Approved For Release 2000/08/08
: CIA-RDP96-00788R0021 00450002-9
l
TOE WASHINGTON STAR
londay, January
19,
1981
Route taken by Wl Posslbl#
two Algerian
routes ire
727$ to pick up
Tehran
Tehran
Algiers
Hostages* Route to Freedom
Late Night
Algiers Talks
Cleared Way
Christopher Finally
Displays a Smile
Star Wire Services
ALGIERS— After a day of intense
diplomatic exchanges that resolved
the central Issues of the agreement
to
free
the American
hostages
In
Iran, Deputy Secretary of State War-
ren M. Christopher, the chief Amer-
ican negotiator, last night Initialed
the accords.
,
.
Officials had worked late Into the
night translating and readying the
documents for the signature.
When he returned from an earlier
evening meeting with the Algerian
foreign minister, Christopher had
smiling broadly for the
first time
in days but, as usual, he had refused
to make any comment.
A small group of reporters wit-
nessed the signing.
.
Christopher signed
three
doc-
uments, initialing each page. Their
contents were
not immediately
made public.
.
“This
is
a very happy
day,
Christopher said after the signing
ceremony.
,
,
.
,
“At last I can smile,,
said the en-
voy who frequently met journalists
questions with silence during the
final 12 days of complex negotiations
^Speaking to Algerian Foreign Min-
ister Mohamed Benyahia during the
ceremony, Christopher
said,
I
would like to take this opportunity
on behalf of President Carter and
all the people of the United States
to thank your government and espe-
cially you personally for undertak-
ing
the
difficult
role
of
intermediary. You and your
col-
leagues have performed this heavy
responsibility with great impartial-
ity, discretion and high
skill,
"The American people will always
remember this contribution to hu-
manitarian matters by the Algerian
people and their leaders," he added.
.
Asked by
reporters
if he knew
when the hostages would be freed,
Christopher replied, "1 don't know.
He spoke of "initialing" the doc-
uments, hut reporters saw him sign
his full name on the three separate
instruments. It was not immediately
clear whether he was used the term
"initialing" in the technical sense
of a pre-signing or as a synonym
I
for the formal signing.
.
|
The official Algerian press agen-
f
cy, reporting the ceremony, also said
j
Christopher
“initialed"
the
doc-
uments.
It said the State Department gave
the
Algerian charge
d’affaire
in
"Washington
a
letter
early
today
Hostages' Families Follow Dev|[opments
Through a Night of Elation and Anxiety
O
no final plans for Donald si return
Continued From A-l
to the United States, his brother said
trying day for her and the families
of other hostages, noting that it was
a
“ day of chills and thrills."
Rita Ode, of Sun City, Ariz., wife
of hostage Robert C, Ode, 65, a retired
career Foreign
Service
officer
in
Tehran on special assignment, said
“Thank God,
it looks like
it
is
all
over."
Then taking a more cautious ap-
proach,
she added
“...but
until
they're in the air and out of Iranian
airspace, I'm not going
to
get ex-
cited."
She said she hoped
“it does not
take too long
to
get them out of
there.
It has been a long, painful
time. Let’s hope it won't be too long
before
it is all over.”
While
also expressing the need
for caution
until the hostages are
free, Winona
McKeel,
of Batch
Spriftgs, Texas, mother
of Marine
Sgt. Johnny McKeel Jr., was trying
to supress her joy, but cov’d
not
hide her belief that
the end was
near.
„
.
.
.
“I'm happy, very happy,
she said.
"I’ve tied a fresh, new yellow ribbon
around the old oak
tree.
If Its not
raining later today, we will cover
this town with yellow ribbons.”
She had been up all night awaiting
word on the negotiations and said
when
it started raining, she made
up a big pot of coffee and invited
all
the
reporters
standing around
outside to come in and get dry and
have coffee.
“We just sat around and talked.
We had a
real
nice
get-together
she said of her new found reporter
frif- J -
se
The Washington Star
LOUISA KENNEDY
“A day of chills and thrills”
from television and the State Depart-
ment that the agreement had been
signed.
They had gathered together for
mutual support
after months of
highs and lows in emotions.
“Thank God we are a close family,
and we see each other often. We ve
been able to give each other a tre-
mendous amount of support,
said
Ernie Cooke, one of the brothers.
The Cookes, like most of the hos-
tage families are taking the advice
cf
State Department and maxing
they probably
will
retreat “some-
where away from the news.
Arthur Kupke, father of hostage
Frederick Kupke,
32,
said he
re-
ceived word from the State Depart-
ment
at
a.m.
in
his home
at
Francesville, Ind.
“I was expecting
it,
Kupke said.
“I'll wait until they get out of there
and then to to Washington to meet
him. If he wants us to go to Germany
,
we will, but I think we should give
him to time to get oriented. I am a
little afraid of seeing him after such
a long time."
'
. „
“I’m very glad this happened
fi-
nally," said Earl Graves of Flagstaff,
Ariz.,
the son
of hostage John
,
Graves,
i
.
,
.
i
Graves said he had no plans to
j
travel to Germany to meet his father
j
but planned to wait until the cap-
tives arrive In Washington.
“It’s going
to be three or four
days at least,” he predicted.
Jeff Needham of Bellevue, Neb,,
brother of hostage Paul Needham,
exclaimed, 'This Is It. It’s all over,
after the State Department
called
his family about
4:15
a.m. EST to
tell them of the latest developments.
In Pasadena, Calif., the Rev, Earl
Lee and his wife. Hazel, said they
finally will allow themselves to be-
lieve the 443-day ordeal is over.
"I really think it is unbelievable,
said
Lee, whose
son, Gary, was
among the captives. “But, yes, I can
believe
it now. I’m satisfied.
I feel
ereat excitement and
satisfaction
and thankfulness that it is just about
over.
iiU is over really, but we still want
jo
see Gary on
a plane and hear