1. History 102SY The United States and the Middle East 1900 to the Present

2. The Interwar Period

3. 1921 Arabesque themes in US popular culture 1926

4. By 1930s Americans increasingly concerned with two ME issues: Zionism and oil

5. Hadassah sewing circle, Boston, 1927 1920s and early 1930s—American Zionist groups declined Zionism

6. Rise of Hitler in 1930s revived Zionist movement

7. November 1938—Kristallnacht (Night of Broken Glass) 1938—Nazis stepped up persecution of Jews

8. Nazi persecution caused major exodus of Jews out of Germany

9. 1938–Evian Conference (in France) failed to offer solution to refugee crisis

10. Amid global depression, German Jewish refugees had severe difficulty getting visas to enter other Western countries

11. Immigration Act of 1924

12. President Franklin Roosevelt was sympathetic to Jewish refugees but did little to ease immigration restrictions

13. American Zionists grew stronger in mid- to late 1930s; pressured Britain to ease restrictions on Jewish immigration into Palestine Zionist Organization of America convention, New York, 1939

14. Britain initially responded favorably to Zionist pressure, but began to have second thoughts in late 1930s, due to intensity of Palestinian and Arab opposition to Zionism Palestinian rebels against British rule, late 1930s

15. 1939—Britain issued White Paper Placed strict limits on numbers of Jews admitted to Palestine each year Regulated land sales in Palestine to Zionist institutions and individuals

16. David Ben-Gurion Zionists bitterly opposed White Paper, which appeared as refugee situation in Europe was growing increasingly dire

17. Oil In 1920s reliance on automobile (and thus demand for oil) grew extremely rapidly in US

18. Oil

19. 1928—American oil companies signed “Red Line Agreement” with British, French, and Dutch companies for excavating for oil in former Ottoman Empire

22. 1933—Standard Oil of California (SOCAL) got concession to prospect for oil in Saudi Arabia

23. 1938—Socal struck oil

24. War and Cold War in the Middle East

25. In 1940s US government first became concerned about political character and geopolitical orientation of ME countries

26. This resulted from two major events: World War II and outbreak of Cold War

27. US now recognized vital necessity of maintaining access to oil reserves and to strategic positions of region

28. WWII: concerns about potential Axis linkup

29. WWII: North Africa as launching pad for Allied invasion of Italy

30. Lend Lease Act Proposed December 1940 Enacted March 1941

31. During war US sent Lend-Lease to USSR via “Persian Corridor” Iran

32. 1941—Britain and USSR removed Iranian monarch, Reza Shah, and replaced him with his son, Mohammed Reza Shah Pahlavi Iran

33. Huge American establishment built up in Iran, forging close relationship between US and Iranian governments that continued until late 1970s Maj. Gen. Donald Connally, commander of US forces in Iran and Iraq, with Iranian journalists

34. Frictions resulting from presence of thousands of Americans in Iran

36. Because of its oil wealth, Saudi Arabia became vitally important to US during war Saudi Arabia

37. During war US established diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia and declared it eligible for Lend Lease aid King Ibn Saud Saudi Arabia

38. America’s growing involvement in Saudi Arabia caused friction with Britain, which suspected US of seeking to monopolize Saudi oil opportunities and to push Britain out of ME FDR and Churchill

39. February 1945—FDR and Ibn Saud met on US naval vessel on Egypt’s Great Bitter Lake

41. Throughout WWII, US and Britain bribed and pressured Turkey to keep it from aligning with Axis powers Turkey

42. 1942 Turkey

43. North Africa

44. December 1941-January 1942—Churchill visited FDR in Washington DC

46. FDR and Churchill agreed that defeating Germany should take precedence over defeating Japan

47. FDR and Stalin wanted early Anglo-U.S. attack on German positions across English Channel Allied disagreement over when and where to confront Germany

48. Churchill wanted to delay cross-Channel attack and start with attack on “soft underbelly” from south Allied disagreement over when and where to confront Germany

49. FDR agreed to follow Churchill’s “soft underbelly” approach Allied disagreement over when and where to confront Germany

50. Late 1942—North Africa campaign began, under command of Dwight D. Eisenhower

51. Spring 1943—Anglo-US capture of Tunisia, paving way for advance up to Sicily and Italy

52. 1942

54. During WWII, default US position was to be sympathetic to nationalist aspirations of Third World peoples Decolonization

55. But when Third World nationalism conflicted with war effort, war effort won

56. Case in point: in 1942 Britain forced Egypt’s King Farouk to dismiss his pro-Axis cabinet, and US supported Britain

57. Farouk and FDR, 1945

58. Churchill, FDR, and Joseph Stalin 1945—World War II ended; shortly thereafter Cold War began

59. Geographical proximity to Soviet Union Strategic importance of ME in Cold War

60. Role of Persian Gulf oil in European recovery Strategic importance of ME in Cold War

61. US was determined to retain access to oil reserves and strategic positions of ME but for the time being was content so see Britain remain primary Western power there

62. Iran crisis, 1946 Ahmed QavamJoseph Stalin Early Cold War Crises in Middle and Near East

63. Iran crisis, 1946 Ahmed QavamJoseph Stalin Early Cold War Crises in Middle and Near East

64. Turkish Straits crisis, 1946 USS Missouri Early Cold War Crises in Middle and Near East

65. Turkish and Greek crises, 1947 Greek civil war Early Cold War Crises in Middle and Near East

66. ... leading to Truman Doctrine, 1947 Early Cold War Crises in Middle and Near East