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Unfortunately I do not, happy you liked it, I'm a history buff and thought about being a history teacher but some of the people's knowledge of history on here blows me away.
Thank you all for your comments. It is surprising to me that there hasn't been more discussion about the events surrounding the Islamic revolution in Iran, especially since it took place a mere 32 years ago,which historically speaking is like it happened yesterday. I find the whole episode even more interesting given that at the time, most outside observers and many within Iran itself believed the Shah would ultimately prevail; an assessment that proved to be surprisingly wrong. I am left to wonder though if he had not been ill with cancer whether the Shah would have used the full force of the military and security forces to suppress the revolutionary elements in Iran as most had anticipated.
NJGOAT, with respect to your question, though I have not read exhaustively on the subject, I have yet to run across any figures, estimated or otherwise, which detail how many Iranian officers successfully fled Iran and took refuge in the U.S., France, or Britain. Though there is a large Iranian expatriate population in the U.S., it would appear that many key figures once associated with the Shah and his regime instead settled in France, primarily in Paris. After Khomeini took power, Iranian agents aggressively targeted these individuals for assassination. The first such case occurred in July of 1980 when an unsuccessful attempt was made to assassinate former prime minister Shapour Bakhtiar. They had better luck in February 1984 when they managed to kill General Gulam Ali Obeisi who had been the Shah's overall commander of Iranian ground forces. And even after Ayatollah Khomeini died in 1989, the campaign to eliminate these "enemies" of the Islamic state did not stop. On August 7, 1991, three Iranian agents managed to enter the Paris home of Shapour Bakhtiar and stab him to death along with his aide, Surus Qatib. The last assassination of a prominent person with ties to the Shah took place on May 28, 1996 when his former deputy minister of education, Dr. Reza Mazloman, was shot to death in his Paris apartment.
The Shah's sister wound up in California which has not only the largest Iranian diaspora population in the world but most of the Iranian-American population. The Iranian government tried to sue her to get control of her assets but the case was dismissed because of a lack of jurisdiction.
I remember the Revolution and some of the generals on trial. I recall one in particular was arguing that he defied and order from the Shah. I do not believe it saved him.
Any information, and whereabouts of General Amir Aziza, Commander of Special Forces, before The revolution of 1979, and his role with the UN peacekeepers and subsequent arrival in the US
I can vividly recall the photos back in the 70's of the executed Iranian generals being put on display at the morgue for the local press. Believe there were wide spread executions at the time of anyone who held power during the Shah's reign.
Over the years both here and where we once lived in the Midwest we have come into contact with several Iranian families who immigrated here during that time. Most were business people who have done quite well and could be described as upper middle class.
Not sure if anyone can answer this however i was reading earlier today about how the iranian military declared neutrality during the 1979 ''Iranian Revolution'' and so i'm wondering what had happened to the Shah's top military generals once he fell from power? Did they leave/flee Iran? Even though they declared neutrality did the victorious revolutionary leaders target them afterwards for arrest and execution?
I think on a few were executed and those were the ones who also had internal security functions. Most either fled, or were arrested.
As the Iran- Iraq war progressed, the more practical mullah's realized that religous banzai charges were going nowhere and that professional military expertise was needed- fast. This was espescially so for pilots and aircraft mechanics.
They then pardoned alot of imprisoned officers on the condition that they swear allegiance to the new regime and resume their military duties immediately. Most of the successful Iranian offensives were planned and directed (probably from behind the scenes as the official script called for the religous zealots of the Revolutionary Guards to lead Iranian froces to dazzling victories) by these formerly imprisoned officers. These offensives included complex amphibious landings and airstrikes deep into Iraq.
by the way the cinema that was closed and burned down in to ashes with 600 people in it all of them burned into ashes was the event that fanned the flame of revolution, the Islamists and communists blamed it on Shah but everybody knows it was the anti-culture, anti-cinema cinema burning Islamist radical did it and blamed it on Shah and iran security service to fan the flame of the revolution!! Even BBC blamed it on Shah, propoganda was working strongly at that time
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