AN AUGURY OF REVOLUTION: THE IRANIAN STUDENT ...

Throughout Kennedy’s presidency, anti-shah demonstrations by Iranian students were a
common occurrence. While the ISAUS did have a voice in the Kennedy administration through
Robert Kennedy, the results of the Washington-inspired White Revolution were severely
frowned upon by Iranian students abroad. 182 The demonstrations, along with numerous other
factors combined with the shah’s already skeptical view of American intentions to make the shah
suspect that the U.S. government supported the anti-regime activities of Iranian studying in the
United States. The first factor was the Kennedy administration’s emphasis on reform. Second
was the friendship between prominent Americans, such as Justice William O. Douglas and
Robert Kennedy. Third was the Justice Department’s suspension of deportation proceedings
against anti-shah activists in the United States. 183 The residue of mistrust continued throughout
Lyndon Johnson’s presidency, and Johnson’s policy was in many ways designed to improve
upon the damage done to U.S. – Iranian relations during the Kennedy administration. Iranian
student protest in the United States played a role in creating this situation.
182 ISAUS, U.S. Involvement in Iran, Part 1: Imperialist Disguises and Liberal Illusions, 1900-1963.
183 Action Memorandum from the Assistant Secretary of State for near Eastern and South Asian Affairs (Talbot) to
the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs (Harriman), “Request that you ask the Attorney General to Begin
Deportation Proceedings against an Anti-Regime Leader in the United States,” 13 May 1964, FRUS 1964-1968, Vol.
XXII, Iran 1964-1968 (Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1999), 38.
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