[Giscard d'Estaing's Envoy: The reason for our meeting is to convey a message we have for the Ayatullah. This message is from President Carter for the Imam. In a telephone conversation with President Giscard d'Estaing, he requested that the message be conveyed to you.
In his message, President Carter has demanded that the Ayatullah use all his forces to prevent opposition to Bakhtiyar. Attacking Bakhtiyar will have many dangers and is a gamble, which will lead to great casualties. In President Carter's viewpoint, avoidance of any explosion in Iran will be in the interest of all. The exit of the Shah is definite and will take place in the near future. In Carter's view it will be appropriate to bring the entire situation under your control to bring about peace. What is necessary to say is that the danger of the army's intervention is there and the materialization of this threat will exacerbate the situation. Won't it be better to create a period of silence and tranquility? President Carter hopes that this message remains absolutely secret and confidential. A means of direct contact with the Ayatullah should be arranged in order to be regularly informed about the developments; and this will be in the interest of your country, particularly the Ayatullah. The (French) Foreign Minister conveyed that keeping Carter's message unveiled will be in the interest of the Imam, for it will make the continuation of this relation possible. I have been asked to say that the message and its content are very logical, and the transfer of power in Iran must be controlled and accompanied with feeling of serious political responsibilities.]
Imam: The message of Mr. Carter had two points: One, agreeing with the current government, that is, the Bakhtiyar government, or at least keeping silent under the present circumstances and maintaining tranquility in this recession; and the second point was about the probability of a military coup or the prediction of a military coup, and the extensive massacre of the people that you are frightening us of happening. With regard to the Bakhtiyar government, you are recommending us to act against our law. Suppose I commit such a mistake, the nation will not be ready to do so. Our nation has endured such great difficulties and made such great sacrifices in order to emancipate itself from the burden of the monarchial regime and the Pahlavi dynasty. Our nation is not ready to waste all those sacrifices and allow the Shah to remain in power, or leave and once again come back worse than before; it is not ready to accept the Royal Council either, for that too is against the constitution that I have frequently explained. With regard to maintaining the tranquility, we have always wanted the country to be tranquil and the people live in peace; but it is not possible to maintain peace with the existence of the Shah; and we cannot restore peace with the existence of the Shah.
If Mr. Carter has got goodwill and wants peace and wants to prevent the bloodshed, it will be appropriate to remove the Shah, not support the government [of Bakhtiyar], and not block the materialization of the people's will, which is a legitimate will and demand.
And about the coup, just now I was informed that a military coup is underway and they intend to commit massive massacres; and they have asked me to boycott the American goods and warn the US that if such a coup happens they will hold you responsible; and if you have goodwill, you must stop it. They have told me and sent messages to me that if the coup takes place; the decree for holy war should be issued. I do not consider the coup in the interest of the nation nor in that of the US; if it (the coup) happens, will we hold you responsible. I don't know what the American nation will do in the future? Given that I am a cleric and always take the exigency of mankind and that of my nation into consideration, I advise you to prevent the bloodshed and not allow the bloodshed go on; leave Iran to itself, and if you do so, it will neither have a communist inclination nor will it lean toward other diversionary schools of thought; it will neither surrender to the East nor to the West. I emphasize that if you want to maintain peace in Iran, there is no other way than removing the monarchical system, which is illegal and leave the nation to themselves so that I set up a revolutionary council, consisting of pious persons, for the transfer of power to prepare the necessary grounds for the establishment of the government that is to be elected by the people. Otherwise, there will be no hope for peace; and I fear that if a military coup is engineered in Iran; such an explosion will break out that no one will be able to control. The Iranian nation is not afraid of a military coup, for it has already been several months that the military power has been vigorously dealing with the people, but they have not been able to maintain peace. Today, the system and the army have become weaker and shakier, for differences have surfaced within the army and many of them are joining us and will muffle the coup, but with a massacre that I do not like to happen. I recommend you to prevent a coup, for if it happens, the people will hold you responsible for it, and it will be detrimental to you. This is my entire message to Carter.
But with regard to the French government, I thank the president who has questioned Carter's support for the Shah in this conference and I would like him to advise Carter to stop his support for the Shah and the current regime and government- that are all illegal- and to prevent the military coup so that tranquility is returned to Iran and the economic wheels start moving. Then it will be possible to export oil to the West and anywhere else that there is a customer.