Hardan Al-Tikriti - Minister of Defence (1968 To 1970)

Minister of Defence (1968 To 1970)

Hardan was re-appointed Minister of Defence in the aftermath of the 1968 coup. During his time as Defence Minister, Hardan was instrumental in securing large-scale military aid for Iraq from the Soviet Union.

Although Hardan was promoted in office there was still one remaining man ahead of him with the power to control him, Sa’dun Ghaidan. In order to change this, Hardan needed to gain the favor of Ghaidan, which he managed to do with the help of Hasan al-Bakr. Ghaidan decided to join the two members of the Ba’thist Party by helping overthrow al-Dawud and his Republican Guard. After this was done the Ba’thist Party had been fully restored to power in Iraq on July 30, 1968.

With Hasan al-Bakr assuming the position as the President of Iraq, Hardan as the Defence Minister and Premier Deputy and Salih Mahdi Ammash as the Minister of Interior, the Ba’thist regime was on its way to successfully controlling the country. After some time in their respective offices the men began to grow concerned with each man’s next move. Ammash, Bakr, and Hardan al-Tikriti had helped each other make their way to the top with the 1968 Coup. The positions they held in government were very powerful and each one of them was only looking for a way to increase that power and extend their control and influence within the government. Hasan al-Bakr had managed to gain the support of Saddam Hussein who helped boost his own career and popularity, placing him a few steps above Ammash and Hardan. Saddam needed a way into a higher position in government. Because he didn’t have a strong military background it would have been a little harder for him to gain power. He thought strategically that Bakr was his key to that power. He aligned himself with Bakr by supporting his policies. Slowly he started to work through Bakr making him his puppet. By aligning himself with Hasan al-Bakr and other powerful figures within the state he was in a safety zone. In order to keep making advancements, Saddam had to recognize the fact that most of the power in the state lay within the hands of military forces and the men controlling it; those men happened to have been Bakr, Hardan, and Ammash. Since Saddam had already aligned himself with Bakr the only two threats remaining were Hardan and Ammash. Both men also recognized the threat that Saddam posed to their careers. Hardan was the biggest political challenge because the military had become his stronghold where he controlled almost if not everything that concerned the military.