On Friday, June 27, 2014 2:06 PM, National Security Archive
<archive@xxxxxxx> wrote:
"The Battle for Iran," 1953: Re-Release of CIA Internal History
Spotlights New Details about anti-Mosaddeq Coup
U.S. Ambassador Loy Henderson and Some CIA Officials Initially
Disagreed with Certain Premises of Coup Planners
Declassified History Implies British Ties to the Operation, Criticizes
London's Policies in Period Leading up to the Overthrow
National Security Archive Electronic Briefing Book No. 476
Posted on June 27, 2014
Edited by Malcolm Byrne
For more information contact:
202 / 994-7043 or nsarchiv@xxxxxxx <mailto:nsarchiv@xxxxxxx>
Washington, D.C., June 27, 2014 -- During early planning for the 1953
Iran coup, U.S. Ambassador Loy Henderson warned not only that the Shah
would not support the United States' chosen replacement for Prime
Minister Mohammad Mosaddeq but that the Army would not play its
hoped-for leading role without the Shah's active cooperation,
according to a newly released version of an internal CIA history of
the operation posted today by the National Security Archive.
The Archive, based at The George Washington University, obtained the
latest release of this history -- "The Battle for Iran," written in
the mid-1970s -- in response to a Mandatory Declassification Review
request. (Today's posting includes all previously released versions
of the document as well, for purposes of comparison.)
The document goes on to say that members of the CIA's station in
Tehran and certain officials at agency headquarters sided with
Henderson against some of the assumptions of American coup planners,
who were working under "closely held" conditions in Washington during
Spring and Summer 1953.
Mainly through interviews with coup participants, scholars have known
generally that disagreements existed (and eventually Henderson went
along with Mosaddeq's overthrow), but freshly declassified portions of
the document posted today provide a few more specifics about the
nature of the differences and who held to which views.
The history also offers the most explicit declassified references
to-date to British participation in the operation. London's role --
undoubtedly the worst-kept secret in Britain's relationship with Iran
over the past 60 years -- has never been formally acknowledged by
either British or U.S. authorities.
"The Battle for Iran" is one of three agency histories of the coup
that are known to exist. All three have been posted at various times
on the National Security Archive's Web site.
Check out today's posting at the National Security Archive's website -
http://www2.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB476/
<http://www2.gwu.edu/%7Ensarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB476/>
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