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Operation ‘Ajax’ revisited: Iran, 1953

1993; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 29; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/00263209308700961

1743-7881

Moyara Ruehsen,

Islamic Studies and History

The Iranian oil nationalization crisis, which began in 1951 when Prime Minister Muhammad Musaddiq nationalized the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (AIOC), reached its climax in August 1953 with the CIAassisted overthrow of Musaddiq. Several aspects of Operation 'Ajax', the codename of the CIA plot, until now have remained clouded in mystery. While the story has been told before, to date the written record has remained both incomplete and inconsistent. Moreover, given the sensitive nature of the operation and shaky US relations with Iran over the last ten years, much of the material in government hands has been withheld. The following article aims to iron out these ambiguities, put events in their proper perspective, and shed new light on the degree to which President Dwight D. Eisenhower (whose involvement has largely been ignored in previous accounts) and Prime Minister Musaddiq influenced the eventual outcome of the crisis. Many of the participants, both major and minor, are willing to talk, and what is missing from American archival material can often be found among declassified British documents, Iranian sources and unpublished personal papers. The names and respective roles of participants, which were either disguised or omitted from previous accounts, are also revealed. And finally, direct evidence, never before disclosed to this author's knowledge, is provided revealing President Eisenhower's authorization for and keen interest in a quick resolution to the crisis by whatever means necessary. It is no coincidence that the beginning of the end of British influence in the region began with an expulsion from Iran, as would happen to America 25 years later. Iran, unlike its Arab neighbors, has a longer and stronger nationalistic history. In 1951, Muhammad Musaddiq ran for the office of Prime Minister with just one campaign promise: to free Iran from the British imperial yoke. Embodying the fierce nationalistic pride felt by so many Iranians, Musaddiq won an easy victory. On May Day 1951 shortly after assuming office, he announced that the Majlis had passed the Nationalization Act, effectively wresting control of the AngloIranian Oil Company (AIOC) from the British. By October of that same year, all British subjects had been expelled from the country.