Photo By Erin Thompson | Five Iranian officers (center) inspecting U.S. Army equipment during the 8th Infantry...... read more read more
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Beginning on Mar. 8, 1959, the 8th Infantry Division hosted a five-day observer training program for five officers from the Imperial Iranian Army at division headquarters in Bad Kreuznach, West Germany. This gave Maj. John F. Chrest, escort officer from the 8th Military Intelligence Detachment, the opportunity to observe the Iranians in turn and provide feedback on possible improvements for future observer training.
In the 1950s, Iran was one of the few U.S. allies in the Middle East. Iran’s border with Turkmenistan, then a republic of the Soviet Union, and its position on the Persian Gulf made maintaining a relationship with the Iranians of strategic importance to American sociopolitical and military interests. As part of relation-building efforts in February 1959, the U.S. Military Mission with the Iranian Army and U.S. Military Assistance Advisory Group to Iran invited five Iranian officers to attend an observer training program at the 8th Infantry Division headquarters in Bad Kreuznach.
The five officers from the Iranian 12th Infantry Division included Maj. Gen. Aboutorab Sardadvar, commander; Col. Nasser Oskouie, corps G-3; Col. Mahammed-Ali Shahnam, regimental commander; Lt. Col. Nosratollah Sepehr, division G-3; and Lt. Col. Abdol-Javad Nabahy, G-3, interpreter. They arrived on Mar. 8, 1959, and were soon met by the assigned escort officer, Major (later Lt. Col.) Chrest, commander of the 8th MI Detachment. Chrest believed he was chosen to escort the officers because he was an experienced counterintelligence agent, formerly with the U.S. Army Counter Intelligence Corps.
Over the next few days, Chrest observed the Iranians as they interacted with infantry staff, learned about the division’s organization and functions, and experienced life on an American military post. Colonel Nabahy was the only officer fluent in English; General Sardadvar and Colonel Sepehr spoke French, but “seemingly hesitated to use that language when French interpreters were called upon for assistance.” Because the visiting officers were Muslims, Chrest noted their dietary restrictions on pork and alcohol. Nabahy explained their prayer requirements, and observance of Ramadan had been waived due to their travel.
Chrest’s report identified several areas of particular interest to the Iranian officers. He noted they “showed extreme interest in resupply procedures” during a briefing from the division G-4, and were intensely focused on mess facilities, kitchens, storage areas, and bath units. They also showed an affinity for shopping, spending more than $250 (approximately $2,800 in 2025) on clothing, cameras, tobacco products, and more at the post exchanges in Bad Kreuznach and Wiesbaden.
General Sardadvar greatly enjoyed demonstrations by the division aviation company, as “it was something his division did not have” and thus “was quite new to him.” During an airborne jump demonstration by the 505th Infantry on Mar. 11, Sardadvar questioned the commander, Col. Bill Welch, about his wartime experiences and rank held during World War II, as he reportedly asked every American officer he encountered throughout the tour. He then invited Welch to visit Iran sometime, “in peace, of course.”
On the final day of the observer program, the officers were taken on a tour of the 14th Field Hospital. The Iranians had “expressed a desire to see an Army Field Hospital in operation in the field,” but were told this was “not within the purview” of the program’s permitted activities. A tour of the non-divisional 14th Field Hospital was instead offered, and Sardadvar “was extremely interested” in the station’s mess facilities, patient treatment, and sanitation. The group departed in the late evening on Mar. 12.
Major Chrest recommended future observer training programs provide expectations for visiting officers on per diem payments and available amenities, as well as advise them on the division’s inability to extend visit dates. The intelligence officer concluded his report by stressing the importance of informing future escort officers on “religious and racial tabus,” social expectations, and other “essential background” to “preclude embarrassing situations.”
Article by Erin E. Thompson, USAICoE Staff Historian. New issues of This Week in MI History are published each week. To report story errors, ask questions, request previous articles, or be added to our distribution list, please contact: TR-ICoE-Command-Historian@army.mil.
| Date Taken: | 03.06.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 03.06.2026 12:57 |
| Story ID: | 559556 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 21 |
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