Status Updates From Guests of the Ayatollah: Th...

"The spectacular failure at Desert One had lanced the boil." (In the mind of the American public there had been a mounting expectation of war over the hostage crisis in the preceeding week)

The possibility of a peaceful solution, albeit by a secret deal struck indirectly, became impossible to hide. Those following the story closely via the newspapers in February 1980 saw plenty of evidence, such as the government asked a publisher to delay a book by Kermit Roosevelt about the CIA role in the 1953 coup.

"He recognised certain types of young Iranians from his years of teaching in Shiraz. Confused kids living in a bizarre society that for reasons of religion of tradition or religion closed off most of the usual avenues of growth and self-improvement. It produced young people who were restless and arrogant, ripe for a demagogue.. like Khomeini."