During Reza Shah’s reign, Germany sought to extend its cultural and political influence in Iran through education, science, and propaganda. By sending advisors and employing German teachers in Iranian schools, the Nazis infiltrated the Pahlavi government’s education department and succeeded in converting many Iranian teachers, professors, and educated people to their ideology. According to George Linchowski, the Dutch ambassador to Tehran at the time, the Germans made extensive use of the Aryan myth to promote friendship between the two nations.
Linchowski wrote: “The swastika, which was actually a symbol of the Nazi Party, was interpreted by the Nazis for the Iranians as a sign of the spiritual unity of the northern Aryans with the Zoroastrian nation. Germany also gifted Iran a package consisting of 7,500 volumes of books, called the ‘German Scientific Library.’ The purpose of sending this package, the titles of which were carefully selected, was to satisfy Iranian readers with the German cultural mission in the East and with the racial relations between National Socialist Germany and the Aryan culture of Iran.”
Mohsen Jahansuz grew up in this educational environment and during his studies he became deeply interested in Nazism and Hitler. He formed a group to promote his ideas, which was the initial core of SOMKA. In addition, Jahansuz translated Hitler’s book “Mein Kampf” into Persian so that the general public could become familiar with the Führer’s ideas.