BACKGROUND HIGHLIGHTS OF THE MOSSAADEQ TRIAL

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80R01443R000200020010-8
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 7, 1998
• Sequence Number: 10
• Content Type: BRIEF

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BACKGROUND
Highlights of the Mossadeq trial
1. Trial opened Sunday November 8 in
Hall of Mirrors of small palace at
Saltanatabad 10 miles from Tehran.
Troops from nearby barracks form
heavy guard.
2. Hall seats approximately 150 specta-
tors. Attendance by pass. Mostly
newsmen and photographers in seats.
American Embassy officers also pres-
ent.
3. Military court consists of five judges,
all generals in the Iranian army.
Prosecutor and court-appointed Defense
Counsel are also army officers.
.4. Seventy-three year old Mossadeq ar-
rived in usual gray pajamas and gray
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5. In four days of inconclusive wrangling
competency of the court is still being
challenged. Court will pass on its
own competency after hearing Mossadeq's
arguments.
6. Mossadeq is using all his usual oratori-
cal devices, including sarcasm, mock
humility, fainting, weeping and, on
occasion, now adds profanity. He
threatens to boycott the trial, to
commit suicide. He calls for heart
stimulants which he gulps and demands
a special heater to warm his back. He
faints and weeps until water flows off
his large beak-like nose. But he also
delivers hour-long tirades against the
court and the British and expounds his-
tory in a strange manner.
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7. Mossadeq appears on occasion more
violent than ever before. He has
cursingly dismissed his court-appointed
defense counsel whom he called a
"shyster" and "traitor." The prosecu-
tor, whose presentation has been
labeled "brilliant" by some spectators
has also hit back and denounced the
ex-premier as an "old hag who shammed
illness."
8. Government is permitting uncensored
reporting by foreign correspondents.
At home, possibly afraid of popular
reaction, it is releasing only short
summaries on the radio and has clamped
sharp censorship on local press to ex-
tent of forcing two of largest dailies
to delete full pages of texts of
Mossadeq's remarks at trial.
9. No indication how long thi
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