AN AUGURY OF REVOLUTION: THE IRANIAN STUDENT ...

silver cigarette case with the New York City seal on it. 419 U.S. policymakers continued to
misjudge the hostility towards the shah. They believed that Iranian student protests were “rather
than the strident efforts of dissidents to diminish a record which, by world standards, is
outstanding indeed.” 420
While the American government said that the protests did “little to diminish his prestige
in this country,” the shah did not underestimate the importance of the student activities abroad. 421
By the end of the 1960s the shah had consolidated his power and control over political dissent
inside Iran, and he tried to do the same abroad. 422 However, because of the political and social
conditions in Iran, the number of Iranian students who desired to study abroad continued to
grow. Most were seeking a better education and a political voice. There were between 25,000
and 37,000 thousand Iranians were studying abroad in 1970, including up to 12,000 in the United
States. 423 According to the records of the Iranian Ministry of Science and Higher Education, in
1970, 41 percent of Iranian students abroad were in the United States, with 28 percent in West
Germany, 12 percent in Great Britain, 8 percent in Austria, 7 percent in France, and 6 percent in
Turkey. These statistics are more remarkable when compared to other Middle Eastern nations.
In 1970, Iran had a population of six million fewer than nations such as Turkey and Egypt.
However, Iran had approximately three times as many students studying in the United States. 424
Many became members of groups such as the CISNU. Nikki Keddie noted that “The Iranian
419 “Iranian Students Demonstrate Against the Shah; 5 Policemen Hurt in Scuffle Mayor is Host at Museum Dinner
for Royal Visitor,” NYT, 19 October 1969, p. 15.
420 DOS to AE Iran, “Shah Visit – Security Considerations,” 19 September 1969, FRUS 1969-1976, Vol. E-4,
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ho/frus/ (accessed on 14 April 2008).
421 DOS to AE Iran, “Shah Visit – Security Considerations,” 19 September 1969, FRUS 1969-1976, Vol. E-4,
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ho/frus/ (accessed on 14 April 2008).
422 “Semi-Annual Assessment of the Political Situation in Iran,” DNSA, Iran Revolution, 4 September 1969, Secret,
Airgram Tehran, IR00724.
423 Helms to Kissinger, “Student Unrest Abroad” 2 September 1970, FRUS 1969-1976, Vol. E-4,
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ho/frus/ (accessed on 26 February 2008).
424 Bill, The Politics of Iran, 58.
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