Authorization was granted by the Prime Minister and the Director of the SIS on July 1, 1953.[25] Operation Ajax was granted authorization by the President, the Secretary of State, and the Director of the CIA on July 11, 1953.[25] In a memorandum to the President circa August 1953, the Department of State detailed the behaviors of General Zahedi and the Shah, both present leaders of Iran at the time. With regard to Zahedi, the Department of State reported that he had been excited about the aid received by the United States and was eager to resume diplomatic relations with the United States.[26] With regard to the Shah, he was reported to have shared similar feelings of the Zahedi, remarking that along with swift economic aid, military aid would be useful as well.[26] After concluding whether or not they were worthy of support, officials would then have to decide the resources they were going to allocate to them.[27] Operation Ajax was conceived and executed from the US Embassy in Tehran. The United States government saw the need to take covert action with the CIA.