Laughter Before the Storm: A Peace Corps Volunteer in Pre-Revolutionary Iran

John Limbert's Part 1 interview is both entertaining and enlightening. A Peace Corps Volunteer in Iran before the 1979 Revolution, Limbert combines humor, humility, and historical insight as he recalls a country where resentment of the Shah was already widespread. He tells amusing stories about cultural misunderstandings and admits that he sometimes felt he was in Iran mainly "to provide amusement for our host country." Among the more startling revelations is that some Iranians suggested that if he ever gained access to the Shah, he should assassinate him—a measure of the anger many felt toward the regime.

Limbert also recalls meeting the Iranian woman he would later marry (apparently after losing a ping-pong game to her), adding a personal dimension to his account of life in Iran.

The episode ends just as the hostage crisis begins to enter the story. Since Limbert would spend 444 days as one of the American hostages, Part 2 promises to be fascinating. In the meantime, Part 1 offers an engaging and nuanced glimpse of Iran before the storm broke.