Page:Documents from the Den of Espionage.djvu/116



PARTICIPANTS:  Mohammad Tavakoli, Liberation Movement of Iran (LMI) John D. Stempel, Political Officer, American Embassy, Tehran

DATE & PLACE: August 21, 1978 - North-side restaurant

SUBJECT: Iranian Political Situation

DISTRIBUTION: AMB, DCM, OR, POL, NEA/IRN Tavakoli contacted me August 20 after a month's lapse since our last conversation. He met with me alone without the other LMI officials who had met with us previously. The purpose of the meeting from his point of view was to present LMI versions of various events of the past month.

The following major points emerged from the meeting: A) LMI has an entirely different perception of reality than most other opposition groups and certainly a totally different perspective than government. This difference is so marked at the present time as to make dialogue between the GOI and the LMI extremely difficult if not impossible. B) Tavakoli said that the nationalist movement in Iran lacks a popular base. The choice is between Islam and communism for the movement must have an ideology. C) The GOI has been consistently provocative with respect to police and military forces around the mosques. "The people" will undoubtedly continue to demonstrate and there may be additional violence. The LMI is predicting that there will be martial law in Tehran by August 23 or 24. (Comment: This seems unlikely).

Recent Events : Tavakoli described the aborted political meeting (reported in Tehran 7022). He indicated that a member of Iranian Committee for Human Rights and Freedom, Eng. Hashem Sabaghian who had arranged for the use of the property where the meeting was held, was picked up by SAVAK on July 22 and remains in the Komite prison in Iran. His family has visited him once and he is in good health. The International League for Human Rights has cabled the Prime Defense of Human Rights has protested police action in breaking up the meeting.

Tavakoli jumped on the Shah's August 17 press conference statement that liberty was costing so much as evidence that the Shah will not keep even a minimum promise about democratization. He reviewed recent disturbances in Isfahan and