IRAN: The Shah Compromises

To try to save his throne, he appoints a civilian government

It was, finally, the week in which the once proud and orderly kingdom of Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi seemed almost beyond recall. The streets of Tehran rocked with pitched battles. More than 20 demonstrators lay dead, hundreds were wounded in battles with the Shah's soldiers. A crippling strike by oilfield workers shut off the Iranian petroleum spigot and plunged the economy into chaos. Banks, schools and stores were closed. Iran Air, the national airline, canceled all flights. Bus service halted. The nation was on its knees and, were nothing...