Emails, Phil Novack, deputy press secretary, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, March 12-13, 2015
2:18 p.m.
March 12, 2015
Every year on November 4, Iranians celebrate the 1979 takeover of the United States Embassy, which as early as 1987 was being called “Death to America Day” as reported by the AP: http://www.apnewsarchive.com/1987/Iran-Declares-Death-To-America-Day-To-Mark-1979-Embassy-Seizure/id-349374a3c1c5a4ec6c3fbefd1ac3f2ae
As recently as 2013, Iran was touting Nov. 4 as a “Grand Day of Death to America”: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/24/world/middleeast/some-iranians-seek-to-renew-an-old-chant.html?_r=1
In June 2014 Khameini called America the “Great Satan”: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/iran-supreme-leader-military-attack-not-priority-americans-article-1.1817573
Thanks —
Phil Novack
Deputy Press Secretary, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX)
From: <Selby>, "Gardner (CMG-Austin)" <wgselby@statesman.com>
Date: Friday, March 13, 2015 at 1:56 PM
To: Phil Novack Catherine Frazier
Cc: Amanda Carpenter
Subject: Following up
Folks:
I’m sharing here and checking to see if you have other information you believe pertinent…
It looks to us at this point, after checking sources including additional news stories and experts on Iran, that the embassy takeover is marked every year, but that day is not a national holiday (or comparable to the American holidays the senator listed) and not called Death to America Day.
Below is a list of Iranian holidays posted online by Iran’s embassy in Washington, D.C., which doesn’t show a special designation for Nov. 4:
Here’s what some experts on Iran told us:
-- Gary Sick, a scholar at Columbia University’s Middle East Institute, said “Death to America” is an Iranian revolutionary slogan shouted or chanted “at most events related to the revolution. I am sure that it would be heard at the Nov. 4 demonstrations, but I am unaware that it is the formal name of the day or event. This slogan is shouted every Friday at the weekly prayer services held across Iran.”
-- Alex Vatanka of the Washington, D.C.-based Middle East Institute, said annual Nov. 4 events are a “regime-orchestrated show of anti-Americanism” and not a national holiday. “That said, the regime's history of spewing anti-Americanism is rich,” Vatanka emailed.
-- Mehrzad Boroujerdi, a Syracuse University political scientist, said Cruz was wrong, elaborating: “There are celebrations on Nov. 4 which is the anniversary of the takeover of the U.S. Embassy” but “no such thing as a death to America national holiday.”
--John Limbert, a professor at the U.S. Naval Academy and former Iranian hostage, said Nov. 4 “is marked with demonstrations and speeches, although former President” Mohammad “Khatami (1997-2005) limited those events while he was in office. I have never heard it referred to as ‘Death to America’ day. Nor, as far as I am aware, does it have the status of ‘national holiday’ during which presumably offices and schools would be closed.”
Anything else you’d like us to consider?
g.
2:18 p.m.
March 13, 2015
Here’s a statement from Amanda followed by Cruz’s exact quote:
"Your sources do indeed confirm that Iran has a well-established tradition of celebrating 'Death to America Day' on November 4th each year," said Cruz Communications Director Amanda Carpenter. "Such a dedicated annual tradition fits the working definition of a holiday. St. Patrick’s Day is an upcoming event that most Americans recognize as a holiday, although it is not considered a federal holiday. Just because Iran has not similarly designated 'Death to America Day' as a formalized holiday does not mean Sen. Cruz's characterization was wrong or the occurrence of these routine celebrations is any less disturbing."
CRUZ: "Last year, Khamenei, in 2014, speaking to a large crowd in Tehran, said falsely, America is the greatest human rights abuser on the face of the planet. The crowd responded by chanting in unison death to America. And indeed, every day, or every year, rather, Iran celebrates as a holiday what they call death to America day. That's an actual holiday in Iran. Here, we have Thanksgiving, we have Christmas, we have the 4th of July. Every year in Iran, they celebrate death to America day, which is the anniversary of Iran in the 1970s taking Americans hostage. There is a reason Iran calls Israel the little Satan and America the great Satan. And I believe neither President Obama nor his team understand that these are theocratic zealots whose religious extremism and radical Islamic theology makes the risk of their using a nuclear weapon to murder millions unacceptably high.”
Thanks,
Phil