CONFIDENTIAL
MEMORANDUM OF CONVERSATION
PARTICIPANTS: Cyrus Elahi, Special Assistant to Education Minister Ganji
John D. Stempel, U.S. Embassy, Tehran
Barbara Schell, U.S. Embassy, Tehran
DATE & PLACE: February 6, 1978 - Chetniks Restaurant
SUBJECT: Frustration in the GOI and the Amouzegar Government
DISTRIBUTION: AMB/DCM, POL, POL/M, ECON, OR, USIS, BIO, NEA/IRN, INR/RNA, INR/OIL/B
Elahi, who has known both Emboffa for over two years, was very critical of Prime Minister Amouzegar's handling of basic educational problems in Iran. Elahi speaks from the perspective of one committed to the political career of his Minister, Manuchehr Ganji, and his remarks should be taken in that light Elahi is a public participation oriented academic who has frequently expressed frustration with bureaucratic slowness and is one of the idea men on Ganji's team.
Elahi believes Amouzegar vetoed the proposed merger of the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Science and Higher Education (Science and higher education had been put under Ganji's tutelage about two months ago with the intention that the ministries eventually would be merged--this is not to be the case). In response to questions, Elahi indicated he did not know why the Prime Minister was against the merger, which Elahi and Ganji believe is the only way to cope successfully with the stresses and strains in Iran's high education. Such strains are directly related to the inadequacies of Iranaian secondary education. The Prime Minister reportedly feels both jobs together are too big for one man. (At a dinner several nights earlier Elahi indicated that Ahmad Qoreshi, Chancellor of National University, was the leading candidate to become the new Minister of Science and Higher Education. Elahi said he will stick with Ganji at the Ministry of Education (implying he had received another offer, perhaps from Qoreishi) because he feels the problems of secondary education are more immediate and oslving some of them will have beneficial spillover on higher education within a very few years. Elahi may simply be loyal to Ganji or uncertain of his own priorities.
The New Amouzegar Government: When the discussion broadened to talk of the Amouzegar government in general. Elahi repeated what is becoming a common theme in many circles--the Amouzegar.
CONFIDENTIAL
