Second Bureau of Imperial Iranian Army
{{Short description|Iranian military intelligence agency (1926–1979)}}
{{Infobox government agency
| agency_name = Second Bureau
| native_name_a = {{lang|fa|رکن دوم|rtl=yes}}
| nativename_r = {{Transliteration|fa|Rokn-e-Dovvom}}
| logo =
| logo_caption = Flag of the Ministry of Intelligence
| seal =
| formed = {{start date and age|1926|df=yes}}
| preceding1 =
| preceding2 =
| dissolved = {{End date and age|1979|}}
| superseding = Intelligence Protection Organization of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army
Deputy Intelligence Office of the Army of the Islamic Republic of Iran
| jurisdiction = Government of Iran
| headquarters = Tehran
| employees =
| budget =
| minister1_name =
| minister1_pfo =
| minister2_name =
| minister2_pfo =
| chief1_name = Pervez Amini Afshar
| chief1_position = Director
| chief2_name =
| chief2_position =
| parent_agency =
| child1_agency =
| child2_agency =
| website =
| footnotes =
}}
Imperial Iranian Army's Second Bureau ({{langx|fa|رکن دوم}}; Rokn-e-Dovvom) was an Iranian military intelligence agency during the Pahlavi dynasty from 1926 to 1979.
Establishment and structure
Second Bureau was one of the four main bureaus operating in the army alongside First Bureau, responsible for Human resources, Third Bureau, responsible for operations and Fourth Bureau responsible for logistics. It was active since reign of Reza Shah and received information from military attachés in target countries.{{cite book|last1=Dareini|first1=Ali Akbar|date=1998|title=The Rise and Fall of the Pahlavi Dynasty: Memoirs of Former General Hussein Fardust|series=History and Culture Series|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass|isbn=8120816420|pages=25–26}}
Modeled after the Deuxième Bureau,{{cite book|last1=Abrahamian|first1=Ervand|author-link=Ervand Abrahamian|date=1999|title=Tortured Confessions: Prisons and Public Recantations in Modern Iran|publisher=University of California Press|isbn=0520922905|page=74}} the French elite officers who were teaching at War University and Officers' School before World War II were founders of Iran's military intelligence service. The service was later contributed by British secret services.
On 7 September 1955, the "Intelligence Bureau of Imperial Iranian Army Headquarters" ({{langx|fa|اداره اطلاعات ستاد ارتش شاهنشاهی ایران}}) was established.{{cite book|date=1999|access-date=1 June 2016|url=http://www.tarikhirani.ir/fa/events/3/EventsList?Page=&Lang=fa&EventsId=285&Action=EventsDetail|title=Intelligence Bureau of Imperial Iranian Army Headquarters was founded|publisher=Tarikh-e-Irani|language=Persian}}
During reign of Mohammad Reza Shah, the agency directly reported to him.
Role
Alongside acting as the military intelligence apparatus of the army and conducting counterintelligence operations, it was responsible for internal security and surveillance work involving military personnel, as well as civilians.
The unit's operations was parallel to those of Shahrbani and Ministry of Interior. Until 1953 Iranian coup d'état, it was considered Iran's sole intelligence agency.
After Organization of Intelligence and National Security (SAVAK) was established, it had close ties to the military.{{cite book|last1=Carlisle|first1=Rodney|date=2015|title=Encyclopedia of Intelligence and Counterintelligence|publisher=Routledge|isbn=1317471776|pages=324–325}} Although some of army intelligence officers were transferred to SAVAK{{cite book|last1=Naraghi|first1=Ehsan|author-link=Ehsan Naraghi|date=1999|title=From Palace to Prison: Inside the Iranian Revolution|publisher=I.B.Tauris|isbn=1860644945|page=176}} and some simultaneously served in both agencies; an interservice rivalry emerged between the two and even became an open secret to people.
Directors
- Abdolreza Afkham Ebrahimi (1932–1934)
- Mohsen Diba (1934–?)
- Abbasgholi Esfandiari
- Ali Raati (around 1934)
- Hasan Arfa (1934–?)
- Habibollah Deyhimi
- Bijan Gilanshah (1947–?)
- Hassan Akhavi
- Hussein Siasi
- Hassan Pakravan (1951–1953)
- Mustafa Amjadi (1953–1954)
- Mohammad-Vali Gharani (1954–1957)
- Haj Ali Kia (1957–?)
- Azizullah Kamal
- Azizullah Palizban
- Nasser Moghaddam (April 1973–March 1978)
- Naser Qoli Boroumand Jezi
- Pervez Amini Afshar (1978–1979)
Head of the Second Directorate of the Joint Staff of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army
- Hedayatollah Hatami (1979–1980)
- Mohammad Mehdi Katibeh (1981–1987)
- Colonel Shahvardian
- Mohammad-Hassan Nami
Deputy Head of Intelligence of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army
- Amir Hatami (1998–2005)
- Abbas Ali Mansouri Arani
- Seyyed Hamidreza Tabatabaei
- Abbas Jafarinia
See also
{{Portal|Iran}}