when a truce brought the fighting to an end. The FSLN lost the elec-
tions of 25 February 1990 and has remained the leading opposition
party to the current centrist Nicaraguan government.SAVAK. Formed under the guidance of United States and Israeli intel-
ligence officers in 1957, SAVAK developed into an effective secret
agency of the Iranian shah, Reza Pahlavi. Attached to the Office of
the Prime Minister, its director assumed the title of deputy to the
prime minister for national security affairs. Despite its allegiance to
the monarch, the shah did not trust SAVAK’s directors and changed
them on a regular basis. Although officially a civilian agency,
SAVAK also had close ties to the military; many of its officers served
simultaneously in branches of the armed forces.
Founded to round up members of the outlawed Iranian Communist
Party, Tudeh, SAVAK expanded its activities to include gathering
intelligence and neutralizing the regime’s opponents. It established
an elaborate system to monitor all facets of political life, including
journalists, literary figures, and academics. It also conducted surveil-
lance of universities, labor unions, and peasant organizations.
Abroad, SAVAK monitored Iranian students who publicly opposed
the Pahlavi rule.
Over the years, SAVAK became a law unto itself, having legal au-
thority to arrest and detain suspected persons indefinitely. It operated
its own prisons in Tehran and, many suspected, throughout the country
as well. Many of these activities were carried out without any institu-
tional checks. SAVAK was officially dissolved by Ayatollah Khomeini
shortly after he came to power in 1979. The Islamic revolutionaries
particularly singled out former SAVAK operatives for reprisals, and
virtually all of them were purged between 1979 and 1981.SCHLESINGER, JAMES R. (1929– ).Ninth director of central intel-
ligence (DCI) between 5 February 1973 and 2 July 1973. After his re-
election in 1972, President Richard M. Nixonfired DCI Richard M.
Helms, who had been DCI throughout his first term. Intent on reform-
ing intelligence, President Nixon appointed James Schlesinger as DCI
on 21 December 1972. Educated as an economist, Schlesinger also
brought to his new position an appreciation of the high cost of intelli-
gence. Schlesinger was also critical of the intelligence community
(IC), particularly of the quality of intelligence directed at policymakers.SCHLESINGER, JAMES R.• 17505-398 (2) Dictionary.qxd 10/20/05 6:27 AM Page 175