357. Letter From the Family Liaison Action Group to President of the Consultative Assembly of Iran Rafsanjani1
We, the families of the American hostages, write to you, Mr. Rafsanjani, as the leader of the Islamic Consultative Assembly of Iran, the body of representatives of the Iranian people. We understand that you have been instructed by Iran’s supreme spiritual leader, Imam Khomeini, to find a solution to the problem of our beloved relatives, the fifty-two American hostages.
We are writing to you privately as parents, wives, children, and brothers and sisters most directly and intimately affected by the enforced separation we and our loved ones have endured during these past long months. While we trust and pray that the hostages are being treated well in the true spirit of Islam, the grief and hardship imposed by such separation are barely manageable for us all. By saying that, we are, at the same time, aware that you and the people of Iran, a people with a profound sense of family ties, understand our anguish. We hope that this letter conveys a sense of our own sincere desire to communicate these family feelings common to us all.
We understand the people of Iran have suffered untold indignities and wrongs in the past. We share your confidence and hope that the new times in Iran soon will bring about a better life for all your people and their families.
We are writing to you at this point in time because we realize that you spearhead, in its vital beginnings, a new Parliament capable of overcoming and righting the wrongs of the past. We wish you well and pray that your efforts will achieve the goals you have set forth for your people.
We are writing to you at this time, too, with the idea that there might be some way in which the hostages’ families could participate personally and directly in the solution of the problem which now divides the Iranian and American people. Might we be the bridge that brings the hostages home? Our families are prepared to come to any location you and your colleagues deem suitable. We feel our mutual concerns can best be discussed face to face, in an atmosphere of human trust.
[Page 938]Please know that our hearts and minds are open and that we are willing to meet on any appropriate occasion where an open dialogue might be useful.
We thank you for receiving our letter and the thoughts contained in it. We are anxiously awaiting your reply.
| Sincerely, | |
| The family of Thomas L. Ahern | The family of Gary Lee |
| The family of Clair Barnes | The family of Paul Lewis |
| The family of William Belk | The family of John Limbert |
| The family of Robert Blucker | The family of James Lopez |
| The family of Donald J. Cooke | The family of Michael Metrinko |
| The family of William Daugherty | The family of Jerry Miele |
| The family of Robert Englemann | The family of Michael Moeller |
| The family of William Gallegos | The family of Bert Moore |
| The family of Bruce German | The family of Richard Morefield |
| The family of Duane Gillette | The family of John McKeel |
| The family of Alan Golacinski | The family of Paul Needham |
| The family of John Graves | The family of Robert Ode |
| The family of Joseph Hall | The family of Gregory Persinger |
| The family of Kevin Hermening | The family of Jerry Plotkin |
| The family of Donald Hohman | The family of Michael Ragan |
| The family of Leland Holland | The family of David Roeder |
| The family of Michael Howland | The family of Barry Rosen |
| The family of Charles Jones | The family of William Royer |
| The family of Malcolm Kalp | The family of Thomas Schaefer |
| The family of Moorhead Kennedy | The family of Charles Scott |
| The family of Steven Kirtley | The family of Donald Sharer |
| The family of Kathryn Koob | The family of R. V. Sickmen |
| The family of William Keough | The family of Joseph Subic |
| The family of Frederick Kupke | The family of Elizabeth Swift |
| The family of Bruce Laingen | The family of Victor Tomseth |
| The family of Steven Lauterbach | The family of Phillip Ward |
- Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Brzezinski Material, Country File, Box 33, Iran Update 9/80. No classification marking. Attached to a September 8 briefing memorandum from Saunders to Muskie, Christopher, and Newsom.↩