REMARKS OF THE PRESIDENT AND TOWN HALL MEETING

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00552R000101020038-8
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 28, 2010
• Sequence Number: 38
• Publication Date: October 15, 1980
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/06/28: CIA-RDP9O-00552ROO0101020038-8
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE OCTOBER 15, 1980
OFFICE OF THE WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY
(AVOCA, PENNSYLVANIA)
REMARKS OF THE PRESIDENT
AND TOWN HALL MEETING
Gymnasium Stage,
Pittston Area Senior High School
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. Thank you very much.
Thank you, Bob Casey. When you have a man like Bob Casey with you
you're way ahead of the game to start with. Right? (Cheer.) I'm
also very glad to be in the district of Congressman Musto, who --
(cheer) -- I can see you know a lot about him already. Right? He's
a man who gets things done and doesn't waste much time doing it.
(Cheer.) I noticed as president that he was sworn in one day and
the next day he announced a $1.2 million grant from the Economic
Development Administration. (Cheer. Applause.) That's the fastest
work I've ever seen on Capitol Hill.
I just came from a series of Democratic rallies in
Boston, Massachusetts with Senator Ted Kennedy. (Cheer. Applause.)
And being in Boston at a political with Ted Kennedy is like being,
as you know, in Veterans Stadium with Pete Rose. It's a nice
arrangement to have. (Cheer.) When you're going into the home
stretch of a major contest they're the kind of people that you want
to have on your team.
I know a lot of you are thinking perhaps as much or
more-about baseball as you are about politics. This presidential
campaign is kind of like the national pennant race. It's tight,
it's going down to the wire, and if you support me the way you did
the Phillies, we're going to pull this one out together and in this
race you can be a player too, right, not just a spectator. (Cheer.
Applause.)
Pete Rose and others are heroes in this state. I come
from Georgia. If you ask almost anyone in Georgia who is the
greatest football player who ever played in this country they would
say Charlie Trippi. (Applause.) As a matter of fact, he played at
the University of Georgia when I was in college. Unfortunately, I
was at Georgia Tech. They wiped us out, with his help. And I
remember that he went to World War II, interrupted his college
education, came back later, continued his college career, went to
the Sugar Bowl, helped win a victory, threw a 67-yard pass, which I
think is still the Sugar Bowl record.
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/06/28: CIA-RDP9O-00552ROO0101020038-8
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Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/06/28: CIA-RDP90-00552R000101020038-8
W eresiaent carter, I am very concerned about
the present war between Iraq and Iran and how it affects our
hostages. My question to you is when was the last time you
have had positive confirmation that all bf the hostages'are still
alive and well.
THE PRESIDENT: What is your name?
Joe t7all\son.
THE PRESIDENT: Joe, for almost a year now, I don't
believe an hcur has gone by any day that I've spent, any hours
that I was awake that I didn't think about or even say a
prayer for those hostages. Tae have been through several
phases of trying to get the hostages released, as you know,
working directly with the Iranian officials, working through
intermediaries from other countries, sending secret missions
to Iran, meeting Iranian officials, either directly or through
surrogates in other countries, working directly through. the
United Nations, making public statements, working with
the Iranian officials -- the president and the Foreign Minister
both of whom agreed to release the hostages back in May.
So far as we know now, the best intelligence information
we have rom various sources which can 'describe to you,
the hostages are all alive and they're all sa e. -t?Te have a
way o communicating directly on occasions wi three of t e
hos ages w a being held in the Foreign Ministry or the-
Department of State building in Tehran. I don't believe
that t e Iran-Iraq war has putt the host ages Byes in danger.
I have maintained since they were first taken two
basic principles that arc not incompatible one with another.
First, to protect the integrity and the principles and the
interests-of my nation. And secondly, not to do anything
as a president that would endanger the lives or the safety.
of the hostages or their chance to come back to freedom at
the earliest possible moment.
We believe that there ought to be an end to the hostilities
between Iran and Iraq and an immediate commitment of negotiations
to settle the disputed boundaries between them. This reflects
the long standing policy of our country that all territorial
disputes should be settled peacefully and not by aggression.
The United States remains committed to the proposition that
the national security and integrity of Iran is in the interest
of national stability.
We oppose any effort to dismember Iran, to cut away
part of it and separate it from the rest of Iran. I hope
and pray that now that Iran finally has elected officials --
it's got a president now, it's got a prime minister now, it's
got a parliament elected called a Majlis, and it's got a
speaker of that parliament elected --
sincethose officials are now in office, therm may be
a chance for us to make some progress --I -can't predict anything
because they're so unpredictable -- toward having someone
speak for the government of Iran and realize that they have
been extremely ill-advised in keeping those hostages in their
country. So we're doing everything we can to end the war. I
don't think it's affecting the lives and safety of the hostages.
We're making every effort to get those hostages home safe and
I don'.t believe that we -- Well, I can say that all of the
information that we have indicates that the hostages are indeed
alive and safe. (Applause.)
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/06/28: CIA-RDP90-00552R000101020038-8