Digital Archive digitalarchive.wilsoncenter.org International History Declassified

July 02, 1985 Memorandum on Hijacking of TWA Flight 847

Citation:

“Memorandum on Hijacking of TWA Flight 847,” July 02, 1985, History and Public Policy Program Digital Archive, Obtained by Pavel Zacek. http://digitalarchive.wilsoncenter.org/document/176001

Summary:

"On the question of exchanging hostages from the aircraft seized in Athens for Shiite prisoners in Israel."

Original Language:

Russian

Contents:

English Translation Scan of Original Document [handwritten Czech-language text and a faded stamp at the top of the page]

MEMO concerning the receipt of information by our service [that] the religious extremist organization Hezbollah and individual right-wing groups of the Shiite movement Amal, embittered by the position of the American leadership and individual countries of Europe on the question of exchanging hostages from the aircraft seized in Athens for Shiite prisoners in Israel, intend to increase acts of terrorism against the representatives of these countries throughout the entire world.

According to the same information these organizations fear pressure on this question from Syria which supposedly gave a promise to the Americans to help liberate the hostages [and] will force the extremists to reexamine their position. The result of this might be an aggravation of relations between the right-wing Shiite groups and the SAR [Syrian Arab Republic].

Considering the above the possibility is not excluded of malicious actions also being conducted abroad by extremist elements against the USSR as an ally of Syria.

Our service requests that this information be reverified, if possible, and the results be immediately reported.

2 July 1985

[some faded Czech handwriting follows at the bottom of the page]