Download the book “Night in Tehran” by Philip Kaplan
The Story of the Fall of the Shah of Iran by the Former U.S. Diplomat, Philip Kaplan
Philip Kaplan, with 27 years of service as a U.S. ambassador and diplomat, has witnessed some significant historical events. Among them, he was the deputy and head of the U.S. embassy in Manila, the capital of the Philippines, during the downfall of Ferdinand Marcos, the former dictator of the Philippines. He was also a member of the planning and policy-making team of the U.S. government around the time of the Iranian Revolution in 1978, the main strategic arm of the U.S. State Department.
Kaplan, who is now retired from the U.S. Department of State, says: “One day, I saw one of our staff members, who was responsible for the Iran desk, preparing for a trip. I asked him where he was going, and he said he was going to that country to depose the Shah of Iran. I said: ‘Interesting, aren’t you worried about the Ayatollahs?’ He replied that it didn’t matter, and he would bring down the Shah; and off he went.”
He continues: “I had a problem with [Jimmy] Carter because I thought his policies weren’t going to get us where we needed to go.”
Kaplan states that the U.S. ambassador in Iran had adopted a policy of inaction, saying: “He met with the Shah once a week and was completely indifferent to what was going to happen.”
He adds: “When our relationship with Iran broke down, I was deeply saddened, and that’s when the idea for writing this book began to take shape.”
The book “Night in Tehran,” published by Melville Publishing and available since October 19, tells the story of David Wiseman, an idealistic American diplomat tasked with removing the Shah of Iran from power and finding the best option from among the military, clergy, and ruling class to succeed him.
Kaplan says: “Some people think diplomacy is about parties or celebrations. Others think it’s about good things like conversations and agreements. While diplomacy is the effort to persuade the other side to do what you want them to do. Sometimes, it doesn’t work, and other actions are taken.”
He says: “Henry Kissinger once told me that diplomacy without power leads to humiliation. The opposite is also true: power without diplomacy can get you involved.”
Kaplan continues: “An ongoing important debate is whether we should focus more on power or diplomacy. Choosing between the two options is the wrong thing. The only way to make it work is to use both simultaneously.”
Kaplan’s book is written in the “thriller” genre, with a chilling backdrop in the world of policing and espionage. The thriller genre in literature is an evolved form of the classic detective genre.
Direct download of the book “Night in Tehran” by Philip Kaplan.
