Under five shahs : A dramatic account of the evolution of Iran by one who took part

ix, 457 pages, 24 unnumbered pages of plates : maps, portraits ; 23 cm. Autobiography. General Arfa has been actively concerned with the evolution of his country, Iran, from a mediaeval state to the progressive place it holds in the modern world. His autobiography is unusual and important since he gives a picture from inside of the rapid growth of modern Iran, but as an Iranian with a wide knowledge and interest in the contemporary history of the Middle East, writes for the outside world. General Arfa was an officer in the Iranian Army for thirty years before his political and diplomatic career. His father was also a diplomat and through his ancestry General Arfa has Iranian, Rus- sian and English blood. He received his military education at the Military Academy Istanbul, the Cavalry Schools in Berne and Saumur and at the Ecole de Guerre in Paris. From the time he first entered the Imperial Guard to the time he became Chief of Staff he saw military action of all kinds and took part in the pacification and disarmament operations against the fron- tier tribes in Iran. He was military attache in London and held regimental and staff appointments. His wife, Hilda Bewicke, is English and was a ballerina with the Diaghilef Ballet. His portrait of Reza Shah as he knew him and his account of the relations of the Shah with Mosaddeq are of especial interest. In 1957 he was appointed Ambassador to Turkey and Greece and in 1961 as Ambassador to Pakistan and Ceylon. General Arfa's family background and varied career make this an absorbing personal record.…