about such a crucial figure in iranian modern history
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mr s j thorneycroft
4.0 out of 5 stars Interestingly written
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 28 November 2019
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An interestingly written book about an interesting man. I had not come across the history of Iran from this period before.
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Serge J. Van Steenkiste
5.0 out of 5 stars Ongoing Shock Waves Emanating from the Western-Backed Overthrow of Muhammad Mossadegh
Reviewed in the United States on 29 July 2012
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Christopher de Bellaigue narrates with much objectivity the life of Muhammad Mossadegh, a Western-educated Iranian liberal reformer whose ultimate goal was to make Iran both economically and politically independent from the West. The narration greatly benefits from Mr. de Bellaigue's intimate knowledge of both British and Iranian cultures.
Iran (also known as Persia) was a pawn in the Great Game, i.e., the commercial and military rivalry/conflict that existed between the British Empire and the Russian Empire (subsequently the Soviet Union) for supremacy in Central Asia. During his stint as Prime Minister of Iran from 1951 to 1953, Mr. Mossadegh's highest priority was to nationalize the Iranian assets of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (AIOC) (today known as British Petroleum or BP) so that his country would receive a fair share of the proceeds from the extraction and sale of oil. The Iranian oil industry had been under British control since 1913. Mr. Mossadegh wanted friendship with the West based on mutual respect and independence.
Great Britain, a fast declining empire whose finances were shaky in the aftermath of WWII, considered these assets essential for its solvency. Mr. de Bellaigue clearly explains to his readers how Great Britain convinced the U.S. to take its side in its quarrel with Iran to overthrow Mr. Mossadegh and to reestablish his more pliable rival, Shah Muhammad-Reza Pahlavi. The involvement of the U.S. in this coup d'état cannot be understood without the context of the Cold War that the U.S. and the Soviet Union waged for decades after the end of WWII.
Mr. de Bellaigue rightly observes that this coup inaugurated a U.S. policy in support of shoddy Middle Eastern despots in the ensuing decades. This policy suffered its first major setback in 1979 with the arrival of the Mullahs to supreme power in Iran. The ongoing Arab Spring could result into other major setbacks for American interests in the Middle East. This movement, whose ultimate outcome is hard to predict at this stage, is affecting not only American clients, but also American adversaries such as Iran and Syria.
In summary, the overthrow of Mr. Mossadegh serves as a warning to whoever wants to meddle in the affairs of the unpredictable, volatile Middle East.
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Peter J. Piaseckyj
4.0 out of 5 stars Persia a Microcosm of Arrogance and Ignorance
Reviewed in the United States on 28 February 2013
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A must read for American Patriots who believe that we are the "Temple on the Hill" and a shining example for all the world. We need to learn!!! Notice the wars that we started and the hundreds of thousands human beings murdered.
Our most famous leaders of the Western World, Churchill and Eisenhower "tread where fools fear to tread", their ignorance and arrogance created some of the greatest monsters of the 20th century. Just to name a few, Shah of Iran, Popa Doc, Somoza, Trujillo, the house of Saud, Saddam Hussein and the list goes on ad nauseam.
Our leaders do not learn, just to name Bush who fooled the people of the United States into a criminal enterprise in Iraq.
This book is very good except in several places where it lost my interest. However it was an informative read from a knowledgeable and an erudite writer.
5 people found this helpful
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Malcolm
4.0 out of 5 stars fascinating, much needed account of a Persian legend
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 26 September 2013
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A biography of this eccentric but thoroughly democratic Persian politician. Interesting, but I was left wanting to know more about the man.
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Jaybird
5.0 out of 5 stars Clear and sensitive portrayal of Mohammad Mossadegh
Reviewed in the United States on 26 November 2015
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Helpful sorting out timelines and events of such a remarkable man. Bellaigue seems to have known Mossadegh though he is not biased to show favoritism in telling us honestly of the emotional state and character Mossadegh had; his strengths and weaknesses. I felt like I was walking Tehran with the author, he the guide, revealing his heart to me about this hero. Mossadegh was a classic example of a true visionary in the early 20th Century striving for change in a land where customs and religion run deep and most often difficult to understand. His education in France and Switzerland gave him the radical perspective on life embracing Democratic values and Statesmanship without being overly religious simply practical in faith. He bravely offered new ideas to the people of Persia who will indeed love him forever. He definitely wanted only the best for Iran and despised the Western philos modus operandi (particularly British) in friction leveraging for oil domination which in his mind was clearly unthinkable. In hindsight it is always easy to say 'see' But as we all well know now just how established oil cartels do not ever play fair, are violent and ruthless in their business, yet Mossadegh defied them trying everything in his power to give Iran the upper hand to balanced negotiation. Great book
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Old goat
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent summary of one of the most important events in Iran and US history.
Reviewed in the United States on 24 November 2013
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I've been looking to find out what actually happened in the 1953 coup, and it seems this is a very good and accurate rendition of the event. But much more came out in the book. The man himself and his strengths and frailties, and the absolute perfidy of the British and US in the events themselves and those leading up to it. Bottom line is, that as in so many other counties that are our enemies today, we had a major hand in getting our enemies set up in power. By putting the Shah in power and encouraging him to be despotic, we set the stage for today's Iran government, in fact made it inevitable.
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Odessa Hartgrave
4.0 out of 5 stars A must read
Reviewed in the United States on 24 February 2013
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
Am part way through it. I 'm just delighted that a capable writer has finally chosen to write about this magnificent
and progressive leader. I am very familiar with the history and the despicable role played by the UK and the USA.
Greed toppled him and now we have the Ayatollas. Hmmm.....I wonder why. A must read for anyone who wants to
understand our current relationship with Iran. We effectively destroyed a democratically elected secular government.
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