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  3. Foreign Relations of the United States, 1969–1976, Volume XXIV, Middle East Region and Arabian Peninsula, 1969–1972; Jordan, September 1970
  4. Document 199

199. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in the Soviet Union1

Washington, September 6, 1970, 1712Z.

146336. Three US airliners have been hijacked by Palestinian groups.2 You should contact Foreign Ministry soonest and ask for Soviet intervention should any of the flights land in Baghdad to the end that passenger, plane and crew are promptly released. Flights involved are TWA 741, Pan American 093 and Pan American 3.

Johnson
  1. Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 330, Subject Files, Hijackings. Confidential; Limited Official Use; Flash. Drafted and approved by Davies.↩
  2. A fourth plane, El Al flight 219 flying from Amsterdam to New York City, was also hijacked by two people, but El Al crew members shot and killed one hijacker and wounded the other. (Memorandum for the Record, September 6; ibid.) For additional documentation on this and subsequent hijackings on September 6, see Foreign Relations, 1969–1976, volume E–1, Documents on Global Issues, 1969–1972, Documents 45 ff.↩