The United States in the Middle East

During World War II

Purpose Statement

This paper is a document that is the research product of one student in Mr. Robb’s A.P.

Government class. The student choose to do his product, which this document is, about the role

of United States foreign policy in the Middle East during World War II. The subject is A.P.

Government and the topic is the U.S. government’s foreign policy in the Middle East during a

specific period so looking at a specific angel of foreign policy. As such the standards are based

on the student’s level of appropriate information.

Description of Project

The student is a producer because he has used his skills in technology and research to produce

this document for Mr. Robb’s class. Additionally this project fits the technology learning

framework of the Technology Integration Matrix or TIM. TIM incorporates five interdependent

characteristics of a productive learning environment: active, collaborative, constructive,

authentic, and goal-directed. This project is active because the student is actively doing

meaningful activities and learning something, and it is collaborative in the sense that Mr. Robb

provided each student with a list of people to assist him or her in the process including some of

the school librarians. It is constructive in that students will work in a productive setting and after

turning it in will receive constructive feedback, praise, and criticism from Mr. Robb. It’s

authentic in that the students are learning about authentic and real topics that Mr. Robb approved

and in many cases such topics impacted the world including this one. At the same time it carries

the goal of the students doing research to hopefully learn meaningful information and become

better citizens of the world. Essentially the goal is for the students to become experts in their

respectful project.
 The level of TIM students used for this project is infusion. Mr. Robb provided the

learning context, which was anything related to the U.S. government’s and its impact either

domestically or internationally. This student then choose the topic of U.S. foreign policy in the

Middle East during World War II and choose the technology tools with which to produce this

document.

The student produced this document. He will do two things with it on completion. He

will turn it into Mr. Robb for a grade and also for a grade do a power point presentation in front

of the class. Now let us get started!

 The Middle East before World War II

For centuries the Middle East has been an important epicenter for human events. It has

produced the world’s three great monotheistic religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

Throughout the course of human events this region has never steered away from having a

significant impact on the world. World War II was no different. However, to get a better grasp of

this we must first look at the region before World War II. In fact we have to briefly go back to

before World War I.

Before World War I the powers were the British, the Ottoman Empire, and Persia. These

three imperial powers essentially controlled the region, and their impact was enormous.

A map of the region before World War I

The above map shows the political boundaries of the Middle East before World War I. The

dominant outside power was Britain, an island nation in northern Europe that far away from the
region and is Christian in religion. In fact the reigning king or queen of Britain heads the

Anglican (Episcopalian) Church, a branch of Christianity, for the entire world.

Britain, one of the world’s dominant Christian powers, ruled over much of the largely

Muslim Middle East. As you can see from the map Britain ruled over Egypt and Kuwait whose

populations are ethnically Arab and Muslim in religion.

Persia, today known as Iran, was an independent sovereign nation at the time under the

Qajar royal family or dynasty. Under the Qajar family Persia’s state religion was Islam, and its

population was overwhelmingly Muslim in religion. However, Persians are not Arab and speak

Persian, which is a totally different language from Arabic.

To the east of Persia the British ruled over India. India is home to many ethnicities and

races and is a mixture of peoples in many ways. Additionally India was largely mixed amongst

Muslims and Hindus. India is not part of the Middle East, however, control of it gave the British

and their imperial empire a border with Persia in the east. In fact British control over India was

solid at this point and in the 19th century Queen Victoria of Britain had been proclaimed the

empress of India.

Between British Egypt and Persia was the Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman Empire was

based in Turkey and ruled over from Istanbul by the sultan of Turkey. Ethnic Turks ruled over

the empire from Turkey and the land they controlled outside of Turkey, most of the Middle East,

was inhabited by Arabs. Turks and Arabs were both Muslims but they were of different

ethnicities. Turks are ethnically Turkish and speak the Turkish language while ethnic Arabs

speak the Arabic language. Nevertheless for centuries the Ottoman Empire had ruled over the

Arabs of the Middle East.

 World War I

During World War I the Ottoman Empire would make the fateful mistake of siding with

Germany. World War I was a prolonged and bloody conflict which impacted both Europe and

the Middle East. It pitted the Central Powers of Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, and the

Ottoman Empire against the Allies of Britain, France, Italy, Serbia, Romania, Greece, and

Russia.

A map of World War I. The Central Powers of Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, and
the Ottoman Empire are in pink. The Allied powers are in the tan color and the neutral countries
are in green.
 The Ottoman sultan’s decision to side with Germany would ultimately bring about the

fall of his empire. Given the war situation the Christian colonial powers of Britain and France

saw an opportunity to gain land for themselves, and they acted with interest.

The British were able to exploit ethnic divides in the region by convincing the Arab

subjects of the Ottoman sultan to revolt against their Turkish overlords. This event came to be

known as the Arab Revolt. Though also Muslims the Arabs took up arms and fought in battle

against the Turks. Unfortunately the British had promised them their independence, but this was

not to be fulfilled.

In 1916 the British and French signed a secret treaty known as the Sykes-Picot

Agreement dividing the Ottoman Empire up amongst themselves after the war. This would come

to fruition.

The following year 1917 the United States entered the war on the Allied side. Now the

Americans were fighting alongside the French and British even though the Russians withdrew

from the conflict. On November 11, 1918 German forces surrendered to the Allies in France

ending the war with the Central Powers in defeat.

Two years later in 1920 the Treaty of Sevres divided up the Ottoman Empire between the

French and British. Turkey was now an independent nation-state without an empire. The

country’s language was still Turkish and Islam was the religion of its population, but it no longer

had an imperial empire.

The British and French carved the Arab regions of the Ottoman Empire up amongst

themselves. Syria and Lebanon were artificial mandates created and controlled by France, and

Palestine (later Israel), Jordan, and Iraq were artificial mandates created and controlled by the
British. These Arab Muslims were now under the control of one of two Christian powers, France

or Britain.

In 1932 an independent nation state known as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was

established in the region. As an Arab nation the kingdom’s official language was Arabic and its

state religion was Islam. Though nominally independent Saudi Arabia bordered on many British

controlled lands, and as such the British had a significant degree of influence there.

The modern map of the Middle East had basically been formed. As we know the

boundaries now exist, and were mostly established.

The Middle East Today

 World War II & the United States

World War II began in September 1939 when Nazi Germany invaded Poland. The

Germans had little trouble over running Poland, but nevertheless Britain and France declared war

on Germany beginning the Second World War.

Initially the United States was neutral in the war, though morally leaned more towards

the British. In 1940 when France fell to the Nazis Britain was essentially left alone fighting the

Germans. At that point the U.S. implemented the Lend Lease policy which provided aid and

military assistance to Britain, though the official American position under the Roosevelt

administration remained neutrality.

That changed on December 7, 1941 when Japan, an ally of Germany, bombed the U.S.

naval base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The next day President Franklin Roosevelt gave a speech to

Congress asking for a declaration of war against Japan. Congress declared war on Japan, and

below is a link to a video of President Roosevelt’s speech.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufoUtoQLGQY

America was now in World War II on the Allied side with Britain and the Soviet Union,

which had joined the British earlier that year when the Germans invaded Russia. On the other

side was the Axis powers of Germany, Italy, and Japan.

The Middle East saw less fighting during the war than Europe but the war still had a

significant impact on the region, and U.S. foreign policy helped fuel this. The dynamics of this

were quite complicated.

Turkey remained neutral and the British retained control over their vast empire in the

region. However, the Americans became particularly involved diplomatically in two countries in

the region, Iran and Saudi Arabia.

 Under the U.S. Constitution Congress must officially declare war, and President

Roosevelt had little trouble convincing Congress to officially declare American involvement in

World War II. However, the president as commander in chief conducts most of U.S. foreign

policy especially as it relates to military decisions and the movement of soldiers during warfare.

As such Franklin Roosevelt was the main person driving U.S. foreign policy decisions as it

related to these two countries.

Iran

Initially Iran was neutral during the conflict, but Reza Shah, its reigning monarch,

allowed Nazi Germany to keep advisors there. As a result of this policy in 1941 the British and

Soviet militaries invaded Iran and began a join occupation of the country, which lasted until the

end of the war.

The British and Soviets placed Reza Shah’s son Mohammed Reza Pahlavi on the throne

as shah but he had virtually no power in a country occupied by two foreign powers (Fox, 1991).

Nevertheless Iran would become an important country during the war.

President Franklin Roosevelt created the Persian Gulf Command and sent thirty thousand

American soldiers to Iran (Fox, 1991). This created a channel whereby much military aid was

shipped from the Americans to and across Iran into the Soviet Union to help defeat the Germans

(Fox, 1991). Through the use of the Persian Gulf Command Iran’s physical terrain contributed

much effort to the eventual German defeat.

The Roosevelt Administration’s innovative policy was a step in the right direction and

showed the forthrightness needed in leadership at the time. It is probably also true that as a result

of Roosevelt’s decision U.S. foreign policy more than likely became more attached to the Iranian

monarchy.
 Abroad the president is the symbol of the United States. As such he often travels to other

countries to represent America, and in 1943 such an occasion happened in Iran. Roosevelt met in

Iran at the Tehran Conference with his British and Soviet counterparts, Prime Minister Winston

Churchill and Joseph Stalin. This meeting further symbolized Iran’s importance in the war.

Below is a link to a video clip of Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin meeting in Iran.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aBRsh5kLuI

Indeed Roosevelt used his position as president to further tighten U.S. friendly relations

with Iran. At the Tehran Conference Roosevelt insisted that Churchill and Stalin recognize Iran’s

sovereignty (Polk, 2009). The policies implemented by Roosevelt during World War II closely

aligned America in support of Iran’s reigning monarch or shah, Mohammed Reza Pahlavi.

Often decisions made by presidents in foreign policy significantly impact the direction

U.S. policy takes for decades to come. Following Roosevelt’s death and the demise of World

War II successive U.S. presidents continued American support for the shah of Iran. Undeniably

in the decades to come the shah became one of America’s closest allies in the world.
 President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn with the shah of Iran and his family-the
Royal Family of Iran in Iran in 1977.

Below is a video link of President Carter’s speech praising the shah of Iran

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqrHQpRHwws

As a result of decisions made by Franklin Roosevelt U.S. foreign policy became strongly

supportive of the shah, and this continued for decades afterward. The impact of World War II on

U.S.-Iran relations was quite significant.

 Saudi Arabia

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a large country in the Middle East that occupies most of the

Arabian Peninsula. Its population is ethnically Arab and speaks Arabic, and its population in

religion is virtually all Muslim. Under the royal family Islam is the state religion and the

country’s flag bears the Shahada or Muslim declaration of faith.

The flag of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is green with the Shahada or Muslim creed of faith
written in white lettering in Arabic.
Map of Saudi Arabia

Initially Saudi Arabia was neutral during World War II. Nevertheless it had a precarious

situation in that many territories around it were controlled by the British. Despite this the Saudi

government took an interest in developing a relationship with the Americans even before the

war. In the 1930s the king had granted an American company, Socal, a contract to drill for oil,

and Socal discovered oil in the kingdom in 1938 (Long and Maisel, 2010).

World War II began in 1939 and though Saudi Arabia was neutral its strategic importance

was increased by policies implemented by the U.S. government. Essentially Saudi Arabia was

becoming a close ally of the United States through decisions by the executive branch. In
February 1943 the U.S. State Department declared Saudi Arabia eligible for Lend Lease military

aid, and in doing so the Americans had ensured Saudi Arabia would remain financially solvent

but also established military cooperation between the two countries (Long and Maisel, 2010).

On February 14, 1945 President Franklin Roosevelt met with King Abdul Aziz, Saudi

Arabia’s reigning monarch, on the U.S.S. Quincy in the Suez Canal in Egypt (Unger, 2004).

Many historians regard this meeting as the beginning of the permanent alliance between the two

countries that has lasted ever since. Nevertheless the meeting between Roosevelt and the king

occurred as a result of decisions implemented by the Roosevelt administration during the war. In

other words executive branch decisions had created a climate in which Roosevelt was on good

terms to meet the king, and establish this friendship. As such World War II had a significant

impact on the U.S. becoming a close ally and supporter of Saudi Arabia, and this friendship has

lasted ever since.

Indeed the area of foreign policy is an area where the president has substantial power and

control. In many situations presidents make decisions especially in wartime in which they build

alliances with other countries. It is one of the powers of the executive branch, and often

determines alliances for decades to come. During World War II Franklin Roosevelt utilized this

power, and through the decisions of his administration created America’s friendship with Saudi

Arabia which has lasted ever since.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt with King Abdul Aziz of Saudi Arabia on board the U.S.S.
Quincy in the Suez Canal in Egypt on February 14, 1945.
President Barack Obama with King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia in Saudi Arabia

The End!!
 Works Cited

Fox, Mary Virginia (1991). Iran: Enchantment of the World. Chicago: Children’s Press.

Long, David E., & Maisel, Sebastian (2010). The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Second Edition.

Gainesville: University Press of Florida.

Polk, William R. (2009). Understanding Iran: Everything You Need to Know, From

Persia to the Islamic Republic, From Cyrus to Ahmadinejad. New York, NY:

Palgrave Macmillan.

Unger, Craig (2004). House of Bush, House of Saud: The Secret Relationship Between the

World’s Two Most Powerful Dynasties. New York: Scribner.