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The Diaries of Asadollah Alam maybe 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 and 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.
They begin in 1967, shortly after Alam is appointed to the Ministry of Court. He 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 book ends 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 which 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 reach. 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.
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.
