This second instalment in a multi-part series on Operation Ajax looks at the escalating conflict between Britain and Iran, starting from 1949, as the nationalist forces in Iran gain widespread popular support culminating in the election of Mohammed Mossadeq as Prime Minister.  Covered in detail are the British attempts at election rigging and their relentless propaganda campaign in a fruitless attempt to arrest Mossadeq’s rise to power.  The episode concludes in the second half of 1952, as Mossadeq moves to consolidate his power in preparation for the British onslaught sure to follow his success in the July Uprising. 

In the summer of 1953, the CIA executed a coup against the democratically elected Prime Minister of Iran. The success of Operation Ajax emboldened the CIA to embark upon a series of coups throughout the developing world.  But in their overthrown of M…

On May 7th, 1915 the passenger liner Lusitania was sunk by the German U-boat, U-20.  This event, more than any other, led to the U.S. entering the war, ensuring an ultimate German defeat.
This episode will delve into the facts and controversies surro…