60 years ago, Iran was a liberal democracy with a socialist-leaning president. All that came to an end when a massive wave of unrest resulted in his removal; and the arrival of a tyranny that would eventually lead to the Iranian revolution. Documents declassified by the National Security Archive reveal what is essentially public knowledge.
Foreign Policy surmised perfectly: "TPAJAX was the CIA's codename for the overthrow plot, which relied on local collaborators at every stage. It consisted of several steps: using propaganda to undermine Mossadegh politically, inducing the Shah to cooperate, bribing members of parliament, organizing the security forces, and ginning up public demonstrations. The initial attempt actually failed, but after a mad scramble the coup forces pulled themselves together and came through on their second try, on August 19."
The rationale given by the CIA for the coup was that they were afraid Iran would be left vulnerable to Soviet aggression. To prevent Soviet aggression, we had to use aggression of our own. The overthrow of Mossadegh would install a ruthless pro-Western dictator whose reign of terror would facilitate the rise of the Iranian Islamic Regime. The public acknowledgment of CIA involvement in the overthrow of Mossadegh comes at a time when many Egyptians suspect that Morsi was overthrown with tacit approval of the United States national security establishment.
Though in the past the fear of Soviet aggression was justification enough for any ruthless act, so is today the fear of Al-Qaeda an even more justifying force. After all, communism was a conventional enemy, whereas Al-Qaeda is a ruthless, uncompromising enemy. Did the US aid in the overthrow of Morsi? We'll find out in 2073.
