H
february 2018
Fred Nasseri in formal dress, with
hat and sword, for an audience
with the Shah for the Persian
New Year, 1973, when he was
the country’s Acting Secretary
of Labor. Documents from a
treaty negotiation at the United
Nations that Nasseri attended
as the Iranian Vice-Minister for
Manpower, Ministry of Labor
and Social Affairs, along with
the leader of the United States
delegation, Secretary of State
Henry Kissinger.
E MAINTAINED
his innocence. It
didn’t sway his
questioner.
“I said, ‘I love my
country, I love my
people. Look at my
record,’” he says. “He said, ‘From what
I see from your file, your minimum sen-tence
is execution.’ I made a very stupid
remark. I said, ‘What is the maximum?’
He said, ‘You are making fun of me?’
With the butt of his gun he hit me and
broke my ribs. When you are dealing
with crazy people, you have to watch
your mouth. They can be offended very
easily.”
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WBM february 2018
