(8) The CIA admits that it hired Iranians in the 1950?s to pose as Communists and stage bombings in Iran in order to turn the country against its democratically-elected prime minister.
Kermit Roosevelt Jr. (Teddy's grandson) led a full on coup d'etat.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kermit_Roosevelt,_Jr.#Head_of_Operation_Ajax
Trying to explain that earned lots of "Conspiracy Theory" jabs, until the CIA admitted it that is.
Operation Ajax's formal leader was senior CIA officer Kermit Roosevelt, Jr., while career agent Donald Wilber was the operational leader, planner, and executor of the deposition of Mosaddegh. The coup d'état depended on the impotent Shah's dismissing the popular and powerful Prime Minister and replacing him with General Fazlollah Zahedi, with help from Colonel Abbas Farzanegana man agreed upon by the British and Americans after determining his anti-Soviet politics.
Oh lookie who else turned up:
The CIA sent
Major General Norman Schwarzkopf, Sr. to persuade the exiled Shah to return to rule Iran. Schwarzkopf trained the security forces that would become known as SAVAK to secure the shah's hold on power.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1953_Iranian_coup_d'état
There's a superb documentary called "American Coup" that used to be on Hulu. Well worth watching if you can find it.
American Coup
A documentary film about the CIA's first coup Iran, 1953
http://americancoupthemovie.com/
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1800242/ 8.6/10 stars
Here's a good 5 minute British summary
Ted Koppel blabbed on for 444 nights and never mentioned the coup once. Because it was classified. Some might call that treason.