Review by Choice Review
The Persian Gulf, especially Iran and Iraq, was an important but poorly understood front in WW II. Jackson (King's College, London, UK) examines this history in his new book. Iraq and Iran not only provided the oil that fueled the British and American navies, but, more important, Iran provided a land corridor from the Persian Gulf to the Soviet Union. In addition, at the beginning of WW II, there was strong sentiment toward Germany in Iran, and many German citizens lived in Iran. The British, with the urging of Winston Churchill, eventually occupied Tehran and forced the abdication of Shah Reza Pahlavi. The book focuses on the pivotal period from 1940 to 1942. It is well-written and will be accessible to most readers. One drawback, however, is that the author uses primarily British and American sources and does not, because of language limitations, use resources written in Arabic or Persian. There are a number of excellent Iranian and Iraqi documents regarding this period, and their inclusion would have been useful. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty. --Grant Michael Farr, emeritus, Portland State University
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
