12. America Tried to Normalize Relations With Iran
As the revolution unfolded, the embassy in Tehran was evacuated so that only a skeleton crew of little more than a dozen diplomats remained to perform the essential tasks. They soon realized that the political landscape in Iran had irrevocably changed and that the shah was not coming back. They prudently decided that there was a great need to establish relations with the new government and acknowledge its legitimacy and not act as if all of this revolutionary nonsense was something that would soon blow over. Avant-garde diplomats, who wanted to be at the forefront of history in the making, began to trickle back into the Tehran embassy.
The embassy now was heavily defended, as the threat of violence was always close at hand. Iron fences with pointed tips now surrounded the compound. Still, by the summer of 1979, there were about 70 workers at the embassy, and they soon began welcoming Iranian guests for both political and social meetings. For a while, it seemed to both the diplomats in Tehran and leaders in Washington that there was the possibility of establishing normal relations with the revolutionary government. However, a fateful decision was soon made that would close any window of opportunity.