(09-21-2022, 09:18 AM)mikesez Wrote:

(09-21-2022, 07:26 AM)flsprtsgod Wrote: Carter sent Huyser to prevent the Iranian military from supporting the Shah. He had direct communications with Khomeini giving him legitimacy. He also had William Sullivan actively working to undermine Prime Minister Bahktiar's administration. Then he brought the Shah here of all places which made us appear as betraying Khomeini. He did about everything he could to make Iran hate us.

Right.  Carter's administration decided to play both sides for a time because they had already assessed that it was more likely than not that Khomeini would end up in a powerful position.  They were trying to salvage a bad situation.  Their naivete and ineptitude could be noted, but, regardless, the Shah's power was going to reduce and the Ayatollah's power was going to increase.

Nonsense, keeping the Shah was immaterial. Had the US simply supported the Iranian military then military would've replaced the Shah in a bloodless coup, Khomeini would've been arrested and most likely executed, and a local strongman in the Hussein model installed. Instead Carter Fubar'd the situation because his of his naivety and horrifically bad foreign policy positions and we ended up with the worst possible outcome.

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