“Those who have experienced solitary confinement and have dealt with it know how excruciating and hard it is to any prisoner who is innocent and faultless.”
-Mohammad Mossadegh
“For many years I have realized that Iranian oil is the cheapest oil in the world. Twenty years ago, we knew that we could extract Iranian oil much cheaper than the oil in Texas and we could sell it at a good price. There is no doubt that Iranians are fully aware of this.”
– Charles Stokes, English envoy to Iran
What better way to remember this eventful day than to read passages from the book by a man who still mystifies many, whether foe or friend, whether his fervent admirers or his staunch enemies. A man and an event that have inspired cartoonists, film makers, and hundreds of authors to portray him in image and print.
What he wrote in Memoirs and Tribulations “ Khaterat and Ta‘alemat-e Mossadegh, edited by the late Iraj Afshar, by way of a response to the former King of the Aryans in the most eloquent, factually accurate way, opens the mind. That is unlike what the man who cooperated with his fall, Mohammad Reza Shah ( M.R.S.), wrote in his book, “Mission for My Country,” which also shows the delusional thinking of the Shah of Shahs who became self-absorbed to the point of losing touch with reality.
In many ways, both of these men loved their country in their own way.
In his own words, the Prime Minister of Iran, the man who was an emblem of integrity and the rule of law beyond any politician in Iran’s modern history, “The events of the last days of August 1953 were based on two elements: One was political and one was legal:
The political side was that His Majesty, during his entire reign, took away people’s freedom. The right to choose members of the Majlis (parliament) is the very right in any constitutional monarchy by the people. He extended the oil agreement for another 32 years and made millions from it. It would be good to know how they were able to amass so much wealth and from where.
The other element was legal. When a landowner comes to grab land in a region and uses force to do so, and when in those conditions people do not see the king defend the rights of the owners, then the right of the people to oppose such action is taken away.
I had forbidden the Tudeh Party to put up fliers and posters on the streets and I had forbidden the taking down of statues [of the Shah] and so there was no reason for disorder, but the decision to topple me and replace me with Colonel Zahedi had already been planned in the Alps. On August 19, they executed their plan and it was never known what crime I had committed to face a military tribunal. And now eight years have passed since that time, three of which I was held in a military prison and then exiled to Ahmad Abad. I wished that Henderson [Loy] had not asked them for my safety since someone told me that after August 19, he had sent a telegram to the Shah not to get rid of me.”
Here are a few more excerpts:
M. R. S.: The fourth chapter of this book is about the most miraculous of events, 19th of August 1953, which freed Iran of Dr. Mossadegh. Dr. Mossadegh was a man who had the potential to become a good political leader but at the end of his tenure he became entangled with radical political ideas and influenced by foreign powers. In my opinion, his government was toppled by patriotic Iranians who wanted a better life for the nation.
MM: According to Stokes [Charles Stokes] “The Shah and many of the wise Iranians I have encountered believe that we are in a better position to deal with Mossadegh than anyone else. It is in the interest of their country that we work with them.” That’s right. Whenever the question of oil was raised, I said the Iranian nation would be willing to extract oil at its own expense and sell it at the final price to the countries that consume oil. However, Henderson, the Ambassador to the United States, did not agree with this proposal, and went with with the British government’s desire to gain more.
M.R.S. : Mossadegh promised to the Iranian people that a period of prosperity would ensue and that it would be financed from oil revenues, which would be in accordance with the Iranian Constitution, and that one million pounds would be earned every day from the oil company. Because of these promises, nobody was opposed to him. He had promised to provide a good per capita income to each and every Iranian and fight for the rights of the Iranian people against any foreign power. It was not surprising that various classes of society, such as students, merchants, shopkeepers and workers, would follow him and choose him as their leader. Mossadegh acquired a high social position with these promises, and Hossein ‘Ala, who had been Prime Minister for only two months, stepped down from office. Therefore, Mossadegh became Prime Minister without any political rival. A good opportunity was provided to him and his associates who could reach their goal.
MM: If Harriman insisted that we should talk again with Mossadegh, we would definitely face a problem, because it is falsely claimed that we would not talk to the U.S. envoy. Meanwhile, I do not consider Shepherd [British ambassador to Tehran] a reliable person, because his words show his stubborn nature and his sense of pride. In conclusion, I must declare that I do not agree with the current measures. I agree with the transport of oil and, in my opinion, it is inappropriate to stop the movement of tankers in the Persian Gulf and Basra. Unlike oil-money worshippers, others will see this as a cowardly act.
MM: How different are people’s thoughts! I’m sorry that the court did not agree with your idea of executing me, because article 46 of the criminal law prohibits the execution of people over the age of sixty. You regard the accusations directed at me, of which I am proud, as something detrimental to me. You should know that I only accept that part of the judgment which deprives me of the title of “Jenâb” [Sir] because I have always hated this worthless title. Even if this false vote is entered into the historical record of the day’s events, the struggle of the Iranian nation with international powers and, domestically, with those who are under foreign influential will remain a part of the nation’s historical heritage, and none of those pages will be erased from the nation’s history.
MM: Unfortunately, conditions in the country deteriorated to the point where an army prosecutor could undermine the law and, with the express order of the high court, even prevent an innocent prisoner, who has the right to defend himself, from meeting with his lawyers. According to the bill of 14 Esfand 1333, the prisoner would not be able to submit his complaint to the court. According to the article 468 of the general principles of the criminal proceedings, he cannot appeal to the high court either. Eventually, the unfortunate guy will be so tired and incapacitated that he would decide to commit suicide to end his life.
MM: My disagreement with the International Bank’s proposal was that the bank cunningly sought to obtain documents from the Iranian government in favor of the former company to neutralize the nationalization of the oil industry. As a result, the company could have claimed its loss of profit before the nationalization of the oil industry, but it was not entitled to benefit from the Iranian government until the expiration of the contract.
M. R. S.: When Mossadegh and his colleagues lamented like women, and madly delivered speeches against the British, many true patriots first thought that those speeches were the manifestation of nationalism. However, over time, they realized that Mossadegh actually opened the country’s gates to the agents of imperialism. Mossadegh’s “power equilibrium” caused a great deal of political and economic turmoil and provided foreign allies a very favorable opportunity to fulfill their malicious intentions, so that while my father was preparing to eradicate the elements of imperialism in Iran, Mossadegh was busy preparing the ground for the development of imperialism.
MM: So it was in order to eradicate imperialist elements that the late Shah extended the privileges regarding oil reserves! And it was for the same reason that, after the nationalization of the oil industry and the sacrifices of the Iranian nation, His Majesty Mohammad Reza Shah, revived the treaty! It is ridiculous for them to accuse me of opening the gates of the country to imperialism. I wonder what they mean by imperialism. I have told in detail before that I have not been involved with any kind of imperialism. What I have said and done is just in the interest of Iran.
M.R.S.: Now the time had come for Mossadegh to realize his dreams and those of his colleagues. He had two years to prove himself and he had enough support from me even though my backing was painful for me. Now we must see what Mossadegh really did and what kind of disaster he brought upon this nation.
MM: A few policemen were standing near Heshmatollah Street refusing to let the crowd come towards my house when Shahpour Gholam Reza [one of the Shah’s brothers] told them that people are free to do what they want and to move where they want. That is how the crowd moved close to my house in Kakh Street. In the front ranks of the crowd were a few retired army officers and a few hooligans armed with knives. The door was made of iron so it was not easy to push it open. Some others were trying to destroy the wooden door at my son’s house next door but they didn’t know that they could actually come to my house through that door. My son told me, “they are here for you and if you go at least you will have saved the lives of other personal of the ministry so I escaped to another house and from there I went straight to the military base.” [Eventually the door of the house on Kakh street was broken by hooligans.]
MM: The colonial powers use every means to achieve their unsavory goals, and eventually with planning, they try to reach their goal. In the last 150 years, they have done everything to oppose and eradicate the people who have tried to defend their homeland. Those who know about my political life know full well that the British were adamant in their colonial quest, long before the coup d’etat, using every means to discredit me and destroy me.
Those who have beliefs and faith are not afraid of death let alone insults. Because at the end it is the well-being of the society which is the ultimate goal. When the society’s well-being is not protected neither is that of the individual. It is important to know who really believes in the well-being of people and who does not and at the end people realize that themselves. I never gave it a thought when some journals insulted me. None of that mattered to me and I never even cared. And I remember my mother ’s wise words who used to tell me that the person’s worth in society is measured for what he endures.
MM: I was not only against a democratic republic but any type of those kinds of regimes since a change in regime does not necessary bring progress to a nation. Until a nation is knowledgeable and informed and there are not competent administrators in a country, the country’s fate will remain the same.
There are many countries whose regimes are a republic but do not enjoy freedom and there are those countries whose regimes are constitutional monarchy and they enjoy freedom and independence.
M.R.S.: From his youth, during the Qajar period, when he was the governor of Khorasan, by forging documents, he had grabbed people’s land for his own benefit and because of this embezzlement, if he had been in a country like Saudi Arabia, according to the islamic law, his hands would have been cut off.
MM: There are those who are quite aware and knowledgable about history prior to the Constitutional movement and if his majesty with the resources he has at hand can pinpoint which land I have stolen from the people, I would be grateful to know.
[it is noteworthy that during the reign of Reza Shah, it was well-known that he would walk on a piece of land and would put his foot down and say where I am belongs to me. The entire Pahlavi clan confiscated much land in their own names.]
MM: I worked within a system that was highly under the influence of the colonialists. After a few changes here and there, I appointed Colonel Afshar Toos as the head of the municipal police so that he could do some reforms. They murdered him and with all those confessions that were on tape by his murderers, they still exonerated them in the military tribunal. The dossier of his horrendous murder was completely closed.
MM: From the day my like-minded colleagues and I entered the sixteenth parliament until the day we were arrested and subjugated to the military court, we had no intention other than the nationalization of the oil industry that could bring freedom and independence to Iran. But then we were tried on the charge that we intended to overthrow the government. Now, I quote article 317 of the criminal martial law, on the basis of which we have been convicted: “Anyone committing an assassination attempt to overthrow the government and the royal crown or to dissolve the order of succession and to provoke people to arm themselves against the monarchy is sentenced to death”.
And now since I don’t feel so well and cannot write anymore, I will end this note by quoting my dear Azerbaijani compatriots: “Hich Dekhal Var.” [Is it relevant at all?]
Translation of this text done by Fariba Amini. I also thank Mehdi M. For his contribution.
Photo of Dr. Mossadegh by Farhad Diba in Ahmad Abad, courtesy of F. Diba
