On Wings of Eagles
LC Class E183.8.I55 F64 1983 | | |
| Preceded by | The Man from St. Petersburg (1982) | |
|---|---|---|
| Followed by | Lie Down with Lions (1986) | |
On Wings of Eagles is a 1983 non-fiction thriller written by British author
The story, according to Follett, is not fictionalized or a 'non-fiction novel'.[1]
Production
Ross Perot contacted Ken Follett, who was paid by his publisher, to write On Wings of Eagles.
Follett based his account on many conversations with the people directly involved, and had the drafts checked by them as well. Aside from changing a few names, he believes the story to be what really happened.
Summary
In December 1978 two EDS executives working in pre-revolutionary Tehran are arrested on suspicion of bribery. Bail was set at US$13 million (90 million Iranian toman). When H. Ross Perot, head of the Dallas-based company hears about it, he decides to extract his employees regardless of cost. He orders the firm's lawyers to find a way to meet the bail. He recruits a team of volunteers from his executives, led by a retired United States Army officer, to break them out by force, if necessary. This team flies to Tehran.
Their well-rehearsed plan to break the two from jail fails because of a prison transfer. The team figures out another way to rescue their colleagues. This culminates in an overland escape to
The incident attracted attention from the press when it occurred in early 1979. Bill Gaylord and Paul Chiapparone, two U.S. citizens working in Iran for Electronic Data Systems (EDS), a Dallas-based computer services corporation, were jailed on December 28, 1978. They were victims of an anticorruption drive mounted during the Shah's last days in Iran, a drive based more on the politics of the moment than on legality or truth. Consequently, while the prosecutor who had them arrested did not file formal charges against the two, he set bail at $12,750,000.
Stunned by these arbitrary arrests, H. Ross Perot, founder and chairman of EDS, mobilized both his and the company's resources to get the two employees out of jail. He became personally engrossed in the effort to release Gaylord and Chiapparone. Perot began by trying traditional venues, such as lobbying the U.S. government for help, and seeking the counsel of lawyers.
He also organized a strike team. A retired army colonel,
When all other means appeared to be failing, Perot asked Simons to proceed to Tehran with his team. While the team had trained on
Once in Tehran, Perot and Simons found that nothing worked as they had planned. The ministry of Justice turned out to be far better protected than anyone had remembered. Additionally, Gaylord and Chiapparone had been transferred on January 18 to the
Just one day later, Tehran street crowds erupted. Among them was Rashid, an ambitious young Iranian systems engineering trainee at EDS. Loyal to his U.S. employers and eager to help them win the release of their jailed colleagues, Follett describes him as the instigator of the mob's attack on Qasr prison.
Rashid's efforts were successful: Gaylord and Chiapparone fled the jail along with the other prisoners. A few hours later they met at Simons' room at the Hyatt Crown Tehran.
The escape from prison was easier than exiting the country. Gaylord and Chiapparone were wanted by the police. Neither had passports and so could not depart legally.
Simons divided the remaining EDS employees in Tehran into two groups. The less suspicious were to leave via airplane from Tehran. The more vulnerable, including the two fugitives, were to go to Turkey in two Range Rovers. Rashid accompanied the latter group on their 450 miles (720 km) trip across northwest Iran. In two days of driving they repeatedly came close to capture. On almost every occasion, Rashid's quick wit saved them. When he and the six Americans crossed the Turkish border, they were met by an EDS employee waiting with a bus and a charter plane. One day later, February 17, they reached Istanbul, where an anxious Perot had been pacing up and down his hotel room. That the fugitive pair lacked passports and had entered Turkey illegally rendered even the Turkish portion of the journey somewhat risky.
On the same day the overland team reached Istanbul, the other EDS employees left Tehran by plane—barely escaping the same prosecutor who earlier had jailed their colleagues. The two teams met in
Reception
The book was a #1 International Bestseller.
Mini series
In 1986 a five-hour mini series of the same name was released, starring Burt Lancaster as Arthur D. "Bull" Simons and Richard Crenna as Ross Perot. It was watched by an estimated 25 million Americans.[3]
See also
- Whirlwind – novel by James Clavell based on the struggle of Bristow Helicopter pilots to extract themselves and their equipment from Iran after the revolution.
- Argo – film by Ben Affleck
Notes
- ^ "Follett Bibliography – In His Own Words". Archived from the original on 13 January 2008. Retrieved 19 January 2008.
- ^ Paperback edition, p.147
- ^ page 121 of Posner, Gerald Citizen Perot Random House New York 1996
Sources
- Posner, Gerald (1996). Citizen Perot:Escape from Iran. New York: Random House. pp. Chapter 8. ISBN 9780679447313.
External links
- Ken Follett's On Wings of Eagles – official site Archived 13 January 2008 at the Wayback Machine
- Ken Follett's own view of the story Archived 13 January 2008 at the Wayback Machine
- On Wings of Eagles mini series at IMDb