” In 1956, this agency was reorganized and given the name Sazeman-e Ettela’at va Amniyat-e Keshvar (SAVAK). These in turn were replaced by SAVAK’s own instructors in 1965.SAVAK had the power to censor the media, screen applicants for government jobs, and “according to reliable Western source, use all means necessary, including torture, to hunt down dissidents”. After 1963, the Shah expanded his security organizations, including SAVAK, which grew to over 5,300 full-time agents and a large but unknown number of part-time informers.
