Office of the Historian

56. Telegram From the Embassy in Iran to the Department of State1

Tehran, November 4, 1964, 4 p.m.

508. Embtel 278.2 Reliably reported that Ayatollah Khomeini, dissident religious leader, was arrested in Qom yesterday, brought to Tehran, [Page 111] and taken across the border to exile in Turkey. As reported NIT–6560, Khomeini clearly over-stepped bounds when, in connection with criticism of the Status Bill according immunities to U.S. military advisors, he not only attacked approval of bill by Majlis as disgraceful, illegal, and “against Islam and the Koran” but also called for overthrow of the govt by the Imperial Iranian Army.3 [less than 1 line of source text not declassified] Part of Tehran bazaar closed down, but city quiet. Tehran radio announced exile today without specifying where.

Rockwell
  1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 23–9 IRAN. Confidential; Priority. Repeated to Ankara, Baghdad, CINCMEAFSA for POLAD, Jidda, Karachi, and Kuwait.↩
  2. Dated September 10. (Ibid.)↩
  3. A translation of Khomeini’s speech on October 26 is attached to airgram A–233 from Tehran, November 10. (Ibid., POL 30 IRAN)↩