The Diaries of Asadollah Alam may be the most important document about the inner workings of the Mohammad Reza Pahlavi period. These candid, almost-daily entries were written by Alam during the ten years he held the official position of Minister of t ...
The Diaries of Asadollah Alam may be the most important document about the inner workings of the Mohammad Reza Pahlavi period. These candid, almost-daily entries were written by Alam during the ten years he held the official position of Minister of the Imperial Court, as well as the unofficial position of the Shah’s best friend. The diaries intimately document the Shah’s personal and political life. Periodically, Alam would send the writings to Switzerland for safe keeping. In his will, Alam stated that they were to be published only if and after the Pahlavi rule ended.
The Alam diaries begin in 1967, shortly after he is appointed to the Ministry of Court. Alam writes that he is in a unique position during an important time in Iranian history and sees it is his duty to report and document what he observes. The journals end ten years later, when Alam leaves the position because of the leukemia that would end his life less than a year later. The reader learns the inner workings of the Shah’s opinions, relations and political maneuverings with foreign leaders, including five American presidents from John F. Kennedy to Jimmy Carter—one of whom he describes as an idiot—and the British, Soviet, Israeli and Iraqi heads of state. His relations with and feelings about his wife, children, mother, siblings and in-laws are also related. The internal workings of the court are described in detail from dealing with the court plumbing to threats to the continuity of the Shah’s reign.
Coming from an aristocratic family and being exactly the same age as Mohammad-Reza Pahlavi, Alam reached a level of intimacy with the Shah that few others could. This included sharing the details of each other’s romantic affairs.
Often, Alam seems prescient, including predicting the possible collapse of the Pahlavi monarchy.
These diaries are the complete unabridged work edited by Alam’s confidante, Alinaghi Alikhani. Volume seven includes a complete subject and name index to all seven volumes.
The diary entries included in volume seven are chronologically at the beginning of the diaries, covering the years from 1967 to 1968. They originally had been misplaced and were re-discovered a few years ago.
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