From the archive · A retrospective
The CIA’s Instructions for Overthrowing Iran’s Prime Minister
A surviving internal account sets out the target, the replacement and the political machinery behind Mosaddeq’s fall.
The CIA summary begins with the target: Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddeq and his government. The desired replacement follows close behind: a pro-Western government under the Shah, with Fazlollah Zahedi as prime minister. The document then lists the agency’s actions. The language is administrative. The business being administered was the removal of another country’s leader.
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Internal histories reflect an institutional perspective; many operational files are missing. Iranian actors had their own motives.
Sources & further reading
- CIA summary: Campaign to Install a Pro-Western Government in IranNational Security Archive
- CIA Confirms Role in 1953 Iran CoupNational Security Archive
- The shadow of the 1953 Iran coupABC Australia
