British Biography of Dr. Mossadegh (1950)
| Arash Norouzi The Mossadegh Project | July 29, 2025 |
The British Foreign Office maintained a list of biographies of notable political figures in Iran. Among the alphabetized index of 190 names was
Dr. Mohammad Mossadegh, then an elected
representative in the Majles (Parliament).
Last updated on June 1, 1950, the list was forwarded on this date by Sir Francis Shepherd, the British Ambassador in Iran, to Kenneth Younger, Minister of State in the Foreign Office.
When Mossadegh became Prime Minister about 11 months later, Shepherd expressed his disdain in a slanderous, undiplomatic bio of his own.
“He is rather tall but has short and bandy legs so that he shambles like a bear, a trait which is generally associated with considerable physical strength”, wrote Shepherd. “He looks rather like a cab horse and is slightly deaf so that
he listens with a strained but otherwise expressionless look on his face. He conducts the conversation at a distance of about six inches, at which range he diffuses a slight reek of opium. His remarks tend to prolixity and he gives the
impression of being impervious to argument.”
• British Foreign Office | IRAN 1951-1954
• U.S. State Department | IRAN
116. Musaddiq, Dr. Muhammad (Musaddiq-es-Saltaneh)
Born about 1885; [June 16, 1882] a nephew of Farman Farma. [Qajar prince Abdol-Hossein Farman Farma.]
Has studied law in Paris to a certain extent and poses as a jurist. [He earned a Doctorate of Law in Switzerland, and became a lawyer] Appointed Governor-General of Fars in 1920. Appointed
Minister of Finance in June 1921, and sought and obtained authority from Parliament to purge and reform that Ministry. However, during his six months’ tenure of that portfolio he destroyed indiscriminately the good with the bad, and at
the end the organisation was worse than before, as he proved himself entirely incapable of making reforms. Appointed Governor-General of Azerbaijan in 1922, and in 1923 became Minister for Foreign Affairs for a period of four months.
Elected Deputy to the 4th, 5th and 6th terms of the Majlis from Tehran. Owing to his opposition to the Government in the fifth term, steps were taken to prevent his election to the 7th Majlis.
Imprisoned and otherwise ill-treated by Riza Shah, he spent the last few years of Riza’s reign in a village near Tehran. [Reza Shah Pahlavi]
Headed the poll in the Tehran elections in 1944. Tried unsuccessfully to unseat Sayyid Zia. [Seyed Zia Tabatatai]
Sponsored the Oil Law of December 1944 prohibiting the grant of any oil concession until after the departure of all foreign troops from Persia. Made a determined effort to be re-elected to 15th Majlis but, though he obtained a large
number of votes, was defeated by the candidates of the Iran Democrat Party.
Headed the poll in the first stage of the Senate elections in Tehran October 1949, but was not elected in the second stage.
Led a deputation of twenty
"National Front" supporters, who took “bast” in the Shah’s Palace for five days in October 1949 as a protest against the conduct of the 16th Majlis elections.
Headed the poll in both the initial Tehran 16th Majlis elections and the re-held ones in February 1950: with him were elected seven other members of his National Front. He has built up a considerable position for himself as the opponent
of the Court and the Government. Unfortunately he does not seem to have any constructive programme. A skilled orator.
• [Transcribed and annotated by Arash Norouzi]
Related links:
Russia on Iran National Front: Mossadegh Is Opponent of USSR (1949)
Persia (Anglo-Iranian Oil Company) | House of Commons, June 26, 1951
Britain Strong and Free: Conservative Party Policy Statement (1951)
MOSSADEGH t-shirts — “If I sit silently, I have sinned”
