pictures taken? >> guest: well, the first one--you know, i was looking for a shot of myself from the way i used to be, and it almost looks like a generic shot. it could be any of 10,000 people. it was, in fact, me and it was a passport photo. and the really depressing thing about that shot is because it was a passport photo, i tried really hard to look my best and that--that was the result. the moustache i had until about a year and a half ago, i guess, and that shot was taken then. c-span: this is the cover of the book. it's called "how i accidentally joined the vast right-wing conspiracy" by harry stein, our guest. and we thank you very much. >> guest: thank you, brian. ..

>> now joining us from the hoover institution on the campus of stanford university is abbas milani director of arabian studies at stanford and a fellow at the hoover institution where he is the co-director of the ivory and democracy project also the author of this book, "the shah." when was the shot in power? >> 1941 and left 1979 and turned over tuesday ayatollah khomeini and willingly that i save the revolution was hijacked by

the kurds. but his father was pushed of power and in the allied forces occupied iran 1941. the british in the soviets. the allies were worried that the shop was a little too friendly to the nazis. depending on who you ask 3,000 german experts when the army suffered early defeat in that connected the persian gulf than they could resupply occupying a iran became a central.

so let 22 almost reluctantly became the king. >>host: reluctantly? >>guest: at that time he was not anticipating this of the virtually occupied country. my sense of it it was not by inclination. said those people grab the throne so he is like a pro

shakespeare and the head that would roar like a lion. in that sense he was reluctant but so the leader that came to power with fdr eisenhower kennedy nixon is one of the days of the cold war. the soviet union was known to get into the persian gulf keeping every and out of the soviet bloc was very critical. but it was very much of the consensus.

so in a troubled land supported by the soviet union. said it is interesting and critical. >>host: you mentioned shakespeare a couple of times you begin each chapter of "the shah" with a quotation from shakespeare. white? >>guest: but i found striking similarities with the have sleekness so with

one expense to the other there was no in between. so to invite all the heads of state. where he threaten president ford verbally and 3 where he threaten president ford verbally and then could not make a single decision without approval. but the whole question, and to sustain the phenomenon of the modern age with a brilliant mind you can kill

me or get rid of me but only god can take away the throne >>host: throw his reign through 1979, through those years, how many did he answer to the british or another authority prior to making big decisions? >> 1841 they are the words of the american fastener, he has to answer to the british there is very little he can do the u.s. poured in almost

$1 billion through 1962. said they are the recipients of foreign aid during that period. but ironically it think it proved to be his undoing in no longer had to listen to americans throughout the entire time of his reign he should open the system. you should bring the middle-class and but he did not listen to the americans.

so with the large urban working class -- class with the culture of value but those that were allowed to participate to mobilize but with the neighborhoods of those areas sova in the system went into crisis they are the ones that had the political muscle. so hope to create a democracy. >>host: abbas milani did the shah always have attenuate -- to do his

relationship with the mullis? >>guest: good question. but in 1963 that is when khamenei became a national state. and then he would come back to unseat him but the shah fled iran in 1953 and with the help of the clergy but then brought back power so this relationship while he despised the radicals like cabrini but he felt the religion that communism is

the main thread but that is exactly what the shah said. so they will continue to organize i schools, elementary schools schools, creating mosques, with readings virtually in every university before and after the revolution. >>host: was the ever popular among the people? >>guest: i think he was

when he came to power. he had a reputation of having a more democratic policy with 41 or 51 or 52. but the fact that damages the popularity but after 63 we really begin to see the reform.

but in the political system but then he abolished a political party system then he began to lose both his popularity. but then he was diagnosed as cancer and they decided to hide this from the people and they never knew he had cancer because of the country. >>host: you write in "the shah" the chapter called the perfect storm. it is hard to pinpoint the moment that the and wielding coalition that eventually overthrew the shah began to coalesce. one thing is certain cover president carter's human-rights policy had an impact to reinvigorate the

dormant democratic movement. >>guest: one of the things that is not in the book i have written about it before in the earlier book book, overnight living conditions began to change. overnight amnesty international is coming the begin to clean of the prisons. and the society at large but in the society at large but

then they tried to open up the system. you cannot have the technocratic class as the shah has done. but let people fought. >>host: why really political prisoner? >>guest: i was young. and the radical islam of the age, i felt i rented that have a government that had a

more democratic governor. but they drove many in that era. to demand a more democratic government that they would catch up with me and i spent one year but 18 months through the country the entire top clerical cast -- class.

>>host: abbas milani, where did they catch up with you? what happened? >>guest: a group of intellectuals new the level of our activities. so they came and arrested me >>host: we at the university or at home? >>guest: at the time i was the minister of education. they caught me at the university.

>>host: and the shah minister? >>guest: yes. and then soon to become the prime minister. halfway through regatta call that my name has come up but i was about to leave the ministry to make sure that you do not bite the cyanide pill it is more popular than unpopular.

but then they took me to a place and they spent six months there in prison. >>host: wear your tortured -- where all were you tortured? >> solitary confinement for about a month and beat up a couple of times it jimmy carter was elected and overnight you could see how the borders had come down and i almost got pneumonia after 48 hours it took me to the hospital in the prison

and is the best in the worst of humanity. and they still do have friends from prison but in my case a couple of beatings and solitary confinement and the rest of their life -- and arrested my wife. bedded is what the regime engaged in afterwards which was massive

what they were engaged with before we came in. remember they had a terrible guerrilla prague -- problem. >>host: how will they do get to know them well as their with you? >> some of them i got to go fairly well. i used to spend an hour a day with them. and spending time that was to be the next leader after ayatollah khomeini. but those of have been

critical but he speak out and was put in prison for the rest of his life. courageous with 20th-century politics it within one breath to be a leader but said they cannot watch people being tortured. i got to know them a little bit but that he reviewed the book with the "wall street journal." that more or less succeeded to keep their personal views to keep the preference that

of this rather than settling accounts. >>host: in the end who remained loyal to the shah? >>guest: but he did not remain loyal to most of them. but again what is less down the november 1978 but the shah was not capable to stay in power.

but then to pick the most likely successor. so then to see that the government is no longer supporting the shop. what the shah decided to do is very interesting. one of his most loyal servant the you could stay ahead of the curve of the revolution but it only

increases the appetite. the devil is more than reform. >>host: we have been talking to abbas milani with his book review by "the wall street journal", in a winning biography. "l.a. times" says splendidly detailed biography. published by palgrave mcmillin "the shah" on location at the hoover institution at stanford university.

for the "washington post" who wrote this year and a half ago and it is a look back at some of the letters to president obama riding to and letters every day to every day americans so i found 10 who had written to the president in the midst of the economic recession is a need to look back with the interactions people have for the president is been a pretty good read after that i will move onto act of congress by bob keyser who looks at how congress does for initial regulatory reform to explain why the things is so broken. he covered in the 1970's the big difference between then and now it is obvious that

the real dysfunction and it is supposed to be of good reid i'm not doing this for "the washington post" on purpose but this book that the look at the 2012 campaign so he is looking at that obama knee -- obama versus mitt romney race. the other is called the perilous fight mrs. from a gentleman who took it to your book leaf during the war of 1812 when washington was really under siege and how it changed it is supposed to be a good read. so i can read to were three of those i will be proud of myself the other one is "the great gatsby" because they

never read in high school saw the movie and i hope to finish that up as well. >> [applause] take you very much for being here today. but there are far too many people i did not catch