AMERICAN IN IRAN SAYS HE REPORTED TO CIA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP91-00587R000200880018-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 14, 2010
• Sequence Number: 18
• Publication Date: October 15, 1986
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/07/14: CIA-RDP91-00587R000200880018-7
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WASHINGTON POST
15 October 1986
American in Iran Says
He Reported to CIA
Engineer Expects a Long Stay in Prison
By Peyman Pejman
special to The Warhinrnn Rwt
STAT
Jon Pattie, an American telecom-
munication engineer arrested in
Iran on espionage charges four
months ago, said in a press confer-
ence in Tehran that he had been
supplying the Central Intelligence
Agency with information on Iran's
economy, military, oil and telecom-
munications, Iran's official press
said yesterday.
Of confess to my espionage activ-
ities," Pattie was quoted as saying in
his press conference, which the Iran-
ian news agency IRNA, monitored by
Reuter, said was broadcast by Iran's
state-controlled television.
"But I believe [Iranian) author-
ities will agree with me that the
information I gathered was not used
to help the Iraqis in their effort ...
So my activity wag nonhostile," Pat-
tie said.
Pettis was arrested June 16 after
an Iraqi raid on a major Iranian tele-
communications satellite facility at
Assadabad, 200 miles southwest of
Tehran, that shut down Iran's tele-
phone and telex links with the world
for about two weeks.
The CIA would not comment yes-
terday on the charges but Pattis'
sister, Ellen Pattie, who lives in
South Carollina, and a spokesman
for his employer in Bethesda both
said they considered Pattie innocent
despite his reported remarks.
According to IRNA, which carried
the transcript of the press confer-
ence, Pattie said he was relaying his
information to the CIA through his
office, Cosmos Engineers Inc. in Be-
thesda.
"One of the company officials
knew about my cooperation with
the CIA. He probably passed on the
information," he said.
Ray Costiglione, a spokesman for
Cosmos, called the charges against
Pattie "absurd" "If Pattie made the
statement that they are saying he
made, we can only assume they
were made under duress," he said.
According to IKNA, Mattis said
the CIA asked him during a trip to
the United States earlier this year
to gather information on Iran's oil
exports at Kharg Island and the ex-
tent of damage inflicted on Iran's oil
installations by Iraqi strikes.
According to an American source
who asked not to be identified, a
man who did not identify himself
called Pattie when he was on home
leave last December and asked for
an appointment. The source said he
assumed the man who called was a
CIA employe.
When the two met in Pattis' office
in Bethesda a couple of days later,
the man told Pattis that This office
knew Pattis was traveling to Iran on
an Italian passport and that it would
be better for him to cooperate and
provide the information he and his
office wanted," the source said. Ellen
Pattis has said her brother told her
he made visits to Iran using a false
Italian passport. The Iranian govern-
ment had requested the arrange-
ment, she said.
The information the visitor re-
quested, the source said, was relat-
ed to Iran's military, economy and
oil production and to the internal
situation in Iran. Pattis told the
source that he had declined to co-
operate with the man.
Cathy Pherson, a spokeswoman
for the CIA, said the agency had n
comment about Pattis' remarks or-
the alleged meeting in Pattis' office.
According to a staff member for
Sen. Jesse Helms (R-N.C.), Iranian
Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Velayati
agreed during a visit to the United
Nations recently to allow a U.N.
representative to visit Pattis. The
Swiss Embassy in Tehran, which
represents American interests in
Iran, has not been allowed to meet
with Pattis.
It was not known when the rep-
resentative would go to Tehran.
Pattis' sister has said her brother is
in poor health.
Iran said last month that Pattis
would be tried on espionage
charges, but did not indicate when.
In his press conference, Pattis
was quoted as saying, "most prob-
ably I will spend a long time in pris-
on ... I do not think I will be freed
from prison before there is any
change between the American and
Iranian governments."
Ellen Pattis said of her brother's
remarks, "From what I have read of
the quotes, it is not my brother's
typical way of expressing himself."
L/
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/07/14: CIA-RDP91-00587R000200880018-7