Two Parties, One Coup · Episode 2 of 6 · 20 min
How Eisenhower Greenlit the CIA's First Coup
After the November 1952 election, an Eisenhower administration committed to anti-communist containment reached the opposite decision from Truman's. British intelligence stressed the risk of a Tudeh takeover, though analysts privately doubted it, and Washington approved a covert plan to pressure the Shah into dismissing Mosaddegh. Historians still debate whether oil or communism was the main driver.
Who's who
- Dwight D. Eisenhower+12 more episodesRepublican president whose administration authorized the covert operation
- John Foster Dulles+1 more episodeSecretary of State and anti-communist advocate for action
- Allen Dulles+2 more episodesCIA director who helped shape the case for action
- Kermit Roosevelt Jr.+3 more episodesCIA officer who ran the operation on the ground in Tehran
- Mohammad Mosaddegh+6 more episodesDemocratically elected prime minister of Iran who nationalized its oil
- Mohammad Reza Pahlavi+8 more episodesYoung Shah of Iran, pressured to sign decrees against Mosaddegh
- Fazlollah Zahedi+2 more episodesPro-Western general chosen to replace Mosaddegh
- Winston Churchill+3 more episodesBritish prime minister whose government pressed for removal
Where it happens
- Tehran, Iran+7 more episodesTarget of the plan and base for Roosevelt's operation
- Washington, D.C.+31 more episodesWhere the incoming administration approved the plan
- London, England+7 more episodesWhere Britain's MI6 pushed the communist-threat argument
Timeline
- October 1952Britain breaks relations with Iran and begins approaching Washington about a coup.
- November 1952Eisenhower is elected; the incoming Republican administration proves receptive.
- Early 1953The CIA's Operation TPAJAX and MI6's Operation Boot are planned, with Roosevelt running it in Tehran.
Still debated
Historians divide over whether the dominant U.S. motive was anti-communism or control of oil; both were present and their relative weight is disputed. Some also note that analysts privately doubted any real Soviet threat.
← PreviousWhy Truman Refused to Overthrow Iran's MosaddeghNext →Four Days in 1953: How the CIA Toppled Iran
Connected episodes in other series
Operation Ajax: How the CIA Overthrew Iran's Mosaddegh in 1953Iran & America: A Century and Counting · Episode 2Also features Dwight D. Eisenhower, Fazlollah Zahedi
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The Yellow Book: How the Routes Were ChosenWho Tore Up the Tracks? · Episode 16Also features Dwight D. Eisenhower
How White Evangelicals Moved From Democrat to RepublicanA Wall of Separation · Episode 7Also features Dwight D. Eisenhower