2 - US Concerns: Oil or Communism?

Summary

The standard works place the coup against Mossadeq solidly in the context of the Cold War and the fear of communism – both of the Tudeh Party and of the Soviet Union. This chapter instead locates it firmly within the context of the wider American concern that successful nationalization in Iran would inevitably became contagious and endanger business enterprises elsewhere, especially oil investments in Latin America, Indonesia, and other parts of the Middle East.