Chapter 18 Summary and Analysis

The narrator did a lot of business in Latin America, Indonesia and Iran. Iran was rich in oil, but its population was not Arabic. The U.S. and business community wanted to join forces to show Iran as a symbol of progress. A campaign was launched to show that a friend of the U.S. could accomplish great things and the Shah's influence as a world leader was increasing and Iran was developing one of the greatest military forces in the Middle East.

John finds a letter under his door written by a man named Yamin, who was labeled a subversive radical. Yamin wanted to meet with John; John agreed. Yamin asked John if he knew about the Flowering Desert Project. The shah believed the desert used to be lush forests and fertile plains and and could be reclaimed. John told...