the same time, we saw how such a vast number of the Iranian people were killed on Khurdad 15, and how afterwards in the Russian press, the Soviet Union expressed its support for the Iranian regime saying that those killed had been a bunch of reactionists or what have you, who had intended to do this and that. [21] And now the Russians express their support for him (the Shah) again as they did then. As for America, well, its position goes without saying.

They (the imperialists) want to take all of our national resources for themselves. And just what is this sorry nation to do once its oil has gone and its assets have been destroyed? God only knows what it is to do. This gentleman (the Shah) says that we must derive energy from the sun! You want to derive energy from the sun when you can't even light a kerosene lamp? What on earth are you talking about? You only say these things to fool the people. This whole scenario is being set up by them to enable the imperialists to keep this reprobate in power.

Within the country too, whoever says that he (the Shah) must remain or that it is better that he remains, does so because he is a traitor, for everyone within the country has seen what this person is doing, what he has done to the people, what he has done with our resources, what he has done with our wealth. God knows what vast amounts of the nation's wealth have been appropriated by members of this family, whereby abroad they now own villas and real estate and so on and so forth. These have all been paid for by the nation's wealth.[22]

Indeed, I was around when Riza Khan came to power: a mere soldier suddenly appeared on the scene and things led to the stage where

four-day visit. His stay coincided both with the dissolution of Jamshid Amuzegar's government and the appointment of Sharif Imami's goverrunent, and with the burning of the Rex Cinema in Abadan. The Shah boastfully sensationalised the fact that great nation states such as China still regarded him as a powerful sovereign and that they had pledged their support for him. Hua Kuo-feng however, was hopeful that by accepting the Shah's invitation to come to Iran, he would be able to gain further important concessions from her.

21- Refer to footnote 4 of the introduction to Speech 1.

22- Refer to footnote 31 of Speech 27.