Bird Tracks in the Snow

Savak

SAVAK (Persian: ساواک, abbreviation for سازمان اطلاعات و امنیت کشور Sāzmān-e Ettelā'āt va Amniyat-e Keshvar, lit. '"Intelligence and Security Organization of the Country"') was the secret police, domestic security and intelligence service in Iran during the reign of the Pahlavi dynasty. SAVAK operated from 1957 until prime minister Shapour Bakhtiar ordered its dissolution during the climax of the 1979 Iranian Revolution. SAVAK had 5,000 agents at its peak. Gholam Reza Afkhami estimates SAVAK staffing at between 4,000 and 6,000. Time magazine's 19 February 1979 publication also states that it had 5,000 members. more »