IRAN: GETTING THROUGH TO KHOMEINI

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP81B00401R000500060009-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 12, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 17, 2002
• Sequence Number: 9
• Publication Date: December 20, 1979
• Content Type: TELEGRAM

Approved For Release 2002/05/23: CIA-RDP81 B00401 R000500060009-5
CONFIDENTIAL FRP:
79 3576694.
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00 RUEAIIB
ZNY CCCCC ZOC STATE ZZH
TSTU597
00 RUEHC
DE RUFHUK x`5308 3541828
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
0 201825Z DEC 79
FM AMEMBASSY LONDON
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6373
INFO RUDKGPQ/AMEMBASSY THE HAGUE 0534
BT
C 0 N F I D F 9 T I A L LONDON 25108
E.O. 12065: RDS-1 12/20/09 (MELTON, R.H.) OR-P
TAGS: PEPR IR US
SUBJECT: (C) IRAN: GETTING THROUGH TO KHOMETNT
SUMMARY: (C - ENTIRE TEXT) BRITISH JOURNALTST ANDREW
WH.TTLEY, DRAWING ON HIS EXPERIENCE TV REVOLUTIONARY IRAN,
SUGGESTS THAT THE IRANIANS ARE WAITING FQR_T_qr5T3FTq
COUNTER OFFER FROM US TO THEIR
THINKS _ WJ MUST SEEK TO-WORK WITHTP: THE OILY HFGOTTATTNG
FRAMEWCRK IRAHT" NS UNDERSTAND, I.E. , THE BARGAINING OF
THE BAZAAR. FURTHER, WE SHOULD USE NON-UK . TARS .T SPEAKING
DIPLOMATS TO PRESS OUR CASE WITH KEY FIGURES LIKE RAFSAN-
JAFI. END SUMMARY
1. EMBOFF SPOKE AT SOME LENGTH TO BRITISH JOURNALIST
ANDREW WHITLEY DECEMBER 20. ALTHOUGH WHITLEY`S EXPULSION
FROM IRAN IS NOW MANY WEEKS OLD, HE IS STILL CONSIDERED
HERE TO HAVE ESTABLISHED THE BEST CONTACTS TU TEHRAN OF
ANY FOREIGN JOURNALIST.
2. WHTTLEY OFFERED THE FOLLOWING ANALYSTS. THE IRANIANS
SEE THEMSELVES TM A BARGAINING RELATTONSHTP, LITTLE
DIFFERENT FRO' A RUG DEALER TM A RA7..A:"_R. THETR MAXIMUM
DEMAND WAS STATED (RETURN THE SHAH). OUR REACTION (NO
RETURN OF THE SHAH) WAS REGARDED AS IN EXTREME POSITION
JK
State Department review completed
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SUBJECT TO COMPROMISE. THE IRANIANS THEN PREDICTABLY
STEPPED BACK FROM THEIR INITIAL DEMAND (A TRIBUNAL OR
GRAND JURY) AND ARE PUZZLED BY WHAT THEY REGARD AS OUR
FAILURE TO DO THE SAME. WHITLEY BELIEVES THAT BY NOT
OFFERING A SPECIFIC FORMULA SHORT OF OUR INITIAL POSITION,
WE RISK LOSING ALL WE HAVE GAINED BY THE DEPARTURE OF THE
SHAH.
3. WHITLEY SAID HE KNOWS FROM HIS CONVERSATIONS IN NEW
YORK IN THE LAST DAY OR TWO THAT WE WILL NOT COUNTENANCE
A TRIBUNAL. IT SHOULD, HOWEVER, BE POSSIBLE TO DEVISE A
PUBLIC STATEMENT WHICH WOULD APPEAR A RESPONSIVE NEXT
STEP IN WHAT THE IRANIANS WILL CONTINUE TO REGARD AS A
BARGAINING PROCESS. FOR EXAMPLE, WE WOULD PUBLICLY
ACKNOWLEDGE AGAIN OUR RECOGNITION THAT THE REVOLUTIONARY
REGIME IS THE LEGAL GOVERNMENT AND THAT PUBLIC IRANIAN
PROPERTY HAS P".SSED FROM THE HANDS OF THE SHAH; THE US
GOVERNMENT IS PREPARED TO INVESTIGATE PUBLIC IRANTAN
HOLDINGS INI THE US, INCLUDING THE PAHLAVI FOUNIDATION,
TO ENISIJRE THAT IRANIAN PUBLIC PROPERTY PASSES TO ITS
RIGHTFUL OWNER.
4. WHITLEY ALSO COMMENTED ON. THE RELATED PROBLEMS OF
BRINGING THE REVOLUTIONARY COUNCIL TO SEE OUR POINT OF
VIEW AND THEN INDUCING IT TO CARRY THE MESSAGE FORCEFULLY
TO KHOMEINNI. IN OUR EFFORTS WITH THE REVOLUTIONARY
COUNCIL, WHITLEY SUGGESTED THAT IT IS PARTICULARLY
IMPORTANT TO SEEK OUT THOSE INDIVIDUALS WITH REAL POWER
AND PROVEN LINKS TO KHOMEINI. MANY OF THESE, OF COURSE,
SPEAK NO EUROPEAN LANGUAGE. WHITLEY SAID HE ASSUMED WE
WERE USING SUCH ASSETS AS DUTCH FIRST SECRETARY ALFONSE
HAMMER, WHOSE FARSI IS VIRTUALLY NATIVE, TO CARRY SPECIFIC
US MESSAGES TO SUCH IMPORTANT FIGURES AS RAFSANHIJANI AND
LAHUTI. THE FORMER SHOULD BE A SPECIAL TARGET FOR CUR
EFFORTS TO PERSUADE; HE IS YOUNG, RUTHLESS, At-MBITTOUS
AND HAS ESTABLISHED ACCESS TO KHOMEINI.
5. ON THE RELATIONSHIP OF THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION TO
THE HOSTAGE SITUATION, WHITLEY THINKS THAT IT WILL BE
IMPORTANT FOR US TO OBSERVE WHO DOES NOT REPEAT NOT
CHOOSE TO RUN. PRESUMABLY ALL CANDIDATES WILL RUM ON
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THE THEME THAT THEY ARE THE BEST EXECUTOR OF KHCMEINI'S
POLICY, AND IF BOTH BAHESHTI AND GHCTBZADEH DECLARE THEIR
CANDIDACY, WE WILL HAVE A CAMPAIGN OF EACH OUTBIDDING THE
OTHER, WHICH WILL. NOT BE GOOD FOP US. GHOTBZADEH, IN
WHITLEY'S VIEW, IS A VERY DANGEROUS MAN -- "A MASTER
HYPOCRITE," WHO WANTS NOTHING BUT SUPREME POWER.
6. FINALLY, WHITLEY AGREED THAT THE UK AMBASSADOR'S VIEWS
ARE THE MOST WORTH HAVING FROM THE TEHRAN DIPLOMATIC
CORPS, BUT CAUTIONED THAT AS MESSENGERS, BRITISH DIPLOMATS
ARE PERHAPS THE WORST CHOICE FOR US, SINCE IRANIANS REMAIPf
ALMOST AS SUSPICIOUS OF BRITAIN AS THEY ARE CF THE US.
WE SHOULD USE REPRESENTATIVES CF SMALLER COUNTRIES,
CHOSEN NOT BY RANK BUT BY ABILITY AND FLUENCY INN FARSI.
BREWSTER
END OF MESSAGE CONFTDEI'TTAL
Approved For Release 2002/05/23 : CIA-RDP81 800401 R000500060009-5