AN AUGURY OF REVOLUTION: THE IRANIAN STUDENT ...

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middle ground between the National Front and the Maoists. Even though they were primarily Maoists, they agreed on many issues with the National Front. 526 The issue of guerrilla warfare further split the groups. Mohammed Eghtederi, a spokesman of the ISAUS, noted that the group was also split ideologically. The beliefs of the ISAUS ranged from the belief that Iran should be ruled by a Muslim majority, to those who simply opposed American involvement in Iran. All the groups were bound together in their desire to obtain the “freedom and liberty of Iranian society,” which included “no foreign domination,” and a republican government. 527 Another spokesman, Vahid Ahmad, stated that they were “fighting for a democratic government,” and that “whatever form it takes is not this organization’s position to say.” 528 The fragmentation of the student left was indicative of a lack of cohesion in the Iranian left as a whole. Without unification, the left was unable to mount a successful push for power in Iran. 529 The rift that became apparent as early as the mid 1960s between secularists like Fatemi and Islamists like Qotbzadeh became wide open by early 1978. The Organization of Iranian Moslem Students (OIMS) became very active in anti-shah activities in the United States by 1976. 530 By late 1977, the Islamists gained the upper hand with the students in the revolutionary movement. Prior to this transformation, secular leftists were the leaders of the opposition movement, however they “lost their hegemonic role to a rival Islamist tendency.” 531 Anthony Parsons, the British Ambassador to Iran in the late 1970s, was told by a well-informed professor at Aryamehr University that about 65 percent of his students were inspired by Islam and 20 526 Matin-asgari, Iranian Student Opposition to the Shah, 143-4. 527 Linda Charlton, “Shah’s Visit Underscored Large Number of Iranian Students in U.S.,” NYT, 21 November 1977, p. 10. 528 Charlton, “Shah’s Visit Underscored Large Number of Iranian Students in U.S.,” p. 10. 529 Refer to Maziar Behrooz, Rebels Without a Cause: The Failure of the Left in Iran. 530 For a compilation of OIMS publications refer to The Rise (English Defense Publication) and Leaflets in English (Wilmette, Illinois: Organization of Iranian Moslem Students, April 1979). 531 Matin-asgari, Iranian Student Opposition to the Shah, 160; this is also discussed in Hoveyda, The Shah and the Ayatollah, 28. 124
percent were inspired by communism. The remaining 15 percent who were neutral “would always side with the Islamic group if it came to trouble.” 532 Some Iranian students abroad returned home to Iran in the late 1970s to participate in anti-regime activities. 533 The opportunity to participate in the revolution had the potential to be the culmination of a student movement that came of age during the 1960s. Beginning in the fall of 1978, especially by October, university students instigated and led many of the anti-shah activities. 534 Time magazine argued that “the American experience in the ‘60s is one of the main influences on Iranian campuses.” 535 One professor in the late 1970s stated that “Several of my radicalized colleagues are veterans of 1968 in the West and have been waiting ever since to repeat the experience at home.” 536 After the Jaleh Square massacre on 19 September 1978, the Iranian military was ordered to refrain from opening fire on demonstrators. As anti-shah demonstrators realized that they could protest without being fired upon, they became bolder. “They developed tactics of fraternization with the troops, and young female students began placing flowers in the muzzles of their weapons.” 537 However, not all students desired to take part in revolutionary activity. The escalation of chaos during the fall of 1978 created a dramatic rise in the number of student visa requests. During the first half of the visa year, which lasted from April to September, a record number of 532 Parsons, The Pride and the Fall, 55-6. 533 “Opposition Demonstrations in Iran: Leadership, Organization, and Tactics,” DNSA, Iran Revolution, 21 December 1978, Intelligence Memorandum, IR01952. 534 “Opposition Demonstrations in Iran: Leadership, Organization, and Tactics,” DNSA, 21 December 1978; for CISNU accounts of the events in Iran during the fall of 1978 see Struggle: A Publication of Confederation of Iranian Students (National Union), Numbers 8 and 9 (September and October 1978), (Frankfurt: CISNU, 1970-79). 535 “From the Campus to the Street,” Time, 17 December 1979 http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,920701-1,00.html (accessed 23 January 2009). 536 “From the Campus to the Street,” Time, 17 December 1979 http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,920701-1,00.html (accessed 23 January 2009). 537 Sullivan, Mission to Iran, 168-9. 125
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AN AUGURY OF REVOLUTION: THE IRANIA
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ABSTRACT The Iranian student moveme
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS There are many peop
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DEDICATION This thesis is dedicated
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CHAPTER I - INTRODUCTION AND HISTOR
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a blank check to purchase any non-n
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and collective confrontation of ill
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The Iranian intelligentsia that bec
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man.” 20 More and more Iranians h
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developments took place during the
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7,610 students. 39 James Bill ackno
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the potential to provide an alterna
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ole that the United States was assu
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and Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini ret
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Mosaddeq was soft on communism, res
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decade. Inequality, imperialism, co
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Iranian Students.” 77 Fereydoun H
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visit he made from the early 1960s
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Iranian general recalled that when
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epresented a wide variety of politi
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Iranian student protests in the ear
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government. 114 Information from th
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“Their message was clear: Don’t
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on six issues. Land reform was one
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Roosevelt of California. 143 Faribo
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a group of picketing Iranian studen
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progressive-mindedness that charact
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embarrassing to the United States G
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Throughout Kennedy’s presidency,
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of an impossible leader - - by enli
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The shah saw Iranian students abroa
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people. Show the Shah that you cond
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warned the Iranian students that th
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Iranian students under warning from
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people whether they were themselves
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unprecedented, with the exception o
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ecause they were active members and
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youth organizations such as the Fre
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approchement with the Soviet Union
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Iranian students in the United Stat
Page 81 and 82: condemnation of American imperialis
Page 83 and 84: quarterly publication of the ISAUS,
Page 85 and 86: States. When Bunting asked if the g
Page 87 and 88: the police used four water cannons
Page 89 and 90: With the trip postponed, the briefi
Page 91 and 92: diplomats in Tehran noted that they
Page 93 and 94: the modernization of education thre
Page 95 and 96: The shah made his last visit to the
Page 97 and 98: intimately involved in the U.S. cou
Page 99 and 100: CHAPTER IV - THE RADICALIZATION OF
Page 101 and 102: and networking with western student
Page 103 and 104: Marxists had taken place.” 393 Fo
Page 105 and 106: Demonstrations occurred in Iran tha
Page 107 and 108: agents in the Iranian Embassy in Wa
Page 109 and 110: student movement abroad was by far
Page 111 and 112: The group ended up receiving cots f
Page 113 and 114: were the result of high unemploymen
Page 115 and 116: egan to give the wrong people hairc
Page 117 and 118: opportunities for the CIS and well-
Page 119 and 120: with a group of Iranian students fr
Page 121 and 122: same day the lavish ceremonies were
Page 123 and 124: For the rest of the shah’s rule,
Page 125 and 126: question the nature of American inv
Page 127 and 128: over.” 499 As a result of a possi
Page 129 and 130: Even though Jimmy Carter used human
Page 131: augury stretched far beyond that on
Page 135 and 136: etaliatory response to the hostages
Page 137 and 138: did not desire the establishment of
Page 139 and 140: further radicalized the opposition.
Page 141 and 142: Douglas, William O. The Court Years
Page 143 and 144: Sick, Gary. All Fall Down: America
Page 145 and 146: Demonstrate: Tuesday, Sept. 1st, 4:
Page 147 and 148: SECONDARY SOURCES Abrahamian, Ervan
Page 149 and 150: Dixon, David and Shirin Hakimzadeh.
Page 151 and 152: Heineman, Kenneth J. Campus Wars: T
Page 153 and 154: McAlister, Melani. Epic Encounters:
Page 155 and 156: Von Dirke, Sabine. “All Power to
Page 157 and 158: (above) Figure 3. Ali Mohammad Fate
Page 159 and 160: (above) Figure 8. Heading of demons
Page 161 and 162: (above) Figure 12. Masked Iranian s
Page 163 and 164: (below) Figure16. Front page of ISA
Page 165: (left) Figure 19. The battle lines
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AN AUGURY OF REVOLUTION: THE IRANIAN STUDENT ...

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