CONVERSATION OF 29 JANUARY 1980

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 05556692
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: March 9, 2023
• Document Release Date: May 4, 2020
• Case Number: F-2013-00944
• Publication Date: January 30, 1980

Approved for Release: 2020/02/27 C05556692
Memorandum for the Record
Washington, January 30, 1980.
[CIA, NSC]
1. Source: Central Intelligence Agency, Executive Registry, Job 95M01183R, Box 1,
Folder 3. Secret; Eyes Only.
2. On January 29 the six Americans hidden by the Canadian Embassy in Tehran, left Iran
through the Tehran airport under false identification provided by the Canadian
government. The Department's briefing of the press on their escape is telegram 25394 to
Ottawa, January 29; National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy Files.
[unclassified]
3. See footnote 6, Document . [NSC Mtg Min, 11/23/79, 8:15 a.m.]
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Approved for Release: 2020/02/27 C05556692
30 January 1980
MEMORANDUM FOR THE RECORD
SUpECT.: Conversation of 29 January 1980
1. We talked about the Canadian Six operatiO)Vand I gave some
details on how that went. There was obvious pleasure at the success
of this operation.
2 T dicruccprl the, nther hostages land,
I urged mor be given to the plight ot
the hostages in our public releases.
3. I then expressed my concern that, despite our hopes,
Bani Sadr's election did not necessarily mean that he would be able to
take charge and work a release for the hostages. I felt that we
needed to have a rescue operation capability on standby for situations
such as the killing of some hostages, a prolonged stalemate for all of
them, or the release of most but continued detention of the others for
an indefinite period of time. I said that the key risk in the present
operational plan was loss of surprise. I had rather good confidence
once the rescue force reached the walls of the Embassy compound. The
weak points were the number of aircraft that had to surreptitiously
enter Iran and the capture of the airfield at Nain. I pointed out that's
why we wanted to fly our aircraft to look for a substitute landing place.
I thought the probability of discovery was low, with the highest risk
being danger of crackup on landing. That is one reason we want to do
it in full m onlight. Our next opportunity, then, would be the end of
February. )
I urged that we continue to plan for this and that the Defense
Department be encouraged to continue their planning. I pointed out
that our exploratory flight, among other things, might just prod the
Defense Department into finding still some different solution to this
part of the problem. There was agreement that we should continue and
the Defense Department should continue, and that there would be a Jones/
Turner briefing on this sometime in a couple of weeks--well before a
decision on the TWIN OTTER operation for the end of the month had to be
made. 81
,
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Approved for Release: 2020/02/27 C05556692
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4. I discussed the prospects for negotiating release of the
hostages, and expressed my concern that we are in danger of negotiating
away everything we can possibly give, only to find that the group we
are dealing with in the end lacks full authority and bucks the
decision up to a higher level which requires something more. If it
weren't for Afghanistan, that might not be so bad. We could always
make any kind of humiliating statement or attend some kind of a
humiliating tribunal as we did with the Pueblo and then renounce it.
In the wake of Afghanistan, however, we are going to need a viable
government in Iran. I was concerned that, while the evidence was not
hard at this point, the probability of the Left moving into a vacuum
that could well be created is just too high. I pointed out that even
though we are pleased with Bani Sadr's election generally, and even if
he helps us solve the hostage situation, there is very little indication
that he has the know-how or the skill to bring the country out of the
chaos that it is in. ,Wr
cc: DDCI
DDO
NIO/NESA
C/NE/DDO
Distribution:
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1 - DOD
1 - NIO/NESA
1 - C/NE/DDO
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Approved for Release: 2020/02/27 C05556692