Washington commentators valued the shah for imposing order and serving US power

Evidence

The downfall of the shah, Kraft wrote, was “a calamity for American national interests.” Not only did the shah make available regular amounts of oil, he imposed order on the Iranian plateau through “his imperial pretensions.” This was good for America: it kept the oil flowing; it kept the region as well as “submerged nationalists” in line; it kept “us” appearing strong. — Edward W. Said, Covering Islam, 254