Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – May 30, 1990

I went to my office at eight in the morning. Mr. [Hamid] Mirzadeh, [executive vice president] came for current affairs. The family of Mr. [Mehrdad] Kokbi, who is imprisoned in England [on charges of setting fire to the Penguin bookstore, the publisher of Salman Rushdie's Satanic Verses], came. I told them that if they politicize his issue, it may be more difficult for him to be released and England may demand a higher price.

[Mr. Isa Kalantari], Minister of Agriculture came. gave a report on the status of agricultural products and natural resources and pest control; He is satisfied with the situation. [Mr. Hadinejad Hosseinian,] the minister of heavy industries came and told the new policies of heavy industries.

Mr. [Ali] Fallahian, [Information Minister] came. He expressed concern about the weakening of the Ministry of Information due to my critical actions in some of the government meetings; I explained to him and reassured him. I explained the support and policies and asked them to act in line with the government's policy and restrain the extremist officers from disturbing the people and distorting the freedoms with strictness. I said that the main criticism of the government is for this reason, and of course I agree with them. He expressed concern about two of their people who were arrested in Germany with the complaint of the hypocrites; In the evening, the news came that those two people have been released.

In the evening, I participated in the meeting of the government board. Mr. [Abdullah] Nouri [Minister of the Interior] said that work should be done to prevent clashes between [the community] of the clergy [of Tehran] and the [Assembly] of clerics [of Tehran] in the elections of the Assembly of Experts [Leadership], and the way to do that is a coalition. I came home at night. Efat has returned from Mashhad and is satisfied with his trip.