Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – August 21, 1991

In the reports, the tendency of the Soviet situation to violence last night is at the top of the news, which happened with the attack of tanks towards the parliament and fighting with the people around it and killing and wounding some people. However, the continued presence of the people and the retreat of the armed forces indicates the weakness of the coup plotters and encourages the people to continue opposing. Meanwhile, Boris Yeltsin's bold campaign is a sign of the strong support of the opposition movement.

Mr. [Syed Mansour] Razavi, [Head of the Administrative and Employment Affairs Organization of the country] came to explain employment matters and change managements and needs. The Supreme Administrative Council had a meeting. We made decisions to decentralize. [Mr. Abdullah Nouri], the Minister of Interior, gave a report on the success in making the issuance of driver's licenses one day and the readiness to make the issue of passports one day.

In the evening, I attended the meeting of the government. There came the news that the Soviet coup plotters had been defeated and some had fled and Gorbachev was ready to move towards Moscow. Interestingly, minutes before the news arrived, [Mr. Velayati], the Minister of Foreign Affairs, had commented in an analysis that the coup plotters are permanent.

Mr. [Syed Mohammad Mousavi] Khoyini has also sent an analysis based on the survival of the coup plotters and the continuation of their rule from the Strategic Research Center and asked us to take a position in their favor.

At night, the fighting clergy community had a meeting in my office. They talked about the elections and propaganda policies of the society. It lasted until half past eleven. Efat had a guest in my office at noon. I stayed in my office at night. Many times [Mr. Hossein Nasiri], the head of the IRNA news agency, reported the events of the Soviet Union by phone.