Oil and the Killing of the American Consul in TehranIn the wake of World War I, British attempts to exclude American oil companies from Iraq and Persia caused serious strains in Anglo-American relations. In May 1921 an "oil entente" was reached that granted American oil companies an "open door" and "equal opportunity" in Iraq, and in return America acknowledged British domination of Persia and monopoly of its oil. This entente was soon tested when Persians gave an oil concession to the Sinclair Oil Company of New York and tried to rid themselves of the recently installed Pahlavi dictatorship. It was in the midst of this unrest, in May of 1924, that American Vice-Consul Robert Imbrie arrived in Tehran. Almost immediately after his arrival, Imbrie began sending reports to Washington that were highly critical of the British policies in Persia. On July 18, 1924, Imbrie was brutally murdered in Tehran, supposedly by a mob of religious fanatics. To save face and avoid international complications, the U.S. government accepted the Persian government's version of the killing. In this detailed examination of Anglo-American, American-Persian, and Anglo-Persian relations, author Mohammad Gholi Majd argues that Imbrie was in fact the victim of a conspiracy. Using records of the U.S. Department of State, this text examines how the murder enabled Britain to maintain its monopoly of Persian oil and further consolidate the Pahlavi dictatorship. The killing of Imbrie ultimately facilitated the consummation of the Anglo-American oil entente. |
Contents
CHAPTER | 1 |
Exchange of Notes and AmericanBritish Oil Entente | 59 |
CHAPTER 3 | 96 |
Copyright | |
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Alai American companies American Consul American Government American interests American oil Anglo Anglo-Persian agreement Anglo-Persian Oil Company August Bahai Britain British Government Cabinet Caldwell Chargé d'Affaires Cossack Davis December December 22 Department dispatch Dulles Engert February Foreign Office Ghavam-os-Saltaneh granted Hughes Imbrie's informed instruction January January 16 July June Khan Khoshtaria concession Kornfeld Legation letter and enclosures loan London Lord Curzon Madjless Majesty's Government Majlis Major Imbrie mandate March matter Medjlis Medjliss memorandum ment Mesopotamia military Millspaugh Morteza murder Murray negotiations North Persia North Persian oil Northern Persia northern provinces November November 20 October oil concession Parliament Persian Government Persian Minister petroleum present Prime Minister proposed question received regard reply representative response Reza Russian Sadler Sardar Sepah Secretary September Seyid Shuster Sinclair Company Sinclair Oil Sir John Cadman situation Soper Standard Oil Company statement Teheran telegram telegraphs Turkish Petroleum Company United Vice Consul Washington