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SENSITIVE PAGE 311 SITUATION(S) MESSAGE(S) LISTING DATE 01/03/80//003 SITUATIONI AFGHAN SUBJECT CATAGORY SIT MESSAGE / ANNOTATION: TO A ROOM. THEY WERE UNCERTAIN WHETHER THEY ARE ALLOWED TO TALK TO EACH OTHER, BUT SEVERAL CASUAL REMARKS SUGGESTED THAT STRINGENT RULES AGAINST CONVERSATION WERE BEING RELAXED, AT LEAST IN SELECTIVE CASES, TWO WOMEN ARE APPARENTLY BEING HECO APART FROM EACH OTHER. BOTH IN GOOD SPIRITS. (H) GUMBLETON MET, AMONG OTHERS, WITH SUBIC, HERMINING, AND LAUDERBACH WHO TOGETHER APPEARED TO HAVE COMPOSED STATEMENT EXPRESSING SUPPORT FOR SHAH S RETURN AND GENERALLY SUPPORTIVE OF MILITANTS POSITION, LAUDERBACH HAD OPPORTUNITY QUIETLY TO CONFIDE TO GUM3LETON THAT LATTER SURELY REALIZED THAT STATEMENT WAS GUMBLETON SAID HE KNEW THAT AND ASKED CAUDER- BACH WHAT HE SHOULD SAY PUBLICLY ON THIS POINT. LATTER RESPONDED HE SHOULD IITELL THE TRUTHI! REGARDLESS OF CONSEQUENCES TO HOSTAGES, (I) CHRISTMAS CARDS WERE VISIBLE IN L'ARGE NUMBERS IN EACH DF THREE ROOMS, BUT REACTION OF HOSTAGES MADE IT CLEAR NOT ACL HAD BEEN GETTING THEM. REGULAR MAIL IVIA SWISS) APPEARS TO BE SPASMODIC AT BEST (EG ODE CONFIRMED RECEIPT OF TWO L'ETTERS BUT COMPLAINED ABOUT ONE HAVING BEEN TAKEN AWAY BY MILITANTS AND NOT RETURNED) CLERICS REMINDED HOSTAGES OF ODE'S HEART CONDITION, 5. ON SUBSTANCE, CLERICS APPEAR TO HAVE BEEN SOMEWHAT TAKEN ABACK BY RIGIDITY OF MILITANTS, BOTH ON ABOVE PROCEDURAL ISSUES AND ON FUNDAMENTALS. ALTHOUGH THEY CLAIM TO HAVE ACREADY SENSED A GOOD DEAL OF DISAPPROVAL OF MILITANTS ACTIONS ON PART OF OTHER (UNSPECIFIED) IRANIANS, THEY WERE ALSO STRUCK BY TOTALLY UNFETTERED AUTHORITY OF MILITANTS AS A GROUP. COMMAND STRUCTURE SEEMED LOOSE TO THEM AND DIFFICULT TO JUDGE, THOUGH SOME STOOD OUT, INCLUDING THE CELEBRATED MARY, AND INTENSE ZEAL AND DEADLY SERIOUSNESS WAS APPARENT IN ALL OF THEM. 6. CLERICS HAVE NO DIFFICULTY IN CONCLUDING THAT ANY EFFECTIVE AUTHORITY OVER MILITANTS COULD ONLY COME FROM QOM. THIS REMINDS US OF INTERESTING OBSERVATION MADE TO US BY UK AMBASSADOR ON MILITANTS RELATIONS WITH KHOMEINI AS HE PUT it, THE TWO CAMPS HAVE AN UNDERSTANDING WITH EACH OTHER, I.E. THE MILITANTS WILL RESPECT THE IMAM S ORDERS, BUT THE IMAM WILL NOT ORDER THEM TO DO WHAT THEY ARE NOT PREPARED TO DO.) 7. WE HAD LENGTHY EXCHANGE ON SUBSTANCE WHICH WE WILL NDT ATTEMPT TO RELATE HERE IN DETAIL BUT ON WHICH WE ASSUME DEPARTMENT WILL FOLLOW UP ON THEIR RETURN. THEY PRESSED HARD (ESPECIALLY COFFIN) FOR WAYS IN WHICH US COULD (AND SHOULD IN THEIR OPINION) DEMONSTRATE TO IRANIANS THAT IT RECOGNIZED GRIEVANCES REGARDING SHAH. THEY SEEM DUBIOUS THAT QOTBZADEH S GRAND JURY CONCEPT WILL GET OFF THE GROUND, BECAUSE OF DIFFICULTY IN GETTING ANY REPUTABLE (INCLUDING MCBRIDE S) FOREIGN PARTICIPATION. NONETHELESS COFFIN WAS CLEARLY GROPING FOR WAYS IN WHICH PROMINENT AMERICANS OUTSIDE GOVERNMENT SENSITIVE

Document source description

This document is a December 27, 1979 cable from the British Embassy in Washington, D.C. providing an update on the Iran hostage crisis.

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    "ocrText": "SENSITIVE\nPAGE 311\nSITUATION(S) MESSAGE(S) LISTING\nDATE 01/03/80//003\nSITUATIONI\nAFGHAN\nSUBJECT CATAGORY SIT\nMESSAGE / ANNOTATION:\nTO A ROOM. THEY WERE UNCERTAIN WHETHER THEY ARE ALLOWED TO\nTALK TO EACH OTHER, BUT SEVERAL CASUAL REMARKS SUGGESTED THAT\nSTRINGENT RULES AGAINST CONVERSATION WERE BEING RELAXED, AT LEAST\nIN SELECTIVE CASES, TWO WOMEN ARE APPARENTLY BEING HECO APART\nFROM EACH OTHER. BOTH IN GOOD SPIRITS.\n(H) GUMBLETON MET, AMONG OTHERS, WITH SUBIC, HERMINING, AND\nLAUDERBACH WHO TOGETHER APPEARED TO HAVE COMPOSED STATEMENT\nEXPRESSING SUPPORT FOR SHAH S RETURN AND GENERALLY SUPPORTIVE\nOF MILITANTS POSITION, LAUDERBACH HAD OPPORTUNITY QUIETLY TO\nCONFIDE TO GUM3LETON THAT LATTER SURELY REALIZED THAT STATEMENT\nWAS GUMBLETON SAID HE KNEW THAT AND ASKED CAUDER-\nBACH WHAT HE SHOULD SAY PUBLICLY ON THIS POINT. LATTER RESPONDED\nHE SHOULD IITELL THE TRUTHI! REGARDLESS OF CONSEQUENCES TO\nHOSTAGES,\n(I) CHRISTMAS CARDS WERE VISIBLE IN L'ARGE NUMBERS IN EACH DF\nTHREE ROOMS, BUT REACTION OF HOSTAGES MADE IT CLEAR NOT ACL\nHAD BEEN GETTING THEM. REGULAR MAIL IVIA SWISS) APPEARS TO BE\nSPASMODIC AT BEST (EG ODE CONFIRMED RECEIPT OF TWO L'ETTERS BUT\nCOMPLAINED ABOUT ONE HAVING BEEN TAKEN AWAY BY MILITANTS AND\nNOT RETURNED) CLERICS REMINDED HOSTAGES OF ODE'S HEART CONDITION,\n5. ON SUBSTANCE, CLERICS APPEAR TO HAVE BEEN SOMEWHAT TAKEN\nABACK BY RIGIDITY OF MILITANTS, BOTH ON ABOVE PROCEDURAL\nISSUES AND ON FUNDAMENTALS. ALTHOUGH THEY CLAIM TO HAVE ACREADY\nSENSED A GOOD DEAL OF DISAPPROVAL OF MILITANTS ACTIONS ON\nPART OF OTHER (UNSPECIFIED) IRANIANS, THEY WERE ALSO STRUCK BY\nTOTALLY UNFETTERED AUTHORITY OF MILITANTS AS A GROUP. COMMAND\nSTRUCTURE SEEMED LOOSE TO THEM AND DIFFICULT TO JUDGE, THOUGH\nSOME STOOD OUT, INCLUDING THE CELEBRATED MARY, AND INTENSE ZEAL\nAND DEADLY SERIOUSNESS WAS APPARENT IN ALL OF THEM.\n6. CLERICS HAVE NO DIFFICULTY IN CONCLUDING THAT ANY EFFECTIVE\nAUTHORITY OVER MILITANTS COULD ONLY COME FROM QOM. THIS\nREMINDS US OF INTERESTING OBSERVATION MADE TO US BY UK AMBASSADOR\nON MILITANTS RELATIONS WITH KHOMEINI AS HE PUT it, THE TWO\nCAMPS HAVE AN UNDERSTANDING WITH EACH OTHER, I.E. THE MILITANTS\nWILL RESPECT THE IMAM S ORDERS, BUT THE IMAM WILL NOT ORDER THEM\nTO DO WHAT THEY ARE NOT PREPARED TO DO.)\n7. WE HAD LENGTHY EXCHANGE ON SUBSTANCE WHICH WE WILL NDT\nATTEMPT TO RELATE HERE IN DETAIL BUT ON WHICH WE ASSUME\nDEPARTMENT WILL FOLLOW UP ON THEIR RETURN. THEY PRESSED HARD\n(ESPECIALLY COFFIN) FOR WAYS IN WHICH US COULD (AND SHOULD IN\nTHEIR OPINION) DEMONSTRATE TO IRANIANS THAT IT RECOGNIZED\nGRIEVANCES REGARDING SHAH. THEY SEEM DUBIOUS THAT QOTBZADEH S\nGRAND JURY CONCEPT WILL GET OFF THE GROUND, BECAUSE OF\nDIFFICULTY IN GETTING ANY REPUTABLE (INCLUDING MCBRIDE S)\nFOREIGN PARTICIPATION. NONETHELESS COFFIN WAS CLEARLY\nGROPING FOR WAYS IN WHICH PROMINENT AMERICANS OUTSIDE GOVERNMENT\nSENSITIVE"
}