WEINBERGER 'AGAINST' U.S. MISSION TO CAPTURE THEM

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00965R000403720048-7
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 27, 2012
• Sequence Number: 48
• Publication Date: October 14, 1985
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/02/28: CIA-RDP90-00965R000403720048-7
MTICLE A
NEW YORK POST
14 October 1985
WEINBERGER 4GAINSr U.S.
MISSION TO CAPTURE THEM
By NILES LATHEM
Bureau Chief
WASHINGTON - De-
fense Secretary Cas-
par Weinberger op-
sed dramatic
U.S. seizure of the
Achille Lauro hijack-
ers. warning it would
"destroy our relations
with Egypt," it was re-
ported last night.
Weinberger repeat-
edly called President
Reagan to try and
block the plan, the re-
ports said.
He argued that Navy
jets might have to fire
across the nose of the
Air Egypt civilian
jetliner.
It was learned that
Reagan - in a star-
tling breach of se-
?curity - gave the go-
ahead order on an un-
scrambled radio open
line from Air Force
One.
The conversation
was reportedly picked
up by a ham radio
operator. according to
the reports.
That was
latch in a we -
Sources here dis-
closed for t e first
time the precis
.r T hL ,..Ii
Intelligence agency.
rnmen officials-to
erm ne the oca on
biac
According
to the
sources. U.B. officials
had almost given up
hope of capturing the
murderers of New
Yorker Leon Kling-
hotter after the Egyp-
tian government an-
nounced early Thurs-
day that the hijackers
had been given safe
passage out of Giro.
Later that morning.
however. ossad
agents gave the CIA a
gperation that scored
a~
that President H ~~ii
Mubarak was lying.
The report showed
that, during the heated
meeting. Egyptian offi-
cials debated what to do
with the hijackers -
the first indication they
were still in Egypt
U.B. officials refused
to say how the Israelis
obtained the tran-
script. but there is
speculation that the
ltessad either bugged
the office or had an
agent in the room.
sources sa
anew a sever
inter-
cepted conversations
were between Egyp-
tian officials and the
PLO. sources said.
The U.B. also received
advance information on
the time that an Egypt
Air 737 transporting the
terrorists would take
off, as well as its desti-
nation, flight plan, tail
number and pilot's
name, the sources said.
Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/02/28: CIA-RDP90-00965R000403720048-7