MISSION TO TEHRAN

by Robert E. Huyser ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 1, 1986

A firsthand account of General Huyser's special mission--he was sent by Jimmy Carter in January, 1979, to save Iran from the chaos of civil breakdown. Traditional consensus has it that Carter's purpose in sending Huyser was to sack the Shah. In this volume, the General debunks this idea, asserting that his mission was first to attempt to save the Shah, and only secondarily to arrange for a strong military successor. The prime consideration in all of this, of course, was the strategic position of Iran in the East-West power game. Huyser recounts here his strong support of Bakhtiar as the Shah's successor, due to Huyser's belief that he was the only man strong enough to harness the armed forces' power to a viable political strategy. To the charge from some quarters that Huyser was solely responsible for the failure of the Bakhtiar government, the author counters that it was Washington that failed to provide the catalyst to ensure that Bakhtiar might have achieved success. Huyser has also been criticized for having an over-optimistic attitude vis-à-vis the Iranian military. Here, Huyser insists that the military under the Shah had always performed professionally and effectively. It was only due to the lack of central direction from Bakhtiar that the military eventually collapsed. Finally, Huyser's own criticisms are directed at Ambassador William Sullivan, whom he accuses of having looked to Khomeini with rose-tinted glasses, seeing him as a Gandhi-like figure ""whose accession to power coupled with a change in government would be the most suitable course for the US to pursue."" A crucial piece of the puzzle in sorting out the eleventh-hour machinations of 1979 Iran.

Pub Date: Jan. 1, 1986

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Harper & Row

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 1986

Categories: NONFICTION