Speech [Confronting America's propaganda and threat]

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

The broader the scope of this struggle becomes, the broader the scope of the propaganda against it. At first, when the struggle was less intense and things were quieter, the volume of propaganda against it both at home and abroad was less. However, now that the struggle has gained momentum those who want the Shah to remain- whether they be his agents within the country or people abroad, whether those who covet the Shah's purse or those who covet Iran's resources- are all making every effort to broaden the scope of propaganda against it.

Among these efforts are the remarks which have recently emanated from Carter and which I have mentioned before. One or two in particular I find most regrettable and have saddened me deeply. First of all he says that a powerful and independent Iran is necessary for the stability of the region- or words to this effect- and then he says that they cannot sit by and watch while" contemptible riffraff" depose the Shah and destroy this regime! Such statements are both propagandist and menacing.

This idea that if the Shah goes Iran will lose its stability is one which the Shah himself has brought up in many of his comments and continues to do so. It is also one which his agents abroad, those who get their daily bread from him and those who want to secure their interests through him, have put about and still do! This is pure propaganda. Now that the Shah is in power, is Iran stable?! Don't they realize that these comments that they make will be seized upon by the media? He (Carter) is a powerful figure, the leader of one of the superpowers, his words will be reported on by the press. In Iran and in other countries it will be reported that Carter says that with the Shah in power Iran is passing its days in stability and peace! The people are all at ease, all of them sleep peacefully in their beds at night! They are all calmly going about their daily affairs! All the universities are busy with their studies and the atmosphere is one of tranquility and happiness because the Shah is in Iran! Will it be reported by the world's media that the revolution which is taking place in Iran at present is happening in the absence of the Shah or in his presence? Is it because the Shah is not in Iran that these disturbances have engulfed the country? Or are they taking place in his presence, in the blessed presence of" His Imperial Majesty"? Is it in his presence that all the people have stood up and are shouting death to this man and death to this dynasty?

Practically every day now we receive calls from Iran telling us that in a certain place so many people have been killed, in another a strike has occurred, that such and such an office has gone on strike or such and such a factory has gone on strike. Are these killings which we hear about every day and which are taking place throughout the whole of Iran a sign of the peacefulness which the presence of the Shah has brought to the country? Is Iran an oasis of peace and stability because of him? Or is it the case that there is no peace because the Shah is in Iran? We say that if the Shah remains in Iran and wants to continue with his illegal reign and his hellish rule, then Iran will not be stable. Iran's stability is already lost and it is now on the brink of collapse.

That person (Carter) says that if the Shah remains in power he will maintain an independent Iran, a rich and powerful Iran and he will preserve both the stability of the region and the stability of Iran! He speaks of the Shah as a powerful person who has created independence in Iran and his government as one which has made the country rich! He says it is the Shah who has preserved peace in the country and has safeguarded its independence, and were he to go, this independence and peace would go too! Independence would be lost, freedom would be lost. Everything of ours depends on this munificent individual!

What kind of talk is this coming from someone who calls himself the President of a superpower and speaks in such an exaggerated and boastful manner? Why should a person say things which we in another corner of the world can point out the shortcomings of? Indeed, any right-minded person who hears this will pass criticism and ask:" What stability are you talking about sir?" Is there stability in Iran at present? Where is the independence in Iran about which you speak? Is the Iranian army independent? Is the educational system there independent? Is its industry independent? Is its economy independent? What is independent in Iran that one can say is so because of the presence of the Shah? How can one say that stability in the region follows independence in Iran and now that Iran is independent the region is stable, but if he goes that stability will be lost?! What kind of independence do we have? You know as well as we do what you are saying; you know as well as we do that you are lying! [The audience laughs]. Iran enjoys independence does it?

You know only too well that Iran has been turned into a base for America; you have set up bases for America there. An independent country would give you a punch in the mouth for wanting to set up bases on its territory! You know that in the mountains of Iran bases have been set up for you. An independent country, an independent government, would not allow bases to be set up on its territory. You know what you have done to Iran's economy and how you have plundered Iran's resources and reserves. If we had had an honorable government, an honorable king, would it have been possible for our resources to have been given over to your consumption in the manner they have been? Because a man of nearly sixty years of age wants to stay in power a few days longer and continue with his lowly, contemptible life, he gives away all the resources of a large country with no thought either to the future of the country or to its present state. Why then, when you know all these things, do you speak so? Do you have any reason other than to deceive? Who are you trying to deceive, the people of our country? They know that there is no peace in the country; they know that they don't enjoy independence.

One day he says that the Shah has granted the people freedom quickly and decisively and they are now up in arms over this" quick" freedom! «1» I don't know how one can reply to such remarks. If he were an ordinary person one could say he is just speaking nonsense, ignore him. But the person making such remarks is no ordinary person, he is someone who is disseminating them as official views in order to influence public opinion and safeguard the Shah's rule. So one day he says this and the next he makes a remark which, when heard coming from a sane individual, would upset any human being and that is:" We cannot sit by and watch while contemptible riffraff bring down this monarchy." Thirty-odd million Muslims have stood up and are saying they want to be free, they want to be independent. Are freedom and independence the things the contemptible and the lowest of the low seek?! You tell the Iranian people that they have been made free and it is because they are free that they can say such things. Are the people of Iran free?! Is the press in Iran now free?! So, why are the newspapers all closed down? If they are free then why have the newspapers throughout Iran had to close down in order to avoid censorship? «2» Why have the telecommunications offices closed down? Everything in Iran at present is shut down. Every office one goes to is closed. Why? Why are the newspapers in Iran now closed down? Well, we must ask Mr. Carter this question. Are they closed on account of the contemptible riffraff?! The printing houses will not print any newspapers as long as censorship, repression and inhuman acts continue. This is what the people have risen up against. The people of Iran want to live like true human beings; they don't want to be under the control of some people who have no human qualities. So then in your logic do a people who have risen up, who are sacrificing their children and young people for the sake of freedom, for independence, for Islam, for a just government, constitute riffraff?!

I have said on a previous occasion that words used today are devoid of their true meaning. This age of ours is one in which words are spoken that are void of any meanings. Carter says that Iran is free, very free! And at the same time he says he is happy that the Shah has given the people freedom! You are happy! Is this what you call freedom that has been given to us?! They use a word but it has no meaning this word! They use meaningless words. Either that or the word" freedom" is used to mean repression! That is Carter talks about freedom but he really means repression, or he talks about such things and he doesn't know what on earth he is talking about! However, that cannot be. You are aware of what you are saying when you say Iran is free and that you are happy Iran is free. Yes, you are sorry that some people have been killed, but it was necessary! After you say you are sorry you say it was necessary! Do you know what you are really saying? You are saying that if these people aren't killed your oil will not be saved! If these people aren't killed your bases will possibly be destroyed. These killings are necessary if the foreigners are to continue to exploit and plunder us; in order for them to take our oil and build bases for themselves- instead of paying money for their oil they build bases for themselves in the country- these killings they say are necessary. Naturally, it is regrettable! Naturally, you only wish that the people had not spoken out until you had finished taking your oil! It is somewhat regrettable that they have spoken out now! Killing people is regrettable, but in this case it is necessary! This is coming from someone who talks about human rights; who advocates human rights and then says that a people who have stood up demanding the most fundamental of human rights are" contemptible riffraff" whose killing is a necessity! These people who say we want to be free, we want to be independent, their killing is a necessity! It is unavoidable, but it is regrettable that they chose to say such things. It would be better if they didn't say such things! The people should remain under the control of this spur!" His Imperial Majesty" should remain in power until they have finished taking the oil and the way for doing this should remain open to them! They have poured into Abadan and by force of the bayonet want to take the oil again. Hitherto, the workers at the oil company have not turned up for work; I don't know what the present situation is.

This age and this environment that we find ourselves in today are such that we witness many surprising and strange things! On the one hand that wretch talks about freedom for man and safeguarding human rights, and on the other he says in the case of Iran the protection of human rights is not an issue! In one of his remarks Mr. Carter has said that in the case of Iran, where the Americans have interests to protect and the country is of strategic importance, there can be no talk of human rights! Human rights are an issue in other places, but in Iran and other countries like it (where American interests are involved) it is not necessary for them to protect human rights! Then he describes the demonstrators as a bunch of contemptible ruffians! Is that person who wants to deprive the people of their peace of mind a ruffian, or he who says I want to be free? Is he who wants to plunder the people's wealth one of the riffraff or the people who say they want to protect their own wealth? Think about this, don't speak without thinking. Think about just what it is these people want. Are their demands those of riffraff and contemptible people, or is he who rejects these demands the contemptible one?

It is clear what the people of Iran are saying, all of them, from the primary school-children to the high-school students, from the university students to the old men, are crying out:" We want freedom; we want independence; we don't want a government that has deprived us of independence." Is this how one describes those who say they want to be free, they want to be independent; they don't want to be under the yoke of foreigners, as riffraff and contemptible people? Is it because they are so ignoble that they say they don't want this? If they are under your control they are noble people are they? If they scoop up handfuls of oil and give it to you, if they hand over the keys of their resources to you then they are a great and noble people are they?! But now that they tell you not to plunder them they are vile are they? They are riffraff are they? Is this your logic?! Isn't this the logic of the riffraff? These words reflect the logic of the dregs of society not that of a (true) human being. A (true) human being would not talk like this. If you had not used such expressions I would not have used them. It shames me to speak to you.

Be that as it may, the situation in Iran today has reached this stage and I hope that, by the will of the Exalted God, Iran will move forward[ The audience says" God willing" ]and will be victorious ["God willing" from the audience]. All of you who are here, from wherever you may have come, are duty bound to serve Iran and help this movement. You can help by propagating the Iranian people's cause over here so that these people in the propaganda business who are receiving stipends from the Shah will shut their mouths. For, indeed, he has people in foreign countries that disseminate propaganda about his rule with the aim of preserving it.

So you too spread the word about the movement, acquaint the people over here with the demands of the Iranian people. It has been for fifteen years now or more that this nation has risen up, and for the past year the people have constantly been shedding their blood, constantly sacrificing their youth. What do they want? This freedom and independence that they seek is so important to them that they are willing to sacrifice their youth for it and still are not afraid. You must help them. You must at least tell the people over here that this is what Iran wants. Tell them not to listen to the propaganda that is spread from some quarters that these people are riffraff, are contemptible and are barbarians! On a day when the people were marching peacefully, an American wretch described them as barbaric, to which a certain reporter- a European- replied:" But these are people who want freedom, how can you call them barbaric?! How can you describe as barbaric, people who have risen up in this manner, people who, a million-strong, march peacefully for a human demand?!" «3» They recognize only those who safeguard their interests as not being barbaric! Whoever safeguards the American's interests is not only a human being, but a noble human being at that! Such people are not riffraff! They are not rabble! They are not base! They are noble! Whoever wants to protect his own wealth so that the thief does not come and take it is a vile person, a despicable person!

Please God may He grant you all success and victory and may you return home one day in glory and honor. Today your heads are held high for you have brought alive a nation. You people of Iran, you youth, have brought Iran alive, you have resurrected those who were dead. May God keep you all. May you be successful [The audience says" Amen"].