December 31, 2015

Senator Kurt Schaefer

201 W Capitol Ave., Rm. 416
Jefferson City, Missouri 65101
Dear Senator Schaefer,
Recent news reports indicate that you mistakenly referred to the Peoples Mujahideen
Organization of Iran (PMOI) as a terrorist organization.
In fact, neither the United States nor any of its NATO allies consider PMOI a terrorist
group. On the contrary, PMOI has proven to be a valuable partner in the struggle against the
worlds leading state sponsor of terrorism, the Islamist regime in Tehran. PMOI has provided
critical intelligence on the Iranian nuclear program and other sensitive matters, and assisted the
U.S. military in defeating our enemies in Iraq. The United States protected PMOI camps for
nearly a decade during the Iraq War and its aftermath.2
1

You seem to misunderstand the threat we face from the Islamist regime in Iran, and the
value of pro-western groups like PMOI. This is why Senator Roy Blunt, Senator Kit Bond,
Attorney General John Ashcroft, Attorney General Michael Mukasey, Ambassador John Bolton,
three CIA directors, a former FBI director, two former chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, a
former commander of the U.S. Special Operations Command, a former Homeland Security
Secretary, a former NATO Supreme Allied Commander, a former director of the NSA, multiple
ambassadors, the current Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, and hundreds of
members of Congress have voiced strong support for PMOI.
As someone who has spent his career in government, I am sure you understand the
negative impact misinformation can have on the public good. So please allow me a moment to
explain the facts.
PMOI was formed decades ago as a resistance group to the theocratic regime in Iran. In
time, it came to advocate pro-American democracy. PMOI has repeatedly declared that proAmerican democracy is the answer to Islamic fundamentalism.3 The group officially
1

See e.g., Patrick Clawson, What is the Purpose of the U.S. Foreign Terrorist Organizations
List? WASHINGTON INST. (Mar. 18, 2010), http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policyanalysis/view/what-is-the-purpose-of-the-u.s.-foreign-terrorist-organizations-list (quoting
Britains Proscribed Organisations Appeal Commission, calling the original designation
perverse).
2
GLOBAL SECURITY, (accessed Dec. 29, 2015),
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/para/mek.htm
3
Higgins and Solomon, Iranian Imbroglio, WASH. POST (Nov. 29, 2006),
http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB116475111368234891.

renounced military action in 2001.4 In 2002, PMOI revealed Irans nuclear weapons program to
the United States, earning praise from President Bush and senior military officials.5 Group
members voluntarily handed over their arms to the U.S. military in Iraq and cooperated with our
campaign against Saddam Husseins regime.6 In 2004, the United States granted PMOI
protected person status.7
PMOI is widely considered the principal opposition to Irans theocratic, Islamist
rulers. Our militarys most elite commando unit trained PMOI operatives in Nevada for years.9
Commentators report that PMOI operatives have covertly disrupted Irans nuclear program.10
When PMOI sought removal from the foreign organizations watch list, scores of top-ranking
national security officials and conservative leaders seconded the request, including Senator Roy
Blunt and those other individuals named above.
8

These leaders appreciate the danger posed to America by the worlds leading state
sponsor of terrorism, the Islamist regime in Tehran. I trust you do as well. Thank you for the
opportunity to correct the record.
Sincerely,

Joshua D. Hawley

Bernd Debusmann, After U.S. departure, a bloodbath in Iraq?, REUTERS BLOG (Nov. 4, 2011),
http://blogs.reuters.com/bernddebusmann/2011/11/04/after-u-s-departure-a-bloodbath-in-iraq/.
5
Higgins and Solomon, Iranian Imbroglio, WASH. POST (Nov. 29, 2006),
http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB116475111368234891.
6
U.S. SENATE COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES (May 10, 2003), http://www.usccar.org/uspublic-officials/us-military/
7
U.S. SENATE COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES (July 2, 2004), http://www.armedservices.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/7-MEK%20STATUS%20DOCUMENT%20MNFIJuly2004.pdf.
8
former Rep. Tom Tancredo, Congressional hearing rightly reverses marginalization of Iranian
opposition, The Hill Blog (Apr. 29, 2015), http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/foreignpolicy/240382-congressional-hearing-rightly-reverses-marginalization-of.
9
Seymour Hersh, Our Men in Iran?, NEW YORKER (April 5, 2012)
http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/our-men-in-iran.
10
Id.