<p class="MsoSubtitle" style="margin-bottom: 11px;">Decades before the Ayatollah, even before the shah, early Americans found themselves enchanted with Iranian culture, politics, and history.</p>
<p><span class="deck"> HOW AND WHY THE UNITED STATES GOT INVOLVED IN THE MIDDLE EAST</span> </p>
<p><span class="deck">The unquiet history of the modern state of Israel has been tied up with the United States from the beginning.</span></p>
