Students display ‘proof’

Press, 3 December 1979, Page 8

Students display ‘proof’

NZPA Teheran i Iranian students preparing an espionage trial for 50 American hostages at the occupied United States Embassy in Teheran produced evidence designed to show at least two of their captives were officers of the Central Intelligence Agency working under diplomatic cover. At a crowded press conference inside the embassy, the students produced the photocopy of a cablegram marked "secret” and sent by the American Charge d’Affaires (Mr Bruce Lain-

gen) to the American State i Department on August 9. The press conference followed repeated statements by the students and AyatoL! lah Ruholiah Komeiny'i Iran’s unofficial Head of i State, that the hostages, would be tried for espionage I unless the United States agreed to extradite the ousted Shah for trial in Iran. The cablegram indicated that two C.I.A. officers, Malcolm Kalp and William Daugherty, had been sent to! the United States Embassy! in Teheran to work under! the cover of second and

! third secretaries. Western diplomats said! there was little doubt over : the authenticity of the docu-;, ment. but added it was noth unusual for C.I.A. men, or! secretary agents from any; country, to work under dip-!! lomatic cover. The students said that Mr, Daugherty had confessed tol being a C.I.A. officer. None;: of the hostages was shown to reporters at the two-hour outdoor press conference and the students did not I [ answer questioners asking for proof that their captives i ' were in good health.