In Peking, posters attacking the Shah of Iran and United States "imperialism" appeared on Democracy Wall on Monday (12 February). Two Iranian diplomats took responsibility for pinning a large colour portrait of the Shah with "CIA" (Central Intelligence Agency) scrawled across his forehead, onto the wall where China's free speech campaign has been waged.

SYNOPSIS: The Shah is now in exile in Morocco. The portrait appeared with three other posters. They attacked what they called "United States Imperialism", and supported the Islamic leader now in control of Iran's government, the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

The posters, in Chinese and English, attracted a small crowd. The English text read "Death to U.S. imperialism and their lackeys in Iran". The others, in both languages, said "Long live Khomeini, the Great leader of the Iranian people."
The Iranian Ambassador said his embassy knew nothing about the posters. The two men who put them up identified themselves as an Iranian first secretary and a third secretary.

They told newsmen they were expressing a personal view rather than the Embassy's official view. Ambassador Mahomoud Esfandiary said the embassy was now following the Iranian Foreign Minister's orders and "the decisions of the majority".

Meanwhile, construction continues on a new and more elaborate embassy, begun under the Shah's government. Last week, posters appeared briefly in the foreigners' compound. They read "Long live the Islamic Republic of Iran". The Soviet Union, whom China's leader see as a dangerous superpower, was the first nation to formally recognise the Ayatollah's new Islamic government.