LEAKS IN THE PIPELINE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP94B00280R000700080011-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 10, 2011
• Sequence Number: 11
• Publication Date: December 17, 1985
• Content Type: REPORT

STAT
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NOV rltW TUKR 'U~or
) 12 December 1985
0
MISSING LEB HOSTAGE DIED
AFTER TORTURE
IN TEHRAN
WASHINGTON - William
Buckley, one of the six
Americans kidnaped in
Beirut by Shiite Moslem
extremists, is dead.
The State Dept.'s official
position is that we assume
that he is alive and have been
operating on that principle."
But the CIA, for which Buckley
worked. has highly sensitive in-
telligence information that
leaves no doubt of Buckley's
death.
From our intelligence sources.
we have pieced together the grue-
some details of Buckley's cap-
tivity and death. and can disclose
the nation responsible: Iran.
In fact. he died in a Tehran hos-
pital from a heart attack brought
on by months of torture.
The 57-year-old Buckley was of-
ficially listed as a political officer
with the American Embassy in
Beirut. Actually, he was the CIA
station chief.
A brave and effective intelli-
gence professional who had
served earlier in Vietnam. Buck-
ley was painfully aware of the
risks that were an inescapable
part of his job.
Friends say that's why he never
married - he didn't want to
cause suffering to a wife and chil-
dren in the event of his death.
Ironically, Buckley devoted
much of his time and energy to
developing information that
might prevent terrorist attacks
on Americans in the Mideast. He
did not hire local contract agents
for missions of violence.
Buckley was kidnaped by
Shiites on March 16, 1984, and
taken Initially to the eastern
Bekaa Valley, a Syrian-controlled
hotbed of Iranian terrorists and
revolutionary guards. One source
says the CIA believes it was the
Syrians who disclosed Buckley's
true identity to his captors. the
Hezbollah (Party of God). _.
There is no doubt Buckley Was
tortured brutally over a peri-
od His appearance had ged
shockingly in a videotape released
by his captors last January.
Buckley was taken to the Ira-
nian revolutionary guard (Pas-
daran) headquarters at Baalbek.
Lebanon. for repeated interroga-
tions. Then. in early March 1985.
the Hesbollah, apparently fearing
the Syrians would turn Buckley
loose, arranged to transport him
secretly to Iran.
He was disguised as an injured
Pasdaran soldier and flown with
several wounded revolutionary
guards to Damascus in a Syrian
army helicopter.
The same day. Buckley and at
least one authentic Iranian soldier
were put aboard an Iran Air 727,
which had just brought a high Ira-
nian official to the Syrian capital,
and were flown to Tehran.
The American agent's first
place of captivity was a house on
Fereshteh Street In a northern
suburb of Tehran.
Buckley was interrogated -
and tortured further - in the
basement of the Iranian foreign
ministry. He required frequent
medical treatment.
In late March, an Iraqi bomb
landed in Fereshteh Street, nar-
rowly missing the house where
Buckley was being held.
He was hastily moved to a revo-
lutionary guard camp (called
Salehbad), near the Shiite holy
city of Qom.
It was there, probably between
April 10 and 15, that Buckley suf-
fered a heart attack induced by
torture and captivity. He was
taken to a hospital in Tehran and
died soon after.
Even in death. Buckley's mur-
derers tried to use him. The Is-
lamic Jihad, a group closely
linked toHezbollah. announced
last October that they had "exe-
cuted" Buckley.
They released a grisly Polaroid
picture of him in a coffin, and tried
to trade his body for 100 Palestin-
ian prisoners held by Israel.
Footnote: The U.S. government
Is still denying the only thing Wil-
liam Buckley can now claim as
his own: his death. We hope the
American people won't allow the
country's forgotten hostage to re-
main forgotten. He deserves the
Medal of Honor, not obscurity.
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 ` Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/03/10: CIA-RDP94B0028OR000700080011-2
Office . of Current Pr At- lion and Anal3- ' Ic "upport
CIA Operations Center
News Bulletin : The Washington Post, Page 821
JACK ANDERSON and DALE VAN ATTA
13 December 1985
Item No. 1
Buckley Is Dead, and Iran Is Responsible
William Buckley, one of the six American
hostages kidnaped by Shiite Moslem
extremists, is dead.
The State Department's official position is that
.we assume that he is alive and have been
operating on that principle." But the Central
Intelligence Agency, for which Buckley worked, has
highly sensitive intelligence information that leaves
no doubt of Buckley's death.
From our intelligence sources, we have pieced
together the gruesome details of Buckley's
captivity and death, and can disclose the nation
responsible: Iran. In fact, he died in a Tehran
hospital from a heart attack brought on by months
of torture.
The 57-year-old Buckley was officially listed as a
political officer with the U.S. Embassy in Beirut.
Actually, he was the CIA station chief. A brave and
effective intelligence professional who had served
earlier in Vietnam, Buckley was aware of the risks
that were an inescapable part of his job. Friends say
that's why he never married-he didn't want to
cause suffering to a wife and children in the event
of his death.
Ironically, Buckley devoted much of his time and
energy to developing information that might
prevent terrorist attacks on Americans in the
Middle East. He did not hire local contract agents
for missions of violence.
Buckley was kidnaped by Shiites on March 16,
1984, and taken initially to the eastern Bekaa
Valley, a Syrian-controlled hotbed of Iranian
terrorists and revolutionary guards. One source
says the CIA believes it was the Syrians who
disclosed Buckley's true identity to his captors, the
Hezbollah (Party of God).
There is no doubt that Buckley was brutally
tortured over a long period. His appearance had
changed shockingly in a videotape released by his
captors last January.
Buckley was taken to the Iranian revolutionary
guard (Pasdaran) headquarters at Baalbek,
Lebanon, for repeated interrogations. Then, in
early March 1985, the Hezbollah, apparently
fearing the Syrians would turn Buckley loose,
arranged to transport him secretly to Iran. He was
disguised as an injured Pasdaran soldier and flown
with several wounded revolutionary guards to
Damascus in a Syrian army helicopter.
The same day, Buckley and at least one authentic
Iranian soldier were put aboard an Iran Air 727 and
were flown to Tehran. The American agent's first
place of captivity was a house on Fereshteh Street
in a northern suburb of Tehran.
Buckley was interrogated-and tortured
further-in the basement at the Iranian Foreign
Ministry. He required frequent medical treatment,
which included at least one stay in a Tehran
hospital.
In late March, an Iraqi bomb landed in Fereshteh
Street, narrowly missing the house where Buckley
was being held. He was hastily moved to a
revolutionary guard camp (called Salehbad), near
the Shiite holy city of Qom.
It was there, probably between April 10 and 15,
that Buckley suffered a heart attack induced by
torture and captivity. He was taken to a hospital in
Tehran and died soon after.
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