I was in high school at the time Reagan was elected President in 1980. I first got wind of the "October surprise" a little over a decade later. But most people then dismissed it as a rumor and nothing more. Listening to this fascinating podcast reminds me that a similar act of treason was carried out by Richard Nixon in his covert dealings with the South Vietnamese government during the 1968 presidential campaign. LBJ got wind of this and complained to Senate Minority Leader Everett Dirksen (R-IL) at the time, and considered making this known to the press. But Johnson's staff dissuaded him from making the disclosure. This was days before the 1968 election.
How can anyone look upon our history and believe either party is not complicit? I can not imagine the effort it must take to view one party with rose colored glasses. It seems a waste of time and intellectually crippling.
This story is one of the most interesting cases of political intrigue ever. Even the Israeli's got involved to help their enemy Iran get these weapons, but I guess back then in 1979 Saddam's Iraq was the real threat to them - they went on to bomb his nuclear reactor a few years later in 1981.
You missed the WHOLE story . The whole story is the President of the US, Premier of Germany, and President of France agreed to send the Ayatollah from his home in France to Iran by plane . This is the story
It would have been nice to have been able to purchase this book. At the time it was obvious to anyone the hostages were not going to be released until after the election. But to equate this to meddling in the 2016 election is like picking through the tarot deck and cherry-picking the card that fits the narrative for your nonsense.
It’s a stretch to say “CIA installed the Shah”; they couped out Mosaddegh's government which allowed the Shah to tighten controls big time. That was all at the behest of UK who cried “look communists!” because of the oil nationalisation after they had cheated Iran out of royalties for past 50 years… Communist sympathy was only growing because Mosaddegh had been seen as weak for not getting the oil situation sorted when nationalisation was supported by everyone in Iran, including the Shah. Ironically, after Mosaddegh’s removal the focus of the anti-Shah movement looked far more closely to Ayatollah Kashani who was Khomeini’s mentor. Hell of a lot of “what-if” alternative history can be considered if Britain had even consented to an audit and renegotiation of the royalties in the late 40’s. Regardless…. It’s good that his book has been published, it brings quite a bit of primary sources that have been ignored into the light before they would otherwise have been lost to time.
Britain was in a bit of a tight spot financially in the late 40s, so it’s reasonable to factor in where to cut outgoings. Sure, not the best decision long term, but perhaps long term geopolitical relations weren’t given as much effort as perhaps they needed as the post-war recovery crawled on.
Bernard That sounds ridiculous. The CIA didn't install the Shaw? Of course not. All they did was take out his opposition then supply him with all of the intelligence and weapons to take over. Oh but they didn't install him.
Campaign manager and CIA director. These were some of the most crooked people our government has ever spawned. You can draw a direct line from Reagan's criminal activity to Donald Trump's upcoming coup d'etat. If we don't depose Trump he will destroy this nation. Is our military going to take Trump out?
"@MicaiahBaron "So, um... Any idea where the invasion weapons came from?" Saddam Hussein was a Soviet client. He got his MIGs and T Series tanks from Russia.
And you give airtime to this Democrat lover?? Also clearly has no inkling what Watergate was all about. Also , suffers from selective amnesia with regard to what the Democrats have been PROVEN to be capable of.
I am Swedish and have no dog in this fight, but the interviewee came across as extremely partisan, not at all as someone with ambitions of an historian. When he said something like democrats don't do these things it was just laughable, pure political. Not among the best episodes of this otherwise excellent series of spy stories.
Thanks for the feedback this was always going to a be a “marmite” episode but the origins of the “October surprise” is a subject I’ve wanted to cover for a while. I tried to be even handed in the interview for example questioning if the Democrats had been up to something similar. It was never going to satisfy everyone and I’ll let the listener decide what they want to believe.
We know Kissinger stole information and shared it when he had no right to, we know Reagan dealt with Iran when he had no right to. I'm sorry that Republicans keep ending up betraying the country for personal gain, but that's life. Reality leans leftist.
Democrats have violated the Logan Act? Who? I don't remember Kennedy, Johnson, Carter, Clinton, Obama or Biden as having Logan Act violation allegations pertain to their administration. I'd say somebody is just exercising wishful thinking so as to paint the other's pot black like their own potty pot.
I was in high school at the time Reagan was elected President in 1980. I first got wind of the "October surprise" a little over a decade later. But most people then dismissed it as a rumor and nothing more.
Listening to this fascinating podcast reminds me that a similar act of treason was carried out by Richard Nixon in his covert dealings with the South Vietnamese government during the 1968 presidential campaign. LBJ got wind of this and complained to Senate Minority Leader Everett Dirksen (R-IL) at the time, and considered making this known to the press. But Johnson's staff dissuaded him from making the disclosure. This was days before the 1968 election.
How can anyone look upon our history and believe either party is not complicit? I can not imagine the effort it must take to view one party with rose colored glasses. It seems a waste of time and intellectually crippling.
Omg this story needs more press.
This is a rehash of Barbara Honegger's 1989 book, "October Surprise."
Your interviews are veey interesting but having so many ads really hurts them
This story is one of the most interesting cases of political intrigue ever. Even the Israeli's got involved to help their enemy Iran get these weapons, but I guess back then in 1979 Saddam's Iraq was the real threat to them - they went on to bomb his nuclear reactor a few years later in 1981.
You missed the WHOLE story . The whole story is the President of the US, Premier of Germany, and President of France agreed to send the Ayatollah from his home in France to Iran by plane . This is the story
The “Golden Age of Journalism” Unger fondly remembers often colluded to lie to us. The JFK assassination is a classic example.
It would have been nice to have been able to purchase this book. At the time it was obvious to anyone the hostages were not going to be released until after the election. But to equate this to meddling in the 2016 election is like picking through the tarot deck and cherry-picking the card that fits the narrative for your nonsense.
It’s a stretch to say “CIA installed the Shah”; they couped out Mosaddegh's government which allowed the Shah to tighten controls big time. That was all at the behest of UK who cried “look communists!” because of the oil nationalisation after they had cheated Iran out of royalties for past 50 years… Communist sympathy was only growing because Mosaddegh had been seen as weak for not getting the oil situation sorted when nationalisation was supported by everyone in Iran, including the Shah.
Ironically, after Mosaddegh’s removal the focus of the anti-Shah movement looked far more closely to Ayatollah Kashani who was Khomeini’s mentor. Hell of a lot of “what-if” alternative history can be considered if Britain had even consented to an audit and renegotiation of the royalties in the late 40’s.
Regardless….
It’s good that his book has been published, it brings quite a bit of primary sources that have been ignored into the light before they would otherwise have been lost to time.
Britain was in a bit of a tight spot financially in the late 40s, so it’s reasonable to factor in where to cut outgoings. Sure, not the best decision long term, but perhaps long term geopolitical relations weren’t given as much effort as perhaps they needed as the post-war recovery crawled on.
Bernard
That sounds ridiculous.
The CIA didn't install the Shaw?
Of course not.
All they did was take out his opposition then supply him with all of the intelligence and weapons to take over.
Oh but they didn't install him.
Campaign manager and CIA director.
These were some of the most crooked people our government has ever spawned.
You can draw a direct line from Reagan's criminal activity to Donald Trump's upcoming coup d'etat.
If we don't depose Trump he will destroy this nation.
Is our military going to take Trump out?
"@MicaiahBaron
"So, um... Any idea where the invasion weapons came from?"
Saddam Hussein was a Soviet client. He got his MIGs and T Series tanks from Russia.
And you give airtime to this Democrat lover?? Also clearly has no inkling what Watergate was all about. Also , suffers from selective amnesia with regard to what the Democrats have been PROVEN to be capable of.
I am Swedish and have no dog in this fight, but the interviewee came across as extremely partisan, not at all as someone with ambitions of an historian. When he said something like democrats don't do these things it was just laughable, pure political. Not among the best episodes of this otherwise excellent series of spy stories.
Thanks for the feedback this was always going to a be a “marmite” episode but the origins of the “October surprise” is a subject I’ve wanted to cover for a while. I tried to be even handed in the interview for example questioning if the Democrats had been up to something similar. It was never going to satisfy everyone and I’ll let the listener decide what they want to believe.
We know Kissinger stole information and shared it when he had no right to, we know Reagan dealt with Iran when he had no right to. I'm sorry that Republicans keep ending up betraying the country for personal gain, but that's life. Reality leans leftist.
Democrats have violated the Logan Act?
Who? I don't remember Kennedy, Johnson, Carter, Clinton, Obama or Biden as having Logan Act violation allegations pertain to their administration. I'd say somebody is just exercising wishful thinking so as to paint the other's pot black like their own potty pot.
What are you talking about? You really have a problem with democrats. You really should try harder. I mean really.
Adds every 5 minutes.. don't waste Ur time