It was January 1980. Just 11 months earlier, the Shah of Iran had beendeposed. The King of Kings, who traced his lineage back to Cyrus the Great, hadcelebrated 25 centuries of Persian monarchy in the ruins of the imperial capitalat Persepolis in October 1971.
A hundred million dollars were spent on entertaining and hosting dignitariesfrom around the globe. Cooks flown in from Maxim’s of Paris served up a dinnerfeaturing peacock breast.
The man who claimed that he had launched a white revolution from the PeacockThrone now sat in an ordinary chair in Panama facing David Frost, the Britishtalk show host. Frost asked the Shah about the crimes against humanity that hadbeen committed by the Savak. Without blinking an eyelid, the Shah stated that hedid not know that his secret police had tortured anyone. The fact that he hadcreated an authoritarian state in which such acts were de rigueur did not botherhim.
In May 1977, former US President Richard Nixon, a great friend of the Shah, wassitting across from David Frost in scenic southern California. Three yearsprior, Nixon had resigned in the wake of political outrage triggered by theWatergate scandal. The climax came when Frost asked Nixon if had broken the lawby covering up the burglary to which Nixon replied, ‘Well, when the presidentdoes it that means it is not illegal.’
He went on to cite a statement that President Lincoln had made during the CivilWar: ‘Actions which would be unconstitutional, could become lawful ifundertaken for the purpose of preserving the Constitution and the Nation.’Frost gasped and stated that there was no parallel between the crisis facingLincoln and the crisis facing Nixon.