what I said part I

[azz]

a. What I said was to declare allegiance to the new ruling party.

Does (a) mean
1. I said: 'I declare allegiance to the new ruling party.'
or
2. The purpose of what I said was to declare allegiance to the new ruling party,

[5jj]

a. What I said was to declare allegiance to the new ruling party.

Does (a) mean
1. I said: 'I declare allegiance to the new ruling party.'
or
2. The purpose of what I said was to declare allegiance to the new ruling party,

Both interpretations are possible. The original sentence is not as clear, or as natural, as your two interpretations.

[BobK]

And there's another possibility: 'What I said was that you should declare allegiance...' And the moral of THAT is, be careful with 'What I said'..

(What I said was that you should use it with care - which doesn't mean 'avoid it'.)

b