Gorbachev says that he was deeply impressed and came to conclusion that the founder of the Islamic Republic was deeply concerned about the fate of the whole world and wanted me to become familiar with the Islamic teachings and the Islamic Revolution.
The former head of the communist state said that he read the letter and its contents carefully and made up his mind to take it seriously. He also admits that the great Imam has had left a great impact on contemporary era.
“When I read this letter among the members of the supreme communist council who had half of the world under their political influence became astonished and the letter was a source of surprise to them. They all showed great respect towards the message and concluded that the Iranian leader intended to protect the human values. I really feel sorry that I could not travel to Iran to have a face to face meeting with Imam Khomeini during that period. Anyhow, I recall him with great respect and his personality and thought belonged to all eras and his thought don’t restrict to certain era or period of time,” Gorbachev said.
Gorbachev also said that he started to implement some reforms immediately after receiving Imam Khomeini’s letter and allowed a number of mosques, churches and temples of other religions to be built across the country.
He also appreciated Imam’s wisdom and prediction regarding collapse of the communist system. Imam had predicted that communism will soon be seen in museum of human history.
Gorbachev concluded that the situation could have been prevented if they had taken Imam’s letter and advises more seriously.