U.S. BUGGED EGYPT GOV'T

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00965R000403720049-6
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 27, 2012
• Sequence Number: 49
• Publication Date: October 12, 1985
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

ART Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/02/28: CIA-RDP90-00965R000403720049-6
ON t'Aut - NEW YORK POS'r
\-
12 October 1985
BY NIL$t LATMIM
Duna., Chief
:WASHINGTON
President I~eaaaa's-
dramatic decison to in-
tercept the sea jac leers
of the Achirie - Lauro
was based on super-so-
phisticated electronic
.spying on the Egyptian
4jovernment.
While President Hosni
Mubarak was telling the
,mould that the four
J',plestinian terrorists al-
dy had flown out of
o, U.S. officials knew
A*actly where they were.
In a massive eavesdrop-
ping operation, the U.S. in-
tercepted almost all tele-
phone calls and radio mes-
sages made by key Egyp-
tian officials concerning the
terrorists.
The extent of the spying -
and of earlier U.S. plans to
lead a rescue raid on the hi-
jacked liner - emerged
today amid details of how
the U.S. responded to the
terrorist challenge.
U.B. authorities gave this
account
Reagan approved the gen-
eral outlines of the plan to
capture the pirates mo-
ments before he delivered a
speech Thursday to em-
;ployes of a Sara Lee bakery
in Chicago.
The President acted after Na-
tional Security Adviser Ro-oert
licence. gained v t e n-al
Security Agency and srae i Intel-
ligence. that the gentian govern-
or nt was trying to smuggle the
four a est an terrors ou o
the country.
On the basis of intercepted tele-
phone conversations, the U.S. and
Israelis concluded that Egypt
planned to transport the Palestin-
ians from a naval base near Port
Said, Egypt, to an airfield near
Cairo - possibly for a flight to Al-
geria.
Some intelli en i-
t pffiOaja I,
cet the US. cur.
caa last
1 an was iv that
e e tone conversaAions involving
Iftba-rak were monitored.
"Between NSA and the Israelis,
the entire area was wired.- a h! h
ranking n e genre. o ic[l
said.
?-1 don't think there was a per-
son involved in this who could
have sneezed without us knowing
about it," he said.
The information was being
relayed through a giant U.S. lis-
tening post operated by the ultra
secret NSA in Cyprus as well as .
through Navy EC-2 spy planes
which were dispatched later to
monitor air traffic and radio
transmissions.
The intelligence irked u by
NgX's hi .! VAP Pro
w w-911;_he was returning to te
e. c ar one was able to ve
Reagan 15 minutes' advance
warning that the Erytian Plane
was t n o .
Mme. Reagan gave the
green light for the operation to
begin.
"Go ahead. Let's execute," Rea-
gan told McFarlane.
"Let's make sure we stay on top -
of it."
The President's decision capped
a series of steps that began
shortly after the 23,000-ton Italian
cruise liner Achille Lauro was hi-
jacked Monday in Port Said.
Early in the crisis sources said
an n era ~~a was, at
up made up of representaives
from e CLA, e o n chiefs of
staff. the National ecur t un-
an e a e ep tea a by
deputy National curit Adviser
m. John roinsexter.
The first phase or-Me U.S. strat-
egy was to insure that no country in
the Mediterranian let the ship call
on Its shores - a move which kept
the hijcakers from getting rein-
forcements, splitting up the hos-
tages or receiving additional food.
fuel and ammunition supplies
The U.S. also made clear to all
nations involved that there would
be "no consideration," whatsover
to any nation pressuring Israel to
release b0 Palestinian prisoners
as demanded by the Palestinian
Liberation Front terrorists who
had seized the liner.
The first phase was a success.
After strong warnings from Rea-
gan, Syrian President Hafez
Assad refused to allow the Pales-
tinians to bring the Achille Lauro
into Syrian waters.
The ship - and the highjackers
- were isolated.
Wednesday night, in the second
phase, an elite U.S. commando
team made up of units from the
DELTA force and Navy SEALS
flown in from the U.S., was pre-
pared to join Italian "Leather-
heads" and British SAS comman-
dos in the rescue operation.
The plan was to strike at night
from special submarines and heli-
copters that already were aboard
warships that had been stalking
the Achille Laura.
Hours before the operation was
to have been launched, Egyptian,
Italian and PLO negotiators
struck a deal with the hijackers -
guranteeing them safe passage
out of Egvnt in return for the sur-
render of the ship.
U.S. officials say it still is un-
clear whether the Egyptian gov-
ernment knew about the murder
of wheelchair-bound New Yorker
Leon Klinghoffer.
After his death was confirmed,
the Egyptians rejected strong
U.S. protests about safe passage
for the hijackers.
According to sources close to the
negotiations, Mubarak - in meet-
ings with tough talking U.S. Am-
bassador Nicholas Veliotes - in-
sisted repeatedly that "he had
given his word," and could not re-
nege on his deal without ruining
his standing in the Arab world.
Late Wednesda night. Reagan
or ere intelligence agencies
to the movements of the hi-
jackers because it had become
clear that "the Egyptians were
lying to us." a source said.
Thursday, the President was in
Chicago. delievering the final
speech of his "fall offensive." on
tax reform.
It was about noon when McFar-
lane informed him, in a holding
room, that the Egyptians planned
to smuggle the four Palestinians
out of the country.
WAW
Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/02/28: CIA-RDP90-00965R000403720049-6
 Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/02/28: CIA-RDP90-00965R000403720049-6
With White House Chief of Staff
Donald Regan, a White House
military aide and secret service
agents present, McFarlane gave
Reagan the recommendations of
Poindexter's workforce.
..The community of advisers
proposed ... whether we might
consider whether we might not be
able, if as reports indicated, this
aircraft left, to divert it," McFar-
lane said.
"The proposal or that concept, if
you will, was considered by the
President at the first stop and, to-
gether with the rules of engage-
ment that would apply if he were to
approve such a concept," he said.
"He provided one or two ele-
ments of guidence on the concept
and on the rules and approved
them in principle and then,
through the day, he was kept ad-
vised on what we were hearing
about the possiblities of move-
ment of the aircraft." instal a
As soon as Reagan gave p-
proval, the Pentagon was notified
and a message was relayed to the
commander of the aircraft carrier
USS Saratoga, which had been in
the Agean Sea near Albania.
Reagan gave the final order at 4
p.m. from Air Force One after
word was relayed to McFarlane
that the Egyptain 737 was about
to take off.
Immediately, four F-14s and
support aircraft were scrambled
and flew to a point south of Crete
where they waited for the Egyp-
tian plane. The interception took
place at about 5:30 p.m.
McFaralne, describing Reagan's
demeanor during the crisis, said:
"The president's mood through-
out was one of wanting as full a
set of facts as he could have, ask-
ing very sensible questions about
risks, possible gains, about the
possible attitudes of and assist-
ance to be offered by other coun-
tries as well as the what-ifs, if the
expected scenerio did'nt play out;
and a very prudent regard for
these risks."
"As he was briefed, he obviously
was very interested in staying
very much informed in a very
timely way and asked often,
'Where does it stand now.' "
Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/02/28: CIA-RDP90-00965R000403720049-6