Canversation with shapour valipour, the former member
of the Tudeh Party
 
Mostafa Fateh, the Tudeh Party, the Mosaddegh’s government and
the Pahlavi dynasty
 

In the fifth issue of “Iranian contemporary history” an article named “some notes about the memories of Ashtyanizadeh regarding the precedent of Reza khan and the coup d'ètat of Esfand 3th (1) was written by Mr. Shapour Valipour. While referring to the appearing of dispute between Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and Mostafa Fateh after the coup d'ètat of August 19 for which he was arrested, he writes: “that why in spite of familiarity and even consulting with Fateh in some affairs, the shah fell out with him and imprisoned him, has a story which I hope to write it out for making clearer that what a calamities are the dictatorship and abstinacy and what effects it has even on well – known distinguished men who serve for society?” (2)
Valipour`s reference on that article provoked our curiosity to telephone him and ask more explanations in this regard. In a word, it became an excuse for conversation. On that first meeting we understood that he had relatively broad in formation and experiences on account of his family record and various socio – political activities in the past which expressing them would be helpful, instructive and indicative for the next generations. For this, the conversation became rather than we first expected.
During several sessions interview, while answering to question, Valipour explained in details and through sadness and indescribable enthusiasm and excitement the following matters in addition to explaining the records of his familiarity with Fateh and he named these sessions as “the sessions of pain exchanging”. The explained matters were: memories about the heads and khans of bakhtiari tribe, their mental inclination, disarmament of Bakhtiaris, murder of Sardar Asaad, establishment of Chahar Mahal union and the “new Iran” party by Teimourtash and Davar, Mohammad Reza`s monthly receipt of regular salary from the old oil company by Fateh while he was crown prince, the reason of Valipour`s inclination and attraction to the Tudeh party and explaining its destructive role in preparing the grounds for corruption of two generations of society and deviation the process of enlightenment, nationalization of oil industry, explaining some memories about Teimour Bakhtiar and his family, Esmaeel Raeen, ata-o-llah Khosravani, Gholam Reza Pahlavi and so many other cases. What you read in this issue, is a selection of total ten hours conversation with him.
● How did you become inclined towards Tudeh Party?
ٱ I remember one night in 1939 or 1940 that five or six of old friends of my father who had participated in Constitutional Revolution, were gathered in our house. One of them had a broken hand which was shot and hanging from his body like a piece of wood until the end of his life, another one was shot at his ankles and was using crutch all his lifetime and the other one was shot at his flank so that it was always soiling and on winters he couldn't even reach himself to the city and cure the sore. They were complaining that they had spent their youth for the constitution in the hope of that security and law became ruling. At this time, Reza Shah had ordered that Bakhtiari khans should sell or exchange their properties to the government so it would give them land at another place, so he would catch their tribal base. Thus the government of Shahr Kurd had obtained an excuse to track a group of minor land owners and plunder them. I was a youth of 15 or 16 and I was im people in stead of security and the rule of law.
It is good to know that no one was permitted to travel or to have radio without the police permission then. As I remember on couldn’t even throw an envelope in to the past box, for, there stood a policeman and demanded your identity certificate to compare your specifications with that written on the envelope. I my self had witnessed that during the Majlis elections the policemen circled around the people and forced them to vote to some particular persons. All in all, there was a suffocating environment and people had not the minimum freedom. Meanwhile one of our friends who had come to Tehran and he should return to Esfahan one month later, was arrested. When I asked him about the reason he said: “they arrested me when I was leaving Tehran because my name was Reza Gholi Sobhani and the officers had wrongly read my name as Sanjabi, so they said that I was one of the Sanjabi khans who had been exiled from Kurdestan to Tehran and now I wanted to flight”. In short, they released him after several months investigation.
It was in such a barred environment that we began to think and were searching for refuge that suddenly this environment changed in august 1941, and we were attracted to the party activities. Specially that some of the leaders of Tudeh party were among those 53 persons who were imprisoned and injured in Reza shah’s prison, and we thought that the only way for salvation is to join to this party. On the other side, the youths are usually idealist, sensitive and vulnerable and unfortunately after Reza shah’s fall, the ruling well-known distinguished men couldn’t or didn’t want to attract this active and excited generation, so the Tudeh party benefited from this opportunity.
● please talk about your own activities in Tudeh party.
 First I was the spoke man of Labor section. Then I became responsible for the organization of youths of Tudeh party in Isfahan. I was the representative of isfahan on second party congress which was held in 1947. Afterward I was acting as a member of the university committee and after a time I was presented to the officer’s college notwithstanding that I had exemption from the military service. Also in officer’s college there was creates two Tudeh related sections and I was responsible for one of them. Coming out, I became a member of the general organization and I was organizing the party’s activities as the responsible for Isfahan and Yazd. Beside, I was responsible for publishing a newspaper which was being published openly in Tehran, Naghsh Jahan printing – house in northern lalehzar, and was circulated in Isfahan. In fact, I was the connector between Tudeh party organization and the provincial committee of Isfahan and Yazd until august 19 , 1953. regarding the coup d`ètat of 1953, as I was thoroughly informed of the military section of party and as the party had announced that it would change the coup d`è’tat to anti coup d'è’tat, I expected a reaction from the Tudeh party and I knew that the Tudeh party could resist it but unfortunately as the party had no in dependent leadership, it could do nothing. After ward I completely lost my hope and understood that I was nothing more than a puppet, so I withdrew my self and disconnected my relation ship with them.