316. Memorandum From the Deputy Director for Operations, Central Intelligence Agency (McMahon) to the Commander of the Joint Task Force (Vaught)1
SUBJECT
- Feasibility Study
1. Before he left town, the Director asked that I reply to your memo of 2 July on developing plans to infiltrate a hostage rescue force into Iran.2 We want to help all we can with this. We are concerned, however, that complying with the full scope of your request might take us into activities beyond the bounds of the Intelligence Community. That is, operational planning which involves considerations of the capabilities and tactics of U.S. forces is normally beyond the purview of intelligence agencies.
2. We therefore feel that all we can and would be most happy to do in support of your rescue planning is to provide opinions on and support for the infiltration plans which your joint task force develops. For instance, we can and should estimate the probability of detection under a given plan. We should estimate what our clandestine resources may be able to do in support. As a general comment in response to your 2 July memo, we do not believe that the governments of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, or Turkey would agree to permit the use of their territory for a base of operations or through-port for a rescue operation. Moreover, none of these governments should be relied upon to safeguard knowledge of a planned rescue operation. [2 lines not declassified] Insofar as clandestine, or black, infiltration of the rescue force from any of the four countries is concerned (that is without the knowledge of the host government), we would not offer any hope that this is possible.
[Page 854]3. In sum, we want to avoid treading where it is not proper for us to be, while at the same time wanting to be as helpful to you as possible in checking out and supporting the plans that you’ve developed.
- Source: Central Intelligence Agency, Office of the Director of Central Intelligence, Job 82M00501R: 1980 Subject Files, Box 14, Folder 1. Top Secret. A copy was sent to Jones.↩
- Attached but not printed. In the July 2 memorandum to Turner, Vaught had asked that DIA and CIA comment on the feasibility of infiltrating a hostage rescue force into Iran “overtly, covertly or clandestinely” from Oman, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, or other nearby countries of the Persian Gulf, with a low chance of detection.↩
- Printed from a copy with this typed signature and an indication that McMahon signed the original.↩