Hey, I'm Mishi Harmon and this is Israel's story.

Our episode today, frankly, my dear.

That's dear.

Double E.

Iran, because of the great leadership of the Shah, is an island of stability in one of the more troubled areas of the world.

This is a great tribute to you, Your Majesty, and to your leadership and to the respect and the admiration and love which your people give to you.

That's U.S. President Jimmy Carter.

He was the guest of honor at a state dinner in Tehran's near Varan Palace.

Raising his glass and offering up a toast, he said,

I asked my wife, with whom would you like to spend New Year's Eve? Ellis. Raising his glass and offering up a toast, he said,

I asked my wife, with whom would you like to spend New Year's Eve? And she said, above all others, I think, with the Shah and in Fras Farrant. So we arranged a trip accordingly.

The clock would soon strike midnight, and 1978 would begin.

That year would also turn out to be the one in which the Shah's long-standing dynasty

would entirely disintegrate.

The spark of Islamic revolutionary fervor was lit in the holy city of Kong in January,

and from there, it spread across the country.

Every day here now, the demonstrations and arrests go on.

Rumors in Tehran say people are being armed and may soon start firing back at the troops.

In August, with protests raging in three dozen cities throughout Iran,

martial law was declared.

The number killed in Tehran since the beginning of the month is probably well over 100.

But people in this crowd were saying and believing 7,000 had been killed.

...