Speech [The record of the Pahlavi's rule]

Perhaps you gentlemen are better informed than I am that during these fifty years of the Pahlavi's dark rule, this dynasty left almost nothing for Iran; that is they have destroyed its human and material resources. They have kept backward the universities that should create human resources for us, and were ordered not to allow one single accomplished and serving human being be produced in them. They gave away our underground resources, such as oil, to so and so and in exchange for it, they got something that is of no use to us; instead, they built bases for America. In other words, they gave away our oil and on the pretext that they wanted arms (to be prepared) against other governments; and using the issue of not having (military) experts in the country to deal with the issue, they said that (Americans) should be here. So that, when the USSR complains why they (Americans) have set up military bases, they can reason out that these bases belong to Iran and the arms are bought with its oil money. Nevertheless, the truth of the matter is that the arms were not the oil money, rather they plundered our oil and in exchange for it, they created jobs for themselves. This is one of the crimes that must be recorded in history.

With the present state of the country's economy, you will understand how and in what aspects they have ruined it. The main thing that was of value in Iran was its agriculture. Iran's agriculture was rich and its products more than what the country needed.(Iran) should have been an exporter but instead it is an importer; everything that we need has to be brought from a foreigner, from abroad. One of our pasturelands, believed to be the finest, and which the experts had appraised to be the best in the world for raising livestock, according to what had been written to me, were given away to the Queen of England and to the company of which she was a partner. They had forbidden the jungles to the people, but they gave them to the others and the foreigners. At last, they have plunged the country into such a deplorable state that, as I have reiterated, it has been decimated, but they have developed the graveyards!! They took our youth to the graveyards, plundered our wealth, and took it abroad. And now that they have escaped, they did with their pockets full. Either he (the Shah) or anyone related to him, they all went abroad with full pockets. The country that is now in your hands is one that is in chaos. Now we have to build it. A country that has been" foreign-ravaged" should be called" war-ravaged" and" earthquake-stricken" has to be rebuilt. Do not think that one class of people or one government can accomplish this task. Neither the traders nor the farmers can accomplish this task. Everybody should join hands in order to deliver the national human society of Iran from this oppression and affliction. Everybody should join hands and perform this national duty in order to rescue the country from the destruction it is finding itself in.

The people, I mean the occupation, which has a major role in this task is the traders, who should do their fair share of the efforts to be taken. We should give vice and make statements and the gentlemen should take the efforts. We are not able to do other than this. We can provide the counsel and the gentlemen should take the efforts. I hope that, God willing, if we had not gained this victory now, toppling this dynasty would have been sufficient for us, but it certainly is not. We have to strive to take this movement to fruition and have here a just government in which none can ever fill their pockets (with people's money), a government that believes it is of the nation and its servant and not its master. These governments and rulers we had always believed that the nation was their slaves. This is in contradiction to the traditions of the prophets, our ancestor, human wisdom, human rights and the international laws which they never implemented. God willing, there will be established a government that is responsible toward the nation, a parliament that is of the nation. During the last fifty years we have never had a parliament that was of us. Its deputies have always been determined by others or by the foreigners. And as Muhammad Rida Khan had admitted himself,(foreign embassies) would send the list of deputies; but even if they had not done so, the parliament members were determined through coercion. Our destiny was drawn by the (regime's) bayonets. We hope that, God willing, our destiny will be a Qur'anic one. May God grant all of you success and enable us to serve.

[One of those present said: Thank you very much. Toeing the line of your command, if it becomes expedient, I would like to ask you, on behalf of everybody, to appoint a body like these committees or anybody else to whom we can refer to, to be in charge of this country's exports, and with God's power and might we can boost the country's exports which have been reduced to such a deplorable state as a result of the corrupt governments.]

God willing, this issue will be rectified. I chose Engineer Bazargan in order to set up a government, which is a provisional government. I know him and he is an upright man. And the gentlemen here should support him and announce it through newspapers. God willing, he will establish his government. We hope that affairs will return to their original state and, God willing, issues and problems such as these will be resolved, of course, little by little.

[The same person: Thank you very much. Of course, we confirm his (Bazargan's) appointment. As I have stated at the beginning in your presence, we would like to congratulate the nation and extend our full support for him. We will extend any assistance that we can to the best of our abilities to this incoming government that you have elected. And as you have said last night, we will do our very best to make use of the newspapers and other media that we can avail ourselves of in order to confirm our support for him.]

May you be successful.

[The same person: There is another matter I would like to bring up, and that is some of the gentlemen had requested us to ask the Ayatullah's pardon if perchance they were not able to come during the few days that we wanted to hold audience with you.]

I pardon everyone.