CONFIDENTIAL
MEMORANDUM TO THE FILES
SUBJECT: Alternative Views from the Provinces
SUMMARY
Nine letters, written in both Farsi and English, received during the past two months from as many Iranian friends -- former students, colleagues (high school teachers), and close friends -- living in Shiraz and Khorasan portray post-Pahlavi Iran in a somewhat different light that American Embassy and American press reporting. Shiraz and certain remote areas of Khorasan appear alm and peaceful, generally free of violent incidents. Inhabitants of these two areas have welcomed the demise of the Pahlavis and the establishment of an Islamic Republic, and yet criticize freely and fearlessly their new leaders, including Khomeini. Although high school students throughout Iran, even those in the remotest towns, were greatly politicized, schools were running normally by Now Ruz. Although a sense of betrayal and hypocrisy of Carter's human rights policy led most to lividly condemn the USG, affection and respect remained for individual Americans. While the correspondents recognized the great problems confronting post-Pahlavi Iran, few desire to flee. On the contrary, most of these nine correspondents, inspired by the undreamed of quick success of the Revolution in toppling the Shah, seek to participate actively in the transformation of their society. In short, these predominantly young, lower-to-middle class "provincials" remain optimistic six months after the Shah's departure.
The diversity in correspondents is great: in education, from eleventh graders in high school to two masters degree holders; in age, from sixteen to about fifty-five; in experience, from an isolated villager who has only traveled to Mashhad once or twice in his live to an urbane Shirazi who has traveled widely in Europe (but not the US); in social class, from tribal lower class to urban upper middle class.
In only two respects can the correspondence of such a varied group be generalized. First, all now approve wholeheartedly of the overthrow of the Shah. Several students participated
CONFIDENTIAL
