Asadollah Alam
| Asadollah Alam | |
|---|---|
| File:Asadollah Alam.jpg | |
| name | Asadollah Alam |
| Personal details | |
| religion | Islam |
| works | The Alam Diaries |
Asadollah Alam was a politician and a prominent figure of the Pahlavi era. Considered an aristocrat from Southern Khorasan, during his political career he held important positions such as Member of Parliament, Minister of Interior, Prime Minister, and Minister of Court. Alam was known as one of the closest allies and advisors to the Shah and played a key role in implementing the government's domestic policies, especially in the period after the 28 Mordad Coup and the White Revolution.
Biography
Asadollah Alam was born in 1298 SH, in Greater Southern Khorasan, in the city of Birjand. His father, Mohammad Ebrahim Khan Alam, Amir Qayenat known as Shokat al-Molk, was one of the commanders of Qayenat and Sistan who helped Reza Shah achieve his goal during the 1299 SH coup. Following this coup, his father became the governor of Qayenat and Sistan and Baluchestan and also held the Ministry of Post, Telegraph, and Telephone for several terms. Asadollah Alam completed his elementary education in his birthplace and simultaneously learned English and French languages. When Ebrahim Khan Alam was summoned by Reza Shah to Tehran, Asadollah also came to Tehran at the age of 15 and studied at the Karaj College of Agriculture. He received a Bachelor's degree in Agricultural Engineering on 5 Mordad 1321 SH, and then upon his father's recommendation in 1318 SH, and at the age of twenty, married Malek Taj, the second daughter of Qavam al-Molk Shirazi. Prior to that, Qavam al-Molk's son had married Ashraf Pahlavi.
SAVAK Reports on His Relationships
One aspect of Alam's private life that created numerous controversies for him was his appetite for Iranian and foreign women and girls, to the extent that this issue even appears in the midst of his daily notes. This trend in Alam's private life gradually entered more sensitive stages, to the point that in the 1330s SH, some individuals in public and private gatherings referred to him as a debauchee and unbridled person. In one of the SAVAK reports compiled in Dey 1336, regarding this aspect of Asadollah Alam's life, it states: "He spends his free time in debauchery and is very interested in women, and most nights he holds parties of pleasure and drinking with women." This lifestyle of Alam caused his wife's relationship with him to cool even more. Malek Taj, Alam's wife, requested some members of the royal family to remind him about this and ask him to have more loyalty towards his wife; it is said Alam was not willing to pay attention to these reminders. This type of Alam's life was not limited to himself, but it is said that in this matter, especially the Shah himself was his major partner; therefore, the relations and cooperation of the Shah and Alam were not limited to political, economic, or possibly cultural affairs, but the most important aspects of these close relations should be sought in their private matters.
Activities
Amir Asadollah, by exerting his father's influence, became the Special Adjutant to Mohammad Reza Shah in 1323 SH and held this position until the mid-1326 SH. After graduation and due to the turmoil in Tehran which was under occupation by foreign forces, he went to Birjand. Amir Shokat al-Molk, who had gone to Birjand before his son, died there in 1323 SH, and Alam took charge of managing his father's vast estates.
Alam had close associates in Birjand who each acted as agents for part of his work. Among Alam's special friends in Birjand, one can mention Monsef, Sepehri, Hadavi, Askari, and Shaybani. Monsef held the representation of the people of Birjand in the National Consultative Assembly for 17 years and was considered a political ally for Alam. Sepehri was the steward of all properties, gardens, agricultural lands, and tenants of Alam. Sheikh Hadi Hadavi, who was considered one of the great clerics of the Constitutionalists, was responsible for the trusteeship of Mohammad Ebrahim Khan Alam's endowments.
Ministries and Role in the 28 Mordad Coup
In 1326 SH, Alam was appointed Governor-General of Sistan and Baluchestan by Qavam al-Saltaneh. In 1327 SH, he held the position of Minister of Agriculture in the second cabinet of Saed Maraghei. He retained this position in the Rajabali Mansour cabinet and became Minister of Labor in the Razmara cabinet. With the assassination of Razmara and the premiership of Mosaddegh, Alam was appointed by the Shah as the head of the Pahlavi Estates and Properties Administration. During the 28 Mordad Coup of 1332 which led to the fall of Mosaddegh's government, he coordinated with British intelligence agents including the Rashidian brothers and Shapur Reporter, and after the coup and the Shah's consolidation of power, he entered his circle of advisors. After the resignation of General Fazlollah Zahedi in Farvardin 1334 SH, Alam became Minister of Interior in the Hossein Ala' cabinet. He held this position until Farvardin 1336 SH, replacing governors and county heads across the country and replacing them with elements trusted by the Shah. During this same period, he held the elections for the 19th Parliament. Controlling and preventing the publication of opposition press was another of his actions as Minister of Interior. The bill for the establishment of SAVAK was also prepared and submitted to the Parliament during this period.
Mardom Party and Premiership
After the formation of Dr. Manouchehr Eghbal's cabinet in Farvardin 1336, Alam formed the "Mardom Party" on 27 Ordibehesht of the same year within the framework of implementing Britain's policies in Iran, but his presidency of this party lasted only until the end of Eghbal's premiership — Shahrivar 1339 — and following the scandal of the Summer 1339 elections, he was forced to resign from the secretary-generalship of the "Mardom Party". Amir Asadollah Alam, after the dismissal of Ali Amini from the premiership, was tasked with forming a cabinet in Tir 1341 and held this position until Esfand of the following year. The most important event of this period was the approval of the Provincial and Local Councils Bill. This bill, due to its anti-Islamic nature, faced strong objection from clerics, especially Imam Khomeini, and the peak of public opposition caused Alam to retreat from insisting on the approval of the Provincial and Local Councils Bill and announce its cancellation in Azar 1341. Holding the referendum on 6 Bahman 1341 and its boycott by the people, the massacre of seminary students at Feyziyeh School of Qom in Farvardin 1342, the arrest of Imam Khomeini on 15 Khordad 1342, and then the bloody suppression of the 15 Khordad Uprising were other major events of Alam's premiership.
After Imam's arrest to Qasr Prison Tehran, the regime was seeking to determine his fate, and in this midst, some had a firm belief in executing Imam Khomeini, but Asadollah Alam was one of the influential individuals who said: "Mr. Khomeini should not be executed, because this work will cause his name to become immortal and this is not desirable for the Pahlavi government." Alam believed "Khomeini should be exiled to Turkey, because the religion of most people of that land, Sunni, is and his words will not have much influence there." On the other hand, he said, "Because the Turkish language has a large distance from Persian and Arabic languages, over time the message and revolutionary process of the Imam will fade and disappear."
Court Ministry and Political Influence
Alam after resigning from the premiership, in Esfand 1342, was appointed President of Pahlavi University of Shiraz and held this position until 1345 SH. His performance in this position aroused the anger of students. On 19 Aban of this year, he became Minister of Court. He gradually assumed several other ceremonial positions including Special Adjutant to Mohammad Reza Shah, Special Representative of the Shah in the Board of Directors of the Pahlavi Foundation, membership in the Board of Directors of the Center for Translation and Publication of Books, Executive Management of the Committee for Fight against Illiteracy, membership in the Board of Directors of the Imperial Organization for Social Services, and Secretary-Generalship of the Mardom Party.
However, the Court Ministry was his most important political job. With Alam's appointment to the Court Ministry, the Hoveida government, which was influential in the country's decision-making, was largely set aside from this important process and the country's macro policies, and its role was reduced only to the country's executive affairs. Alam interfered in many of the country's decisions during his reign over the Court Ministry. In this position, he was the instigator of the Shah in dismissing Major General Pakravan, head of SAVAK, and appointing General Nassiri to the head of this organization. With this appointment, the country's intelligence and security organization came under the direct control and supervision of the Shah's court much more than before. In later stages, gradually the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Defense, Interior, and Oil also came under the direct influence and control of the court. Alam, as the regulator of this type of connection, throughout all his years of ministry in the court, maintained the relationship with England in Iran. In these years, he had also established a friendly relationship with statesmen and ambassadors of America. The Israel embassy was opened in Iran with Alam's cooperation.
Illness and Death
Alam in 1356 SH, was forced to leave the country several times for the treatment of his illness and was continuously hospitalized and under treatment in hospitals in Europe. As Minister of Court, he followed up on the country's political-social issues. The process of Alam's blood cancer which ultimately led to his death had begun in the late 40s and early 50s SH. The first time Alam referred to an unknown disease in his existence was Tir 1349, the symptoms of which were the gradual reduction of his body weight. Due to the deterioration of Alam's condition, finally the Shah agreed to the proposal of his resignation and from Aban 1356 the deadly symptoms of his illness appeared.
19 Aban while he was resting in his birthplace, Birjand, he suffered internal bleeding and was transferred to Tehran for continued treatment. The next day he was sent to Paris and after a short trip returned to Iran. But in late Dey 56 he was hospitalized in Paris hospitals. After despite several surgeries his condition continued to deteriorate, for further care and treatment in late 1356 SH, he was sent to America and was hospitalized in a hospital in New York City. At that time, the prediction of American doctors who believed Alam would not survive came true, and finally he died at 11 o'clock on Friday 25 Farvardin 1357 at the age of 58. The next day, his body was transferred to Tehran and then on Monday 27 Farvardin 1357 with special ceremonies was buried in the family mausoleum of the Alam family in Mashhad and in the shrine of Ali ibn Musa al-Rida (AS).
His View on the Shah and Close Relations
Alam's presence beside the Shah was so prominent that one of the prominent analysts of the Iranian Revolution, considered his early death as one of the five factors of the overthrow of the second Pahlavi government. Alam in Telkh va Shirin Roozegar, always maintained his connection with the Shah and was always a source of strength for Mohammad Reza. The Shah, who considered him a devotee of himself, acted on his opinions in many occasions, to the extent that several times at his invitation and along with his family, he traveled to Birjand and spent a considerable amount of time there resting.
See Also
References
- Who Was Asadollah Alam? Khan-zadeh of Southern Khorasan, Roydad24, Date of publication: 23 Aban 1403 SH, Date of access: 30 Dey 1404 SH.