Iran and the West, television documentary archive

Identity Statement

Reference code(s)	: GB99 KCLMA Iran and the West
Held at	: Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives, King's College London   Click here to find out how to view this collection at http://www.kingscollections.org/catalogues/lhcma ›
Full title	: Iran and the West, television documentary archive
Date(s)	: 1979-2009
Level of description	: Collection
Extent	: 11 boxes or 0.11 metres cubed
Name of creator(s)	: Brian Lapping Associates

Context

Administrative/Biographical history:

Iran and the West was a three-part series which examined relations between Iran and Western countries for thirty years beginning with the Islamic revolution of 1979. The documentary was produced by Brook Lapping Productions Limited, a London-based television production company. It was first broadcast by the BBC in Feb 2009. The Executive Producer of the series was Brian Lapping, with Series Producer Norma Percy, Producer/Directors Paul Mitchell, Dai Richards and Delphine Jaudeau and in Iran, Producer/Directors Mohammad Shakibania and Hosein Sharif.

Content

Scope and content/abstract:

The collection includes transcripts of interviews recorded with 62 individuals in the making of Iran and the West from the USA, Iran, the UK, France, Germany and other countries. The interviews examine relations between Iran and countries of the West, 1979-2009. The collection also contains footage on DVD of the recorded interviews, as well as documentaries, press cuttings, and published works gathered in the research and production of the documentary.

Subjects covered by the interviews include: the Iranian Revolution, 1979; the fall of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, 1979; the holding of US Embassy staff as hostages, 1979-1981; the Iran-Iraq War, 1980-1988; the Lebanon hostage crisis, 1982-1992; the Gulf War, 1990-1991; the assassination of Afghan military leader Ahmad Shah Massoud, 9 Sep 2001; the terrorist attacks in the USA, 11 Sep 2001; Iranian involvement in Afghanistan; the labelling of Iran as part of an 'axis of evil', 29 Jan 2002 and the Iran nuclear programme.

Individuals interviewed include Javier Perez de Cuellar, Secretary-General of the United Nations, 1982-1991; Roland Dumas, Minister of Foreign Affairs, France 1984-1986 and 1988-1993; Joseph Martin 'Joschka' Fischer, German Vice-Chancellor and Foreign Minister, 1998-2005; Ambassador Amir Aslan Afshar, Chief of Protocol at the Imperial Court of Iran, 1979; Ali Afshari, member of the Office to Foster Unity, National Islamic Student Association in Iran, 1999-2004 (coordinator of Khatami's student political campaign, 1996-97, student leader of demonstrations, Jul 1999); Abolhassan Bani-Sadr, President of Iran, 1980-81; Queen Farah Pahlavi, Queen of Iran, 1959-1979; Adm Kamal Habibollahi, Commander of the Imperial Iranian Navy, 1975-1979; Abbas Jadidi, Iranian wrestler; Grand Ayatollah Hossein-Ali Montazeri, Iranian cleric and former adviser to Ayatollah Ruhollah Mousavi Khomeini, 1985-89; Gen Mohsen Rafiqdoust, Commander, Minister for Revolutionary Guard, 1982-89; Gen Mohsen Rezaee (also Mohsen Rezai), Commander in Chief of the Revolutionary Guard, 1981-1997; Mohsen Sazegara, Khomeini's press officer in Paris, October 1978-February 1979; Sadeq Tabatabai, negotiator with the USA for Khomeini 1978-1979, Government Spokesman 1979; Ebrahim Yazdi, Foreign Minister of Iran 1979; Ardeshir Zahedi, Iranian ambassador to the USA, 1959-1962 and 1973-1979, Iranian ambassador to Britain, 1962-1966, Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs, 1966-1973; Ambassador Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iranian Permanent Representative to the United Nations, 2003-2007; Sir Geoffrey Adams, British Ambassador to Iran, 2006-2009; Margaret Beckett, British Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, 2006-2007; John Sawers, British Ambassador to Egypt, 2001-2003, Special Representative for Iraq, 2003; Political director of British Foreign and Commonwealth office, 2003-2007; British Ambassador to the United Nations 2007-2009; Jack Straw, British Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, 2001-2006; Michael Williams, United Nations Assistant Secretary-General and Special Advisor on the Middle East, 2006-2007; Madeleine Albright, US Secretary of State 1997-2001; Ambassador John Bolton, US Under Secretary of State, Arms Control and International Security, 2001-2005, US Permanent Representative to UN, 2005-2006; Zbigniew (Kasimierz) Brzezinski, US National Security Advisor, 1977-1981; James Earl 'Jimmy' Carter, US President, 1977-1981; Warren Christopher, Deputy US Secretary of State 1977-81; US negotiator for the release of the US embassy hostages held in Iran, 1980-81; US Secretary of State, 1993-1997; Ambassador Richard Haass, Special Assistant to United States President and National Security Council Senior Director for Near East and South Asian Affairs, 1989-1993; Director of Policy Planning, US Department of State 2001-2003; Martin Indyk, US Ambassador to Israel 1995-1997 and 2000-2001; Assistant Secretary of State, Near East, State Department 1997-99; Walter Mondale, USA Vice-President, 1977-1981; Adm John Poindexter, US National Security Advisor 1983-1986; Brent Scowcroft, National Security Advisor to US Presidents 1974-1977 and 1989-1993; George Shultz, US Secretary of State 1982-1989; Commander Gary Sick, Principal Adviser on Middle East Affairs, US National Security Council, 1977-81; Yusuf Allawai Bin Abdullah, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Oman; Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, President of Russia, 2000-2008, Prime Minister of Russia 1999 and 2008- ; Javier Solana, European Union Secretary-General and High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy, 1999-; Sheikh Subhi al-Tufayli, follower of Iranian Ruhollah Mousavi Khomeini, first Secretary-General of Hezbollah, 1989-1991.

Access & Use

Language/scripts of material:
English, French, Persian (Farsi)

System of arrangement:

The collection is arranged in sections as above, with the interview transcripts in alphabetical order by country of residence.

Conditions governing access:

Open, subject to signature of Reader's undertaking form, and appropriate provision of two forms of identification, to include one photographic ID.

Conditions governing reproduction:

Please note that we cannot provide copies of the original documentary. Copies of the transcripts and research material, subject to the condition of the original, may be supplied for research use only. Requests to publish original material should be submitted to the Trustees of the Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives, attention of the Director of Archives and Information Management, King's College London.

Finding aids:

This collection level description. There is a printed list available in the reading room.

Archival Information

Archival history:

Immediate source of acquisition:

Presented to the Centre by Brook Lapping Associates, 2009.

Allied Materials

Related material:

The LHCMA holds the papers of the Brian Lapping Associates television documentary Fifty Years War - Israel and the Arabs which examines the Arab-Israeli conflict and peace process, 1948-1998 and The Elusive Peace which further examines the Arab-Israeli peace process, 1999-2005.

Publication note:

Description Notes

Archivist's note:
Entry compiled by Stephen Miller.

Rules or conventions:
General International Standard Archival Description, ISAD(G), second edition, 2000; National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal Place and Corporate Names 1997.

Date(s) of descriptions:
February 2010