Covert and Overt Operations


330. Memorandum for the Record by the Chief of the Near East and South Asia Division, Directorate of Operations, Central Intelligence Agency (Cogan)

Source: Central Intelligence Agency, Office of the Director of Central Intelligence, Job 82M00501R: 1980 Subject Files, Box 14, Folder 1: C–372 Iran 01 June–31 July 1980. Secret; [handling restriction not declassified].


331. Summary of Conclusions of a Policy Review Committee Meeting

Source: Carter Library, Plains File, Box 10. Secret. The meeting took place in the White House Situation Room. In the upper right corner, Carter wrote: “Ed–Zbig, C.”


332. Memorandum From Secretary of State Muskie to President Carter

Source: Carter Library, Plains File, Box 10. Secret; Sensitive. Brzezinski returned a copy of this memorandum to Muskie with Carter’s marginalia. He informed Muskie that Carter’s marginal notes were “on almost every page,” conveying the President’s feeling that the United States should be moving “more aggressively” on a “wide front.” Brzezinski asked Muskie to let him know if he could be helpful in meeting Carter’s requests. (Memorandum from Brzezinski to Muskie, August 5; Department of State, Official Files of [P] David D. Newsom, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, Lot 82D85, Iran 1980–81)


333. Paper Prepared by the Head of the Iran Working Group, Department of State (Saunders)

Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Brzezinski Material, Country File, Box 33, Iran Update 8/80. Secret; Sensitive. Attached to an August 3 briefing memorandum from Saunders to Muskie, Christopher, and Newsom.


334. Handwritten Note From President Carter to Director of Central Intelligence Turner

Source: Central Intelligence Agency, Office of the Director of Central Intelligence, Job 82M00501R 1980 Subject Files, Box 13, Folder 1. Private. The editor transcribed the text from the handwritten original.


335. Memorandum From the Commander of the Joint Task Force (Vaught) to the Director of the Joint Staff Hanson and Service Operations Deputies

Source: Department of Defense, Joint Chiefs of Staff Records, RG 218–07–0002, Records of J–3 DDSO, Box 3, Iranian Hostage Crisis 1979–1984, binder JTF Capability Review. Top Secret. The 15 enclosures are attached but not printed.


336. Memorandum of Conversation

Source: Department of State, INR/IL Historical Records, Iran 1980. Top Secret.


337. Memorandum From Fritz Ermarth and Marshall Brement of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Brzezinski) and the President’s Deputy Assistant for National Security Affairs (Aaron)

Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Staff Material, Office File, Box 65, Outside the System File, Iran Non-Meetings Hostage Crisis 4/80–11/80. Secret; Outside the System. Sent for information. A stamped notation in the upper right corner of the memorandum reads: “ZB has seen.”


338. Memorandum From the National Intelligence Officer for Near East and South Asia (Ames) to Director of Central Intelligence Turner and the Deputy Director of Central Intelligence (Carlucci)

Source: Central Intelligence Agency, Office of the Director of Central Intelligence, Job 82M00501R: 1980 Subject Files, Box 13, Folder 1. Secret. Sent through Clarke. A note on the transmittal sheet indicates that Turner saw the memorandum and that a meeting on Iran took place on Monday, August 18. No other record of the meeting has been found.


339. Action Memorandum From the Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs (Saunders) to Acting Secretary of State Christopher

[Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Staff Material, Middle East File, Box 38, Subject File, Iran Hostage Negotiations 8/80. Secret. 3 pages not declassified.]


340. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Brzezinski) to President Carter

Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Staff Material, Middle East File, Box 33, Subject File, Iran 8/80. Top Secret; Sensitive; Codeword. Carter initialed “C” in the upper right corner.


341. Message From the Joint Chiefs of Staff Intelligence Directorate (J–2) Snowbird to the Deputy Director for Operations, Near Eastern Affairs, Iran Task Force, Central Intelligence Agency

Source: Department of Defense, Joint Chiefs of Staff Records, RG 218–07–0002, Records of J–3 DDSO, Box 2, Iranian Hostage Crisis 1979–1984, B270–280 Intelligence Assessment. Top Secret.


342. Memorandum From Acting Director of Central Intelligence Carlucci to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Brzezinski)

Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Staff Material, Office File, Box 87, For President or Brzezinski Only File, Iran Sensitive 5/80–10/80) Secret. Hunter forwarded the memorandum and attachment to Aaron under an August 18 covering memorandum, noting that “a good deal more elaboration and detail before SCC consideration” was necessary. Aaron drew a line through the sentence in which Hunter asked whether any further action was needed. (Ibid.)


343. Paper Prepared in the Central Intelligence Agency

Source: National Security Council, Carter Intelligence Files, Box I031, Carter Intelligence Files Sep–Dec 1980. Secret. [name not declassified] sent the paper to Saunders and Hunter of the NSC Staff under an August 15 covering memorandum.


344. Message From Secretary of State Muskie to Prime Minister Rajai

Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Staff Material, Middle East File, Box 38, Subject File, Iran Hostage Negotiations 8/80. Secret. Sent as a telegram from the Department of State to Swiss Chargé Kaiser in Tehran. According to a September 1 report attached to a September 2 briefing memorandum from Saunders to Muskie, Christopher, and Newsom, Kaiser delivered Muskie’s letter to Rajai on the evening of August 31. (Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Staff Material, Middle East File, Box 38, Subject File, Iran Hostage Negotiations 8/80) Muskie’s letter is also published in Department of State Bulletin, November 1980, pp. 54–55.


345. Letter From Director of Central Intelligence Turner to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (Jones)

Source: Central Intelligence Agency, Office of the Director of Central Intelligence, Job 82B00162R: Subject Files, Box 9, Folder 8: Official Memos/Letters August 1980. Secret.


346. Summary of Conclusions of a Special Coordination Committee Meeting

Source: Carter Library, National Security Council, NSC Institutional Files (H–Files), Box 115, SCC 335 Security Framework Persian Gulf 8/22/80. Top Secret. The meeting took place in the White House Situation Room. No Tabs were attached or found. At the top of the first page, Carter wrote: “Zbig—My inclination is to inform Giscard & Schmidt also, protecting our sources. J.”


347. Memorandum From Secretary of State Muskie to Secretary of Defense Brown and the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Brzezinski)

Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Staff Material, Office File, Box 22, SCC Meeting #337 Held 9/2/80. Top Secret; Sensitive.


348. Memorandum From Gary Sick of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Brzezinski)

Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Staff Material, Office File, Box 87, For President or Brzezinski Only File, Iran Sensitive 5/80–10/80. Secret; Sensitive.


349. Message From Joint Task Delta to 1st Special Operations Wing, 101st Airborne (Air Assault) and 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment

Source: Department of Defense, Joint Chiefs of Staff Records, RG 218–07–0002, Records of J–3 DDSO, Box 2, Iranian Hostage Crisis 1979–1984, B270–280 Intelligence Assessment. Top Secret.


350. Memorandum From the National Intelligence Officer for Near East and South Asia (Ames) to Director of Central Intelligence Turner and the Deputy Director of Central Intelligence (Carlucci)

Source: Central Intelligence Agency, Office of the Director of Central Intelligence, Job 82M00501R: 1980 Subject Files, Box 13, Folder 1: C–372 Iran. Secret.


351. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Sweden

[Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, P880136–2199. Secret. 4 pages not declassified.]


352. Memorandum for the Record by Director of Central Intelligence Turner

Source: Central Intelligence Agency, Office of the Director of Central Intelligence, Job 81B00112R: Subject Files, Box 15. Top Secret.


353. Memorandum From William Odom of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Brzezinski)

Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Brzezinski Material, General Odom File, Box 27, Iran Special Contingency Group 7/80. Top Secret; Outside the System. Sent for information. In a September 4 memorandum to Brzezinski, Denend wrote “there is not a single conclusion in his [Odom’s] memo to you with which I would take serious issues.” Denend concluded that, based on the Holloway Report, 1) any planning and/or training underway for a second rescue operation in Iran needed to be reviewed for organizational soundness, 2) that the report was “dramatic evidence” or a change in the Unified Command Plan, and 3) that any efforts to change the independence retained by the military services “must wait for stronger leadership in the Pentagon.” (Ibid.)


354. Memorandum From the Chief of the Near East and South Asia Division, Directorate of Operations, Central Intelligence Agency (Cogan) to Director of Central Intelligence Turner

[Source: Central Intelligence Agency, Office of the Director of Central Intelligence, Job 82M00501R: 1980 Subject Files, Box 13, Folder 1: C–372 Iran 01 Sep 80–30 Sep 80. Secret. 2 pages not declassified.]


355. Memorandum From William Odom of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Brzezinski)

Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Brzezinski Material, General Odom File, Box 27, Iran Activities 12/79–12/80. Top Secret; Sensitive; For Dr. Brzezinski Only. Sent for information. In the upper right corner, Brzezinski wrote: “WO: Status? ZB.”


356. Summary of Conclusions of a Special Coordination Committee Meeting

Source: Carter Library, National Security Council, NSC Institutional Files (H–Files), Box 57. Top Secret; Sensitive. The meeting took place in the White House Situation Room. The Tabs are not attached. Carter wrote “Top Secret, J” in the upper right corner.


357. Letter From the Family Liaison Action Group to President of the Consultative Assembly of Iran Rafsanjani

Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Brzezinski Material, Country File, Box 33, Iran Update 9/80. No classification marking. Attached to a September 8 briefing memorandum from Saunders to Muskie, Christopher, and Newsom.


358. Memorandum From Director of Central Intelligence Turner to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Brzezinski)

Source: Central Intelligence Agency, Office of the Director of Central Intelligence, Job 82M00501R: 1980 Subject, Box 13, Folder 1. Secret; [handling restriction not declassified] Signed September 10 and hand-carried to Brzezinski.