Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – December 19, 1989

I went to my office. We have reduced the number of meetings to deal with party issues and negotiations with Romanians. Mr. [Sadiq] Khalkhali [representative of Qom] spoke against Ceausescu in the parliament, and Mr. [Mehdi] Karroubi also showed a brief reaction.

Mr. [Ali] Shamkhani [Commander of the Navy] came. He talked about some of the weaknesses of Nadaja [Army Navy] and ways to strengthen the force and expressed his readiness to deliver water to Kish Island. In the evening, Mr. Rahmani from intelligence protection came and told about the problems of the army and that they are in control of Sahfaja [Army Security and Intelligence Organization] and headquarters, etc. I told them to cooperate with Mr. Shamkhani.

Mohsen came and told about the weaknesses of banks regarding foreign currency accounts. Mr. [Hadi] Nejad Hosseinian [Minister of Heavy Industries] spoke on the phone about what he had learned about Ceausescu during his visits. He expects people to express their feelings to him in the streets, but they don't. He heard the explanation that people are free and cannot be ordered.

Ceausescu asked us to have a private meeting tonight. I agreed to go to his residence. I did not participate in the meeting of the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution and went there. was happy He had no words for a private meeting; It seems that he only wants to talk about private negotiations in the news. He asked me to talk about the topic and I asked for an explanation and opinion about the current events in the East Block.

He believes that Gorbachev [leader of the Soviet Union] made a mistake and was seduced by the Westerners under the influence of economic shortages caused by military spending and does not have a clear plan for the future. They only criticize the past, and Westerners stimulate and advance the trend with money, influence and propaganda, and Romania does not need to follow them, as it was independent before. He does not accept the incidents caused by Westerners and which happened in recent weeks in the Romanian city of "Timi Swara" and says that it is propaganda and lies.

I came home at night. American Farsi Radio reports the bloody clashes in the city of Timi-Savari in Romania and the condemnation of this repression by many countries and it is strange that Ceausescu completely denies the events and in answer to my question, he introduces it as propaganda and lies. Today, a large oil ship of ours caught fire and is burning in the Atlantic Ocean.