Nest of spies : America's journey to disaster in Iran / Amir Taheri.

"Originally published in Great Britain by Century Hutchinson Ltd., in 1988"--Title page verso.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 306-308) and index.

Beautiful Americans -- Satanic liquid -- The land where happiness was invented -- Colossus with a foot of clay -- Ugly Americans -- Fort Persepolis -- The longest siege -- Businessmen with noble intentions -- Making history at Bar Alexandre -- The shark, the he-cat and the owl -- Three days in Hell -- Mullahs in Washington -- Friends in faith -- A gulf of blood -- The journey to Irangate: a conclusion.

American foreign policy toward Iran in the post-World War II era has been a failure. Its attempt to foster democracy in a Muslim country and its support of the Shah's decadent policies ultimately only served the interests of Islamic fundamentalists. The author, an Iranian journalist, has conducted numerous interviews and relies heavily upon his study of the official American government and intelligence documents that were seized by Iranian student nationalists after they took over the American embassy in Teheran in 1979. He argues that America's most current failure--the Iran-Contra affair--was the direct result of a lack of congressional interest and concern, which allowed the State Department and the CIA to operate with little supervision. A good book for an understanding of current U.S.-Iranian relations. Well recommended for a wide range of readers.

Also issued online.