Lesson Plan: Operation Ajax and the C.I.A. in the Cold War

Subjects:

U.S. History or World History

• This lesson fits best when learning about the Global Cold War or in investigating the history of U.S.-Iran relations.

Grade Level:

9-12 grades

Lesson Duration:

• 1-2 50-minute class periods

Essential Questions:

• What happened in Iran in 1953 and how have these events affected U.S.-Iran relations?
• What role did the C.I.A. play in the Iranian coup and how did the context of the Cold War influence their actions?
• What foreign policy tools can or does the United States use when trying to influence other countries?

Lesson Objectives:

Students will:

• Describe the goals and actions of the C.I.A. in Iran in 1953.
• Analyze the effects of foreign policy decisions during the Cold War.
• Analyze the change and continuity over time in U.S-Iran relations.

Materials:

• Retro Report video “The Secret C.I.A. Operation That Haunts U.S.-Iran Relations” (Transcript)
• Student Activity handout
• “Campaign to Install a Pro-Western Government in Iran” | National Security Archive, CIA Confirms Role in 1953 Coup
• “Timeline: U.S. Relations With Iran” | Council on Foreign Relations
• “Mapped: The 7 Governments the U.S. Has Overthrown” | Foreign Policy Magazine

Procedure:

1. Students will begin by watching the Retro Report film “The Secret C.I.A. Operation That Haunts U.S.-Iran Relations” (Transcript). Students will answer the questions on the Student Activity handout.
   1. There is one vocabulary term that is provided on the handout that is necessary for students to understand the video. “Nationalize” means to transfer ownership from private hands to being owned by the state/country.
2. The second portion of the activity asks students to analyze a declassified C.I.A. document. As students read “Campaign to Install a Pro-Western Government in Iran”, they are instructed to use a version of the Library of Congress “Analyzing Manuscripts” protocol.
   1. As the class reads and discusses this document, please keep in mind that this document was written by an unnamed C.I.A. analyst and provides a particular perspective.
   2. Portions of this document are still redacted. Ask your students what information they think is missing and why that information might have been removed from this document.
3. Next, students will explore a timeline of U.S.-Iran relations, compiled by the Council on Foreign Relations. The timeline begins with the 1953 coup and ends with a prisoner swap in September of 2023 (although CFR may continue to update this timeline as new events warrant).
4. Beyond providing a summary of events during this period, students are asked to identify and describe a “theme” of U.S.-Iran relations.
   1. Possible themes include: Oil, Terrorism, Regional Power (relating to Iraq, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, etc), Nuclear Weapons.
5. The “Taking it Further” section of the activity asks students to read an article from Foreign Policy magazine, “Mapped: The 7 Governments the U.S. Has Overthrown.”
   1. Students should choose one of the six other examples where the C.I.A. was covertly, but directly, involved in removing leaders from power.
   2. The last two questions are an exercise in analysis and creating an evidence based thesis. Students need to provide a rationale or defense for U.S. actions in the provided examples and provide a criticism of those same actions.

About the Author:

David Olson is the Director of Education for Retro Report. Prior to joining Retro Report, David was an award-winning teacher of U.S. History, A.P. U.S. Government and Politics and Criminal Justice at a public high school in Madison, Wisc.

Standards

College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies

• ​​D2.Civ.3.9-12. Analyze the impact of constitutions, laws, treaties, and international agreements on the maintenance of national and international order.
• D2.Civ.6.9-12. Critique relationships among governments, civil societies, and economic markets.
• D2.Civ.8.9-12. Evaluate social and political systems in different contexts, times, and places, that promote civic virtues and enact democratic principles.
• D2.Civ.13.9-12. Evaluate public policies in terms of intended and unintended outcomes, and related consequences. 
• D2.Geo.5.9-12. Evaluate how political and economic decisions throughout time have influenced cultural and environmental characteristics of various places and regions. 
• D2.Geo.11.9-12. Evaluate how economic globalization and the expanding use of scarce resources contribute to conflict and cooperation within and among countries.
• D2.His.1.9-12. Evaluate how historical events and developments were shaped by unique circumstances of time and place as well as broader historical contexts.
• D2.His.2.9-12. Analyze change and continuity in historical eras.
• D2.His.5.9-12. Analyze how historical contexts shaped and continue to shape people’s perspectives.
• D2.His.14.9-12. Analyze multiple and complex causes and effects of events in the past.
• D2.His.15.9-12. Distinguish between long-term causes and triggering events in developing a historical argument.

Common Core Literacy Standards

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.9-10.1 Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources, attending to such features as the date and origin of the information.
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.11-12.1 Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources, connecting insights gained from specific details to an understanding of the text as a whole.
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.9-10.2 Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of how key events or ideas develop over the course of the text.
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.11-12.2 Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary that makes clear the relationships among the key details and ideas.
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.9-10.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including vocabulary describing political, social, or economic aspects of history/social science.
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.11-12.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including analyzing how an author uses and refines the meaning of a key term over the course of a text (e.g., how Madison defines faction in Federalist No. 10).