Personal Documents of Dr. Mohammad Mosaddegh Handed Over to National Archives of Iran

According to the Iran Book News Agency (IBNA) quoting the Public Relations of the National Archives and Library of Iran, in a joint meeting of the family and the board of trustees of Dr. Mohammad Mosaddegh’s mausoleum with the organization, a collection of personal documents related to this national figure was entrusted to the National Archives of Iran for preservation and research utilization, and a cooperation memorandum of understanding was signed between the two parties.

This meeting, attended by Gholamreza Amirkhan, Head of the Organization, and members of the Deputy Council of the National Archives and Library of Iran, also included Mohammad Mohammadi Ardehali and Hossein Matin-Daftari from the family and board of trustees of Dr. Mosaddegh’s mausoleum.

Based on the provisions of the memorandum, the submitted documents will be identified, restored, and categorized in the National Archives of Iran under standard conditions of temperature, humidity, and light. After scientific preparation, they will be made available to researchers and those interested in contemporary history.

Gholamreza Amirkhan, Head of the National Archives and Library of Iran, emphasized the National Archives’ mission in safeguarding the country’s documented heritage at this meeting: “There is no safer place than the National Archives of Iran for preserving national documents, and protecting this heritage is a responsibility beyond governments and periods.”

He added, referring to Dr. Mosaddegh’s position in Iran’s historical memory: “In recent years, a movement has been attempting to rewrite contemporary history and whitewash the image of the Pahlavi regime. We are duty-bound to present an accurate and undistorted narrative of Iran’s contemporary history by relying on authentic documents. A critical review of history based on documents is the best response to distortion and forgetting, and figures like Dr. Mosaddegh have a documentary status that must be preserved and re-presented.”

Subsequently, representatives of Dr. Mosaddegh’s family and the board of trustees of his mausoleum expressed satisfaction with entrusting the documents to the National Archives of Iran, considering this action a guarantee for the preservation, restoration, and research use of the documented heritage of the National Movement. They emphasized that a significant portion of Dr. Mosaddegh’s public letters reflects his humane character and populism, suggesting that these correspondences be published under the title ‘Correspondences of the Prime Minister of the Fortress’ to introduce his ethical and popular image to new generations.

In the executive step of this understanding, a collection of Dr. Mohammad Mosaddegh’s personal documents in his historical house in Ahmadabad, Alborz, was officially handed over in the presence of Seyed Mahmoud Sadat, Deputy for Research and Digital Resources of the Organization, and prepared for transfer to the National Archives of Iran. This collection includes a part of letters, public correspondences, and family documents related to Dr. Mosaddegh’s residence in Ahmadabad, which are being transferred to the National Archives with the aim of long-term preservation and research accessibility.

Sadat, on the sidelines of this visit, emphasized the importance of scientific preservation of national documents: “Professional preservation of this collection in the National Archives of Iran provides the groundwork for a more accurate study and re-examination of the country’s contemporary history and can serve as a model for other families of political figures in entrusting documents to specialized institutions.”

He added: “The National Archives and Library of Iran is obliged to preserve the country’s written heritage under safe conditions using global standards and prepare it for use by researchers and future generations.”

Dr. Mohammad Mosaddegh’s house in Ahmadabad, which was his place of exile and residence after the 1953 coup, is today recognized as one of the symbols of Iran’s historical memory. At the end of this cooperation, representatives of both sides evaluated the entrustment of documents to the National Archives of Iran as an effective step in strengthening public trust in national institutions safeguarding the country’s documentary heritage.”