A "Short Visit"

Is Brazil the next stop?

As his fellow citizens voted last week in a two-day referendum that would transform Iran from a dynastic monarchy into an Islamic republic, Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi flew from his temporary home in exile, Morocco, to the Bahamas. The Shah, 59, Empress Farah, 40, their four children and an entourage of 30 took up residence in 15 units of the posh, bougainvillaea-studded Ocean Club on Paradise Island near Nassau.

The Shah flew to the Bahamas aboard a Royal Air Maroc 747, which had been made available by his reluctant host since January, Morocco's King Hassan II. U.S. officials actively assisted the Shah in finding a temporary new home. New Zealand, as well as some Latin American governments, were discreetly asked if they would receive the Shah as a permanent guest. Administration officials advised the Emperor that he would be welcome to settle in the U.S., but that Washington could not guarantee either his physical security or diplomatic immunity from legal actions taken against him by Iran's new government.

Asked why the Shah decided to go to the Bahamas, an aide retorted, "Where else can he go?" A spokesman for the Bahamian government insisted that the monarch was there only for a "short visit." There were rumors that the Shah was considering Brazil as his next stop. Meanwhile, he could console himself with the thought that the Bahamas for centuries have been a refuge for exiles--including, most recently, the late Howard Hughes and fugitive Financier Robert Vesco.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so viewer discretion is required.