All the Shah's Men: An American Coup and the Roots of Middle East Terror Paperback – January 1, 2008

There have been few more fitting epigraphs for a book than the subject one, which is a quote from Harry Truman; Kinzer uses to commence his book. This is a historical work of the first order of importance for every American, and indeed, the vast, overwhelming majority of them know absolutely nothing about this sad, even infuriating chapter of our history. It is hardly "uplifting," and somehow I suspect the movie rights will never be sold.Stephen Kinzer has written a detailed account of the 1953 coup, orchestrated by the CIA, which overthrew the democratically elected government of Iran, headed by Mohammed Mossadegh. Some famous American names were involved. The coup was conceived, planned, and managed by Kermit Roosevelt, the grandson of Teddy. Norman Schwarzkopf Sr., father of the First Gulf War American commander, was the "bag man" for the coup, literally carrying into Iran millions of dollars to pay off certain leaders and to fund rioters that would help undermine the legitimate government of Iran. Why? In some ways one can blame that then fading colonial power, Britain. "Their" oil reserves were in Iran, and they were determined to maintain control of the oil fields, and grant the Iranians only the "crumbs" from the table. The British government had tried to enlist the support of the Americans earlier, to depose Mossadegh and impose a much more pliable leader, in the "best" colonial traditions. Much to his credit, President Truman consistently refused. But when Eisenhower won the election in 1952, the green light was given. The President himself was not so directly involved, but it was the Dulles brothers, at State and the CIA, who provided the essential support for the concept and its execution. The British were clever enough to change their pitch, away from protecting "our" oil, towards the classic bogeyman of the period, the fear of the Communists.Publisher's Weekly says that Kinzer's style is "breezy," and I would agree. It made me a bit uneasy, since it seemed to lack the gravitas of, say, Fromkin's "A Peace to End All Peace." Yet I could not find an error, or even a statement I would quibble with. I read all the 1 and 2-star reviews, none claimed a factual error, reserving their criticism to: "this is a liberal account," (as though use of the "l" word is a sufficient rebuttal) or "blame America guilt trip" (well, maybe we should be blamed), and perhaps the most detailed claims that Mossadegh was not a saint, and Kinzer would certainly agree, detailing many of his faults. One of those "faults" was a rigid determination that the British leave his country, "faults" shared by Washington, Jefferson, Adams, and a few others. His last chapter underscored what a crucial turning point this was in America's and the world's history. It moved America away from Truman's position of sympathy with the masses in developing countries vis-à-vis the colonialists, towards one of supporting the economic interests of the elites in the United States and abroad. It was the first coup in which America overthrew a democratically elected government, but hardly the last, with Guatemala and Chile to come, not to mention some not so democratic ones, like Vietnam and the Congo. Is it any wonder that the residents of the Middle East are skeptical of the neo-cons claims that one of the reasons we invaded Iraq was to transform the countries of the Middle East into democracies? And Kinzer builds very plausible links between this coup and the events of 9-11.In terms of the history that is not known, I actually watched a Fox News anchor interview the son of the Shah, and with a classic patronizing colonialist mindset, asked if the Iranian people were "ready" for democracy yet? Naturally no mention of the fact that they had a democratic government 60 years ago, and America overthrew it in favor of the Shah's dictatorship.The epilogue is also well-done, covering Kinzer's visit to Mossadegh's home village in 2002.With Kinzer's meticulous research I was surprised that he did not mention that Kermit Roosevelt was used as a model for Alden Pyle, in Graham Greene's classic book on Vietnam, "The Quiet American." The mindset that traveled from the Middle East to Vietnam and back again.What would be the opinion of the American people if Iran had interfered in our affairs, organizing riots in our country, bribing leaders, and overthrowing the democratically elected government of Dwight D, Eisenhower, all so that they could enjoy cheaper wheat?Should be required reading in every current American history course, making "the history that we did not know" available to the students, as well as their parents.

"All The Shah's Men" by Stephen Kinzer is an important piece of work for people who follow current and past American petro-warrior events in the Middle East. This book is even more important for American citizens who do *not* follow current events in the Middle East. This latter group includes but isn't exclusive to people who watch, listen, and read the mainstream media: tabloid TV, political television programs, political talk-radio, and mainstream American newspapers. These mainstream American media sources do *not* report on, nor even discuss what goes on in the Middle East, beyond a superficial level, if even that.The events of 1953 are eerily reminiscent of current US policy and its continued *long-term presence* in the Middle East. Awareness by US and world citizens about the role of the US and UK in the Middle East past and present, is vital, as this book has proved to be so prescient. The US and UK have worked together in the Middle East long before the recent inaccurate "poodle" labels of 2003. These two cousins have worked together hand-in-hand before, helping each other in this symbiotic relationship, when it's about: oil.Although I think information exists (somewhere), I don't recall one single article, Op-Ed piece, story, or documentary by the American Mainstream Media about the 1953 American coup in Iran because of oil. Therefore, another reason to tout this book. It seems that this historical info is just not available to the casual observer living in Americana.Under Mossadegh, Iran was tilting towards the West and away from the Soviet Union (which it never leaned toward in the first place). However the US government and mainstream media constantly reported to the American public that "Iran was tilting towards the Soviet Union." "Gravitating towards communism." This mis-information campaign, during the height of the Cold War Red Scare period during the during the 1950s. Repetitive messages disseminated to the public.Sound familiar?CIA operatives falsely fed misinformation to ignorant journalists and also journalists that agreed with the US policy towards Iran. In addition, CIA operatives actually wrote articles for newspapers themselves.Kinzer begins with the early, middle, and latter history of present-day Iran, leading up to the oil dispute that lead to the rise and fall of democratically elected Dr. Mohammed Mossadegh in the CIA sponsored coup.Resentment of the British by the Iranians increased over many years. Much of the resentment toward the British was the result of the Britain's 19th Century colonial attitude towards the Iranian government and people. There are 3 primary reasons among many, for the dispute:1. Constant deceit and dishonesty by the British by not following up on their promises and signed agreements they made with the Iranians. Huge profits were made by the British oil companies but they refused to open their books or let them be audited.2. Second, was the deplorable treatment and sub-human conditions of Iranian workers in Abadan and other oil fields and refineries. These Iranian oil workers lived in shanty towns without electricity or running water.3. The British were taking a huge profit-share ratio. The British being foreign Western colonialists, used their power to create and perpetuate these conditions. This ratio was bound to cause not only resentment and dislike, but also let to the labeling of them as the "enemy."As the Iranian government wanted a more equitable profit sharing agreement, the British government responded by implementing sanctions, blocking exports, and freezing accounts. The British debated sending troops to Iran, but it wasn't feasible. Britain didn't have enough the muscle nor the mojo, for such a task.ENTER THE AMERICANS:Kermit Roosevelt Jr. (grandson of President Teddy Roosevelt) was the main point man behind this calculating operation. Norman Schwarzkopf Sr. was also heavily involved. The elites are often related and over generations these familiar family names pass the want of power and influence.Chapters:1. Good Evening, Mr. Roosevelt2. Curse The Fate3. The Last Drop of the Nation's Blood4. A Wave of Oil5. His Master's Orders6. Unseen Enemies Everywhere7. You Do Not Know How Evil They Are8. An Immensely Shrewd Old Man9. Block Headed British10 Pull Up Your Socks and Get Going11 I Knew it! They Love Me!12 Purring Like a Giant CatNotes, Bibliography, and IndexA very worthy book for contemporary issues in the Middle East, and the roots of petro-coups that have carved at the Geo-political landscape of Iran, and the entire Middle Eastern region, today.