All the Shah's Men

An American Coup and the Roots of Middle East Terror

By: Stephen Kinzer

Narrated by: Michael Prichard, Jonathan Yen

Half a century ago, the United States overthrew the democratically elected prime minister of Iran, Mohammad Mossadegh, whose "crime" was nationalizing the country's oil industry.

In a cloak-and-dagger story of spies, saboteurs, and secret agents, Kinzer reveals the involvement of Eisenhower, Churchill, Kermit Roosevelt, and the CIA in Operation Ajax, which restored Mohammad Reza Shah to power. Reza imposed a tyranny that ultimately sparked the Islamic Revolution of 1979 which, in turn, inspired fundamentalists throughout the Muslim world, including the Taliban and terrorists who thrived under its protection.

"It is not far-fetched", Kinzer asserts, "to draw a line from Operation Ajax through the Shah's repressive regime and the Islamic Revolution to the fireballs that engulfed the World Trade Center in New York."

©2003 Stephen Kinzer (P)2003 Tantor Media, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Breezy storytelling and diligent research.... This stands as a textbook lesson in how not to conduct foreign policy." (Publishers Weekly)

"With a keen journalistic eye, and with a novelist's pen....a very gripping read." (The New York Times)

"Kinzer's brilliant reconstruction of the Iranian coup is made even more fascinating by the fact that it is true. It is as gripping as a thriller, and also tells much about why the United States is involved today in places like Afgahanistan and Iraq." (Gore Vidal)

Engaging and highly informative

A very engaging book that illuminates some of the darker sides of historical US foreign policy in the mid-east, and explains a major part of the roots of anti-american sentiment in that part of the world.

Wonderful

Absolutely loved it! So beautifully written, amazing story. Couldn't stop listening to it. Very highly recommended!

Remember the past or be condemned to repeat it.

What did you love best about All the Shah's Men?

The historical context that surrounds Iran and its people. The author did a phenomenal job framing the story. I think it shows the problems with "American Exceptionalism" and the unintended consequences our interference in sovereign nations causes.

Who was your favorite character and why?

This book is one of history and politics, not one of fiction, so I don't have a "favorite character." Anyone interested in the Middle East, what happens there and why, needs to purchase this book.

What does Michael Prichard bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

In some ways I didn't like the narrator. His voice was like an AM radio announcer from the past and his breathy gasps between words at times grated on my nerves. I wanted to offer him an asthma inhaler. This was my own quirk and it may not impact you, so I didn't want to be too harsh on the rating.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I did actually have a large empathetic reaction to the Iranian people. I think if the people of our country could understand the historical contexts of other countries, we'd be less likely to condone the use of force on them and expect that we could interject our cultural experiences and values on other people. It also prevents the political establishment and the military industrial complex from making an overly simplistic argument of "us vs. them." It's not. Iranians, Iraqis, Russians, Ukrainians, Syrians, Lybians, etc., are human beings also irrespective of their leadership. Do you deserve to be held accountable for President Obama's actions, or former President Bush? What if the shoe was on the other foot? Dropping bombs on them doesn't solve the problem, it only creates blowback. We need to get back to Jefferson's "Peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations-entangling alliances with none." Killing people, destroying lives, and imposing our will on others for 70+ years and counting, I think the people need to reflect on what our country's foreign policy has wrought and change its direction back towards the scope of Jefferson's wise inaugural pledge.

Any additional comments?

Eisenhower condoned the overthrow of the Mosaddegh government when he took office even though the Truman presidency resisted it. I think it is fitting that just 8 years later he said, "we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex." He foresaw the consequences of his actions that brought the CIA to power and foreshadowed the out-of-control shadow agencies that our country now contends with.

A required reading for an understanding of Iran

Very good information but the structure of the book is not conducive to an audio experience. Most notably, rather than a chronological narrative it is broken into chronologies of particular aspects. This led to some confusion of the context around which events were happening. This would almost certainly not be a problem in the print edition.

The reader was easy to listen to and I appreciated the change of tone applied to quotations.

Engrossing

Great story and narration. I had no idea the history of the coup in Iran was so interesting.

Vital history.

Exceptional coverage of vital history that should be common historical knowledge of U.S. and Middle East affairs. The author extols the former Iranian leader Muhammad Mosaddegh whose overthrow is the central topic of this book. As well he should. An honorable man whose story is well worth the read.

Fascinating insight into Irans troubled history

For those who wants to understand how and why Iran became the country it is today.

simply thought provoking! and engaging

as engaging and fair-minded as the book is, I, unfortunately I might add, had some trouble finding the tone of the narrator's voice throughout the jading reading of the climactic and pivotal events. it could've been done with a bit of "bravado" and "showmanship", other than that, the book remains largely satisfying with accounts and details from almost all sides with a crisp of admiration for a man who once was a major political participant.
Enter this book knowing that; one is not rid of all biases one has to forsake before writing such detailed accounts.
I gave it an overall 5 simply because of the admiration the author had for the "resilient Iranian culture" (one can't be rid of all biases I suppose).

The truth about America in Iran

Finally a book that details the history of Iran as it is entangled with culture, religion and foreign countries. Before America can enter into any relationship with Iran, All of the Shah’s Men must be read, understood and learned. Brilliant book that should be mandatory reading in world history.

The Law of Unintended Consequences writ large

I already knew something about the events that Kinzer describes here, but he tells the tale in a captivating fashion with rich detail and excellent historical background. He presents his conclusions in a balanced way, but his case against this American involvement is very compelling and makes me shudder when I consider the unintended consequences that could result from our latest Gulf adventure. This as the stated intended consequence of a stable, democratic, and friendly Iraq is looking more and more like a pipe dream turning into a nightmare. Truman emerges from this story as a real hero with the longer view of the dangers while various British and American leaders (particularly the Dulles brothers) are shown to be blinded by their own arrogance and in the end brought about incalculable harm.