Guest Article, by Franklin T. Burroughs, Ed.D.

The Great Game of the nineteenth century between the British and Russian Empires over Afghanistan and neighboring territories also threatened Persia, now known as Iran. This confrontational ambiance
and the negative implications created both fear and distrust within the Government of Iran toward England and Russia and prompted the acceptance of the United States as a more trustworthy foreign power.

The United States entered the Iran relationship with what Robin Hobb would term “the velvet glove that cloaks the fist of power.” America used a level of diplomacy that convinced the Iranians that the U.S. had their interest at heart and greatly heightened Iran’s expectations related to the American government. The trust reached such a level that the shahs in power appointed two Americans, Arthur Millspaugh and Morgan Shuster, treasurers-general of the country. The U.S. display of relatively soft power persisted until
the mid-twentieth century.