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Date:November 2, 1978 (AD) / Aban 11, 1357 (AHS) / Dhu
al-Hijjah 1, 1398 (AH)
Place:
Neauphle-le-Chateau, Pans, France
Theme:
The alteration of the meaning of those terms used in the vocabulary of the Shah
and of the powers Supporting him
Occasion:The clandestine talks held by the Shah with political dignitaries with a view
to solving the Deadlock
Those present: A group of students and Iranians residing abroad
November 2, 1978 (Aban 11, 1357 AHS) saw the continuation of protest marches and demonstrations both in Tehran and other cities. Tehran University and Its surrounding streets were teeming with crowds of people. In a message given to mark the release of Ayatullah Taleqani from prison, Imam Khomeini (may God grant him peace) again called on the nation to continue with the uprising and to stand fast against pressures exerted upon it by the regime.
On this same day Imam held three separate interviews: one with press correspondents and radio and television reporters from Austria; one with The Guardian newspaper; and a third with radio and television reporters from Luxembourg. In his interview with the British newspaper The Guardian, the Leader of the Revolution stressed: “I am certain that the Shah himself and his family’s reign will not survive the present struggle.” ~m
That written by the reporter for The Guardian by way of a prelude to the questions posed by him to Imam serves as an example of the kind of analyses, which abounded in the Western media at that time. It also
Demonstrates how the Western world had lost all faith in the possibility of various moderate fronts playing a decisive role, and shows how It had pinned all its hopes on something unpredictable happening in the future. Hence, the said reporter writes: “Opposition to the government embraces almost all social classes in Iranian society but those who oppose the government from within Iran lack leadership, only Ayatullah Khomeini enjoys a greater following than anyone else. This is someone who firmly refuses to hold any kind of talks with the government, and who, under the present circumstances, is not prepared to return to Iran. The National Front is one of the organisations which has been involved in anti-regime activities for some years now, but at present the situation is one where the leaders of this front do not enjoy a commanding position and where social turmoil and popular demonstrations have left them bewildered. Many observers believe that either a long period of social chaos lies ahead or that the armed forces will stage a surprise coup. Very few are of the opinion that the current political unrest in Iran can easily be put down.
The radio and television reporter from Austria asked why Imam had left Iraq, and in reply Imam said: “The Iraqi government, due to pressure from the Shah, had forbidden me from continuing with my political activities, activities for which I shoulder responsibility; and because of this, I left Iraq.” The said reporter asked: “Do you intend to go to Iran? Why have you not gone there?” To which Imam replied: “For the Shah’s crimes to be revealed worldwide, it is more opportune for me to be abroad.” In answer to another question posed during this interview, Imam Khomeini stated: “Because of the nation’s revolutionary uprising, the Shah will (eventually) leave and a democratic government and an Islamic Republic will be established. In this republic the people of the country will be governed by a National Assembly, which will comprise the true delegates of the people. People’s rights, and especially the rights of the religious minorities, will be respected and observed. We neither treat anyone unfairly, nor do we submit to unfair treatment. At present, the country is in a state of bankruptcy and everything has been destroyed. On establishing an Islamic Republic, a realistic programme which aims to truly rebuild the country will get under way.
When the reporter from Luxembourg’s radio and television network asked Imam: “Will you agree to the Crown Prince succeeding his father as Head of State?” Imam replied: “No! This dynasty brings back truly bitter memories for the nation of Iran, and the Iranian people cannot tolerate rule by any one of its members.” Then the reporter continued: “The military have had no involvement in the demonstrations which have been held over the past few days. The Shah is backing down and has come to terms with the fact that he is to do a U-turn. He is ready to accept Karim Sanjabi . . . So, now that the Shah is prepared to compromise, are you also prepared to do the same? Are those in the opposition prepared to make some kind of compromise with the Shah?” In reply to this Imam said: “Demonstrations held in Tehran for Mr. Taleqani and those held in Qum for Mr. Muntazeri, were in fact demonstrations against the Shah in which the two said men were praised by the people for being the Shah’s opponents. In Iran, the people laud any verse, which is anti-Shah. The Shah won’t achieve anything by these desperate attempts or by making a bid for this and that. These efforts are now too late in the day and will serve him no use. He must leave. Compromise, no matter with whom or in what form, will not be accepted by us, for the nation will not agree to it. We have firmly stated our position during talks held with these people (in the government). Whoever accepts our argument is with us, otherwise, he is not one of us.
The doctors and employees at the Shahrivar 17 hospital in Mashhad had been on hunger strike for several days to protest against martial law officials having entered the hospital. The people of Mashhad prepared to stage a demonstration in support of this action but a number of them were injured and taken to hospital as government officials opened fire on those present.
On November 1, 1978 (Aban 10, 1357 AHS) Dr. Ali Amini went to see the Shah. Following this meeting, Dr. Amini told reporters: “ . . . Why should we behave in such a manner which leaves no road open other than that leading to the enforcement of martial law and the use of weapons? Come, let’s be civilised!” Many observers interpreted these comments of Dr. Amini as some kind of threat and as evidence of the regime’s harsh treatment of the people.
On November 3 (Aban 12), two days after his meeting with the Shah, ‘All Amini visited Mr. Sayyid Kazim Shari’ atmadari in Qum. During this visit, the latter was reported to have said: “What we want is the correct and full implementation of the constitutional law!” Whilst a day earlier, during an interview with a reporter from Pars News Agency, Mr. Shari’ atmadari had expressed his full support for the constitutional law, and had stressed that basically he disagreed with any kind of social disorder (!), destructive behaviour,
And killing (!), and he had continued by saying: “If they (the government) should do something to gratify the people somewhat and especially If they should do something to put an end to these killings and social unrest, then there is a possibility that the people may come to have faith in what they say. I they alter their policies, the situation will inevitably calm down.
Despite such comments however, the movement continues in full swing throughout the country. Imam Khomeini, by making a continuous succession of speeches and revolutionary statements, not only manages to respond to the comments and declarations of support (for the Shah) made by official figures of Western governments, by America, and by the mass media, but he is also able to offset the plans of those parties and figures within the country which have been nurtured by imperialism - plans which aim to compromise.
An official report sent by the American embassy In Tehran to the US authorities suggests that the only way to save the situation in Iran is to opt for a military solution; to get the army to adopt a tough stance against the strikers, the teachers, those in the bazaar and the clergy; and to censor the press. Thus, in one of its critical evaluations of the situation in Iran (November 2, 1978 (Aban 11, 1 357 AHS)), the American embassy in Tehran writes: “This is a written account of Issues believed by us to be of crucial Importance, an account which bases its findings on events that have swept the country of Iran, and which also prescribes those decisions which the Shah is to make without delay
•. The Shah’s efforts to pacify his opponents have failed. . During consultations with Sullivan the Shah has himself stated this, i.e. the need to act swiftly in calming the unrest. However, It would seem that he is unable to decide what is to be done . . . Intelligence reports suggest that those political opponents and religious leaders with conservative leanings are attempting to gain greater ground by coming to a mutual agreement on the establishment of a government with more power, but with the Shah remaining on the throne as a constitutional monarch. That which acts to offset this, are the ideas held by Ayatullah Khomeini, an exile in Paris. This aged and experienced religious leader who has fought against the monarchy for some decades now, Is determined that the Shah must go. . In brief, a military solution is feasible, but would prove very costly to the Interests of both America and Iran for some considerable time to come . . . Any military solution by necessity would also have to adopt a firm stance against Street demonstrators; against teachers and pupils in the schools; against the religious leaders and their supporters In the bazaar; and against striking workers . . . press censorship is also something which could not be avoided.”( 375)
In the present speech, Imam sets great value on the unique awareness of the revolutionary women and mothers In Iranian society, and he describes how the imperialist countries and the Shah’s regime made use of certain alluring intellectual and social terms to their own advantage - terms such as ‘freedom,’
‘Civilisation’ and ‘land reforms.’ hi response to the compromising statements made by those apparently national or religious figures, who, having exonerated the Shah and the monarchical system, are attempting to confine the aims of the struggle to the implementation of the constitutional law, Imam states: “ . . . all of these crimes which have taken place In Iran within our lifetime, within the present period In history, all of these crimes have been committed on the Shah’s orders . . . The terms ‘monarchical regime’ and ‘imperial regime’ are meaningless terms, they are intrinsically corrupt. This nation says that this regime must go . . . II we step down in any way from the position we have adopted, or if we proceed by taking things ‘step by step’ - to quote certain gentlemen - this means. . • If we listen to those who make this argument and we agree with them on this point, then we will have signed the death warrant of Islam, the Muslims and the Islamic State.
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One of the things with which we have to deal in this day and age are these words and terms whose meanings have been altered. There are many words and terms nowadays in Iran, which have taken on a new meaning and for which a new dictionary needs to be referred to. For example, one of the terms which is now used is ‘open political climate,’ a term which appears regularly in the Shah’s vocabulary. Thus be speaks of having provided and brought about an ‘open political climate’ in Iran;( 376) and again, the same thing is repeated by his masters, by Carter for example, who keeps on talking about the Shah having created an open political climate.
Only yesterday, it appears that the Crown Prince, meaning the Shah’s son - yes, the Crown Prince, who of course is like himself (the Shah) in every respect - was taken to Carter who once more sang the Shah’s praises for his having given (the people) freedom!( 377) this is again one of those words which in this day and age has lost its original meaning for something else. An ‘open political climate’ in Iran means the suppression of everything! It means the censoring of the entire press and the prevention of any opinion being expressed! Man is free to express his opinion, yet an ‘open political climate’ means the prevention of any kind of opinion being expressed! Man has no say in his everyday life, in his own destiny! The press has no right to print one word, which falls outside that which it is told to write!
Recently, I grant you, these newspapers have begun to say certain things to a degree, and that goes for the radio too. This public awareness and these clenched fists of our brothers in Iran have meant that they (the regime) can no longer behave, as they would otherwise like to. But even having said that, there is still no freedom as such. Thus one can see how in all of these newspapers, and in all of these radio broadcasts and other media used for propaganda purposes, they still cannot make mention of that key factor. We all know, they all know, all of the newspapers and their proprietors know that this key factor - the key factor when it comes to the servants that is, and not when it comes to the servants’ masters - is none other than the Shah! That is to say, all of these crimes, which have taken, place in Iran within our lifetime, within the present period in history; all of these crimes have been committed on the Shah’s orders! There is no way that a soldier would kill someone without having been told to do so first; or that an officer would allow people to be killed without having been told to do so first; or that a minister or Prime Minister would have the authority to order for people to be killed, to order for people to be wounded, to give commands such as these without having been told to do so first. All of these crimes which have taken place and which continue to take place, have been and are now committed on the direct orders of the Shah; it is he who has ordered for the people to be struck down.
On Khurdad 15 (June 5), as is now a well-known fact, he was personally in command and flew above the scene below in his private helicopter, giving out instructions. The order he gave was to strike in such a way as to ensure that there would be no wounded in the hospitals any more, that is to strike to kill. ( 378) ‘Freedom’ and ‘open political climate’ mean no one has the right to express an opinion! Like our press, which even now doesn’t have the right to express an opinion. Should our press and the media, which is used for propaganda purposes, media such as the radio, television and so on, become free one day, the truth of that which is now going on and that which has gone on in the past will then become apparent. Meaning, at present, neither I, nor yourselves, nor the majority of the people, know about what has really gone on. We only know of what is visibly apparent, of these streets in which dead bodies have been heaped together, and of these visible factors. People like us are only aware of this outer surface. As for that inner surface and those things, which have happened to Iran in the past, and continue to happen now, those matters, which remain veiled, we do not yet have knowledge of these things. But there are those who indeed do know about these things and who have been deeply involved in them; and although evidence of all that has occurred in the past may not have survived to the present, nevertheless, most things have been recorded in the annals of history.
You can be sure that there are now books which have been written but which they (the authors) have not been able to print and publish. But the day that they become free in the true sense of the word, is the day that these books will come to light. That is the time when material published will truly be worth looking at. Our press is still now being censored and hence the name of the true criminal is not to be revealed in any of our newspapers - and indeed, it has not been revealed. And again, not one of the distinguished figures (in Iran) has yet been able to openly speak out on such a matter, a matter which involves exposing the true criminal, this person who is responsible for all the crimes which have been committed, this person known as Muhammad Riza, the son of Riza. So far, none of these figures have been able to come out with this fact, yet the people have. The people, including ten- and twelve-year-old children, are giving voice to this concern; people in the streets of Qum and Tehran, and in other cities, are giving voice to this concern, yet our so-called men of distinction are unable to do so!
These masses of people cannot be defeated. Not only are they prepared to lose a life, but rather to lose lives, or indeed, they even lose the lives of their young ones and then take pride in this fact. The mothers of today are one of a kind, I swear it. That is to say, history has never before witnessed mothers like these, save for those few who, their children having been killed, then came forward and rather than being upset, announced the sense of pride they felt. Some youngsters said to me that (the example of) these mothers caused them to remain fervent; that the reactions of these mothers who have lost a child keep them going and cause
Them to remain fervent, since it is they who give them courage; it is they who encourage them to carry on.
So there, you have our ‘open political climate!’ That is to say, this term has been altered and has lost its true meaning. According to the logic of Mr. Carter and the Shah, it has now come to be understood as meaning all of those clamp-downs, clamp-downs which are enforced in the name of providing an ‘open political climate!!’
Words now used in this way include terms such as ‘great civilisation,’ ‘the gateway to a great civilisation!’( 379) ‘Great civilization’s another of these terms whose true meaning has been lost, to their mind it means something else. This term, like certain others, crops up a lot in the Shah’s choice vocabulary! And so too in the vocabulary used by Carter, his (the Shah’s) grandfather! He (Carter) also uses a term similar to ‘a great civilisation’ in his choice of words, a term which, in the vocabulary of these people, means to trample on and crush all the signs of a nation’s civilisation!
A nation’s education is considered to be of pivotal importance in a great civilisation, for education is something, which must be in tune with civilisation. But when you look at education in our country, you see that it is an inferior education, which is dependent and unprogressive whereby they prevent our youngsters from advancing beyond a certain level, from taking one step higher than a certain level. This is not only the case in Iran, but it also applies to those youngsters of our country who have come abroad to study. Only yesterday, the day before or whenever, a number of these students, these fine youngsters, came to see me here in this room and said that they are currently studying in some country or other - I can’t remember exactly which one now - but that they are not being taught anything. They said that they are only really students there by name; that since they have come abroad the instruction they receive is of a lower standard than that they received when in Iran! Yes, of a lower standard! And thus they argued that they were studying here abroad like this to no avail, and they asked my permission to go to Iran where they could at least do something useful, that is, where they could work alongside their brothers (in Islam) there.
In Iran in the past, the aim has been to bring about a dependent education, ‘dependent’ in the sense that we are to have an educational system, and we are to have universities purely so no one can say that we do not have such things. We are to have universities, colleges, teachers’ colleges, all of these things, which accompany and are in tune with the generally-perceived image of civilisation, but we are not to have that which truly constitutes civilisation, so that the external form resembles civilisation but is one which is hollow within!
From the very beginning when schools were first established in Iran
- Schools established with a view to helping the country to develop - this has been the way things were, except they weren’t as bad as they now are. From the beginning their intention has been to prevent an educational system in the true sense of the word from materialising, for they knew that if a real educational system and if properly-educated people were to appear in Iran, then they would get in the way of things, they would cause a problem by getting in the way of their goals and interests, interests which lie in plundering the wealth of this nation. From the beginning, they planned things so as to hinder the materialisation of an educational system which would be capable of developing our youth and of rearing a properly-educated youngster. And so now things have worked out as they wanted them to, whereby our educational system in fact bears no resemblance whatsoever to that which a true educational system should be like, and whereby they are wasting the lives of our youngsters.
That is, going to these colleges and universities is nothing but a waste of the lives of the teacher and the student. And the teachers know this; the students know this; everyone knows this; but still, that is the way things are. When we say that this page (in history) must be turned back, that all of these schemes, which the foreigners have initiated in Iran via these evil agents of theirs, must be abandoned, it is because we see that everything we happen to point to is rotten to the core!
Even if we could only he said to have one genuine school and university, how come the wealthy in our country, how come ‘His Excellency’ himself( 380) , on becoming unwell, must either bring doctors into Iran from abroad, or must themselves be taken to another country, to London, to receive treatment? How come no one ever comes from London to Tehran to be treated, or to any other country for that matter’~ It is we who have to leave here; these people have to leave Iran and go to London for treatment! The reason for this is that we do not have any proper doctors. Yes, we have doctors, we have doctors who have a license to practise, who have been awarded the appropriate certificates, doctors who have obtained all the necessary qualifications and who are called ‘professor,’ but they are doctors who are not in fact properly qualified. They are not in truth doctors; they only appear to be so.
Yet another of those words that has been changed is this word ‘professor.’ That is to say, they have used this word to mean something that it does not. Hence, when someone becomes ill they say there is nothing else for it hut for him to go abroad, for him to go to London! The doctors also say that he must go to London -. Yes, even the doctors themselves say this! Even once those doctors who have gone to Iran to treat the patient actually arrive there, they say there is nothing else the it but for the latter to go abroad, that the patient must go to London for them to treat him!
This is the sorry state of our education, the sorry state of our universities, of our colleges. And they want us to he in such a sorry state too. Why should we have doctors? Our nation must remain in a certain state of need; it has to be in a state of dependence! They want our nation to be dependent upon these other governments and nations. And being dependent, means our education being dependent, as it is at present. This is borne out by asking: Why, when we once had an educational system of our own, why, when we now want to construct a dam, must we make a contract with an American company, or with whatever other foreign company? On what grounds must we do this’? Why are the labourers all from Iran? The one who has to carry bricks and sand to and fro on his shoulders for a paltry sum, for a meagre reward, he who is to receive a small wage and must work from dawn till dusk, is taken from the Iranian workforce! The situation is the same in the oil company. It’s the same everywhere. This is in fact the whole idea, and this is how we have turned into a nation of third-class workers whilst at the same time having a ‘great civilisation!’
A great civilisation indeed! Essentially, in Iran this ‘great civilisation’ consists of a group of labourers, or, that is, of a group of people who appear to be labourers. It would seem to consist of an educational system and of stooges who are to transport oil for these masters of theirs, and to feed it to Mr. Carter and his friends! These stooges are to work for a paltry sum, for a meagre reward, as coolies, and they are to transport oil for them (their masters). And when they (the Iranian government) want to construct a dam, an expert has to come (from abroad); he has to give the instructions, and he has to say how the plans are to be drawn up. In return for drawing up, the plans he receives several millions of dollars for each plan produced. After sitting down for a night or two and producing one draft, he then receives several millions of dollars! But what about us? You must do the hard labour! You and I, we must do the hard labour, we must carry the bricks! We are incapable of doing anything else. And why are we incapable? Because we haven’t received an education; we haven’t been able to construct our own dams ourselves.
Whatever one points to in this ‘great civilisation’ can be seen to exist in name, but not in substance. Many engineers, doctors and the like can be seen to exist in name, but what of their calibre? They lack substance! When we examine our military, we see that it abounds with names and titles! We have enough ‘lieutenant generals’ and ‘field marshals’ to fill a regiment! A humorist once used to say: “There are only two or three field marshals - or words to this effect - there are only two or three ‘field marshals’ in the whole of America, but in Iran there are rows of. There are hundreds of field marshals!” These titles all remain in force, but on closer inspection, you find that ‘Field Marshal’ so-and-so is in fact no such thing!
These titles were already around before the time when those foreigners, the Allied Forces, attacked and entered Iran; these phoney titles such as ‘His Majesty’( 381) were already around - of course, he (Riza Shah) was ‘His Majesty’ at that time, for this one (the Shah) was not yet born. He (Riza Shah) was then ‘His Imperial Majesty’, and all of his oppressive traits along with some additional ones were inherited by this one (the Shah)! Yes, because the latter is advancing towards civilisation his oppressive traits have been added to! Indeed, he has clipped everyone’s wings.
They talk about the whole of Iran now having become so independent that everything has become whatever, that the soldiers have become this and the police have become that and so on and so forth! Because they used to beat the intellectuals and the ‘ulama and take them to the police stations; because they used to insult them and have in the past oppressed the women so - only God knows the suffering we have been through in Iran( 382) and because they have treated both men and children in the way they have, yes, because of all this, they had set the stage and their propaganda spoke of no other country being a match or whatever for our country any more! At that time, the humorists used to talk of ‘the first that didn’t have a second’: a phrase which referred to that matter concerning a war in which they (the Iranian government) wanted to engage to protect the country’s borders, when an initial declaration of war was made which was never followed up by a second declaration! The war in question only lasted for three hours! When Riza Shah asked one of his officers, why it had only lasted for so long, he received the reply that it should have only taken a quarter of an hour!
We had nothing and they had everything. I myself saw how all of the soldiers just took to the streets. They abandoned their barracks and took to the streets, and this was because there weren’t in fact any true soldiers, there wasn’t in fact an army.( 383) Do you really think that we now have an army of 250,350,000 which truly serves us as an army should? The titles used in this so-called ‘army’ are the same as those used in all other countries, from the titles of its officers down to those of its lower-ranking members. Yes, the titles are the same, but on closer inspection one sees that these titles are in fact fake, they are without substance. Indeed, everything has changed, and you can see how the same goes for all other aspects of society. They keep talking about the ‘economy!’ Well, of course, another issue of concern is the economy, but this man (indication is made to a member of the audience) is actually an economist and he is well informed in this area, so this being the case, should he really he living here (abroad)’? Shouldn’t he really be serving his own country’? They talk of our economy being this and that, and of us no longer being economically dependent and so on! So let’s now consider these ‘land reforms,’ the latter being yet another of the terms in question. ‘Reforms’! We can see for ourselves how these have ruined our agriculture, destroying it and reducing it to nothing, whereby we are now lacking in every respect and have even approached Israel to supply us with fruit!( 384) Whatever we need -wheat, barley, or whatever - is continually being supplied to us such that should they at any time cut off these supplies, this nation will have to go hungry! They say that the entire agricultural produce of Iran is only sufficient to meet her needs for a thirty- or thirty-three-day period! That they must bring the rest of the produce needed from abroad! A country, which once exported produce, now has to be reduced to this. ‘Reforms!’ The word ‘reforms’ is in itself a good word, it is something really nice, yet here it has no true meaning.
‘The White Revolution.’( 385) The ‘White’ Revolution indeed! Here, the word ‘revolution’ is appropriate but it is actually a black revolution! It is a red revolution! All of these words are words which are very impressive and fine sounding, they are words which have been carefully chosen; but what have they been used to refer to? When we look beneath the surface, we find that these words lack substance, they are meaningless! They are words, which were used to please us and to please the people at a time when the latter could not speak out and when they were unaware of what was going on.
This is no longer the case however. People are now aware that the words ‘land reforms are empty words, that they are in fact used to mean a market for America, for America’s satellites, and for America’s allies. We are a consumer market! They (the foreign powers) have a surfeit of wheat - so much so that because of its perishable nature they sometimes pour it into the sea. So, this being the case, what better than to start a programme of ‘land reforms!’ Once they have begun to implement ‘land reforms, then there is no longer any need for them to pour this wheat into the sea . . . ‘land reforms’ have been made! Wheat will not be poured into the sea any more; it will be given to others in return for money!( 386)
They get oil from us and give us weapons! And just what is meant by weapons here? Giving us weapons means that America has to set up a military base to counter the Soviet Union for example! It has to set up military bases in Iran; it receives oil and sets up bases! This is one of the incredible achievements that America has accomplished - it takes away our oil and what does it give in return? In return, it wants to set up a military base for itself in Iran! If this were not so, then would Iran need these billions of dollars worth of weapons that they provide her with? Do we have anyone with the expertise needed to put these weapons into use’?!( 387) Even when you want to lay an asphalt surface you bring in a specialist from abroad for this task, so what do you expect to do with these weapons that they have made, weapons which are technically advanced and which need to be deployed by someone who is trained in these affairs’? Yes, in Iran it is all empty talk. But surely you can’t make cannons from mere words! True ability is needed to make these things, and this we do not have.
The ‘cost’ of these weapons that they have brought into the country is oil, yet they should in fact pay us in ‘hard currency’ for this oil, ‘hard currency’ thus being another of those words which has lost its true meaning. Instead of giving us ‘hard currency’ they bring weapons into Iran and establish a military base for themselves so that should they one day find themselves in difficulties, they will have a base here which they can use!
This is the state of affairs in Iran - a state in which the country has lost its agriculture on the one hand, and has lost, and continues to lose, its oil on the other, for indeed they are still taking it away, and they do so in the manner already described. Here, right here in this ‘civilised’ country, aeroplanes worth 350 million and 550 million dollars have been said to have been received in lieu of oil given! What on earth do we want with these aeroplanes? We only want to travel between Mashhad and Qum or Tehran, so why must they provide us with an aircraft worth 350 million dollars? I just can’t imagine why! They are to take away our oil, and this aircraft is to be here in its stead. And it is the same everywhere.
The situation in Iran is one in which truly impressive terms are used, terms such as ‘land reforms’ - what a terrible shambles that has turned out to be - and again, terms such as the ‘Rastakhiz Party,’ the ‘popular Rastakhiz Party!!’ Again, from the very beginning, from the time when they first established this party, we spoke up about this matter. We have already said all that we could in this regard( 388) But now we are talking about the popular nature of this party, and how these words were in fact words without meaning. Members of their (the regime’s) own outfit, people from intelligence (SAVAK) and the like, were forced to form this party. The people did not accept it; they did not give it their vote. As for those who did vote for it, it later became apparent that the whole thing had been forced upon them, because no sooner was the external pressure relaxed than one member withdrew from the party, and then another, and then another, until they had all abandoned it and returned to their own affairs. Unlike other parties, which are recognised by the people, this party has now become a party, which is not in any way recognised as such!
So much for this ‘popular party!!’ Yet you all saw for yourselves how much, how extensively, this man (the Shah) spoke about this ‘party!’ One of the things he said was that it was all well and good for those who joined this party - here we have another example of those ‘freedoms’ given to the people - but that whoever did not join it was to take his passport and leave, for he did not belong to this country! The only ones who belonged to this country were those who had joined this party, this so-called ‘popular’ party! It was called a ‘popular’ party, but what did this word mean here? It meant nothing. It was meaningless. Everyone realised that it was a popular party in name only. And so, the story goes on. If we were to enlarge upon these terms now, it would take a long time, and I am no longer well enough to talk or to hold a discussion for such a lengthy period.
I pray that God may keep you; and may you all be soldiers for your country. Gentlemen, please take this matter seriously. The issues now facing Iran are serious ones; they are issues of vital importance. You who are abroad must take these issues seriously. What we are talking about is no joke. We are talking about Iran teetering on the brink whereby she is either to be annihilated, to be destroyed forever, or she is to recapture her vitality and prove her own existence. We now lie at this fork in the road. There are only two paths for us to choose from: one leads to life, and one to death - death for evermore.
This cause for which our nation is now fighting demands that this monarchy be destroyed, that this form of rule be done away with, for it is corrupt. The terms ‘monarchical regime’ and ‘imperial regime’ are meaningless terms, they are intrinsically corrupt. This nation says that this regime must go. We say we want, independence; we want to administer our own country by ourselves; we Do not want it to lie under the control of others. The country belongs to us, whether for better or for worse it is still ours and we do not want others to interfere in our country’s affairs. If we step down in any way from the position we have adopted, or if we proceed by taking things ‘step by step’ - to quote certain gentlemen -this means in the first instance agreeing to allow that gentleman (the Shah) to rule as sovereign rather than to govern, for this is the policy adhered to by the said gentlemen! Some argue that for now we are to say that he is to reign and not to govern! But what does this mean? It means that a person who, for almost thirty years personally, and along with his father for almost fifty years, has killed our youngsters, has violated our honour, and has allowed our country to be plundered, this person is now to reign as king! As King of kings! As Shahanshah! It means accepting this; accepting that he is now to reign as sovereign but not to govern as sovereign. If we listen to those who make this argument and we agree with them on this point, then we will have signed the death warrant of Islam, the Muslims and the Islamic State for evermore. And this will have been the greatest act of betrayal that we could ever commit against our own country, or that we have ever committed against Islam. If we treat this matter lightly and remain content with what we have achieved so far, they will silence us once and for all. This time if this poisonous snake is allowed yet another chance, then it will poison Iran and the Iranian people such that they will never again be able to make a move. Wake up gentlemen! Beware! Do not make the mistake of believing that we ought to proceed in stages, a step at a time, for this is a mistake. This argument is in error. Or again, Do not listen to the argument which calls for a monarch who is to abide by the constitutional law and is to allow free elections to be held - these are the ideas which are injected by the Shah himself; he himself injects these ideas.A constant interchange of visits is now going on in Iran! Visits have begun to be paid and repaid now in order to undermine the nation! The Shah has in fact held a private meeting with one person for two hours. Someone who had come here today to hold an interview told me this. He said that he had interviewed the Shah in private for two hours and that he now wants to interview other leading governmental figures.( 389) As for these (members of the government), if they manage to thwart just one of our plans, they will then pulverise us so that never again will an Iranian experience a proper life, freedom or independence. Now that the nation’s fists are raised, are clenched and are putting up a fight, there could be no act of betrayal worse than causing them to be lowered, causing these uplifted fists to drop down and extinguishing this fire, which has now been kindled in Iran. Should this fire go out, there is no way that a second could be relit.
Listen gentlemen, we must pool all our resources together, all of them. That is to say, a has a duty to fulfill, and so does b, and so does c, and so do I - so do we all. The duty to be fulfilled is to propagate the cause here as much as possible. Tell those who Do not already know, about the issues at stake. Their propaganda has served to introduce us as reactionary people, to introduce the aklzund as a reactionist. This akhund says that we want what is rightly ours; we want freedom; we want independence. Is this being reactionary? Taking away that which belongs to us is not reactionary! Is it then a sign of civilisation? Does our wanting not to give what is ours away make us reactionaries? Are you, those who want to keep us in shackles and who want us to remain, as captives for evermore, are you not reactionaries, whereas we who say we want to be free are? If we abandon our own argument, our own objective, then we will have to bear the burden of this oppression and tyranny forever.
Each person, each individual, now has a duty to perform; he has a sacred duty, a righteous duty, a moral duty to help these Iranians who are now putting up a fight and shouting out. Each person is to help as much as he can. Those in Iran are sacrificing their lives, sacrificing their young for our sakes and for the sake of Islam. They are making sacrifices for the sake of the nation, and we too are a part of that nation so we too must help
- whoever is able to must help as much as he can. If you are able to give a press interview, then do so and tell them what you have to say. Or if you are able to talk to those friends that you have in the universities and elsewhere, then when you see a few of them are assembled together, stand and talk to them; tell them that: this is the state of affairs in Iran; they are doing this to Iran; this is how much they have oppressed these people. Tell them what it is we want; what this uproar is for.
Is it really because they have given us too much freedom that we are shouting out and asking: why do you allow us so much freedom? Does this uproar stem from the fact that they have given us freedom too quickly and too rapidly, as Mr. Carter says when he argues that the reason these people are crying out is because His Majesty has given freedom too
Quickly? When we shout the word ‘freedom’, are we saying that we have been given indigestion from too much freedom so Do not give us any more of it? Is this what we are saying? Is this the problem? According to Mr. Carter it is!
Therefore, we all have a duty to fulfill. All of us must do everything in our power to rescue this Islamic country. Saving a nation is no laughing matter; it concerns the rescue of a nation. We must all join hands together in fraternity. God willing, you will succeed (the audience: “God willing”). May the Lord grant you all success (the audience? “Amen”)