Gary Sick details the 1980 "coup" October Surprise._ Sick was the principal White House aide for Iran during the hostage crisis._ His book is based on his years on Carter\'s and Reagan\'s National Security Council staffs, three years of research and hundreds of interviews._
_____ facists began secret dealings with Iran early in 1980 when Reagan\'s future CIA director, William Casey, initiated stealth contact with Iranian intermediaries._ The Reagan-Bush campaign feared that President Carter would make a deal to have the hostages released just before the election._ According to Sick\'s sources, Bill Casey met with high-level Iranians before the election and worked out an agreement to delay the hostage\'s release until after the election.
_____ The facist deal involved funnelling weapons to Iran, and tires for their U.S.-built fighter planes._ The Iranians released the hostages "minutes after Reagan took the oath of office."_ Sick adds that almost immediately after Reagan took office, the flow of arms to Iran greatly increased._
U.S. Navy pilot Captain Gunther Russbacher, who worked with Naval Intelligence and the CIA, says that on Oct. 19, 1980 (three weeks before the election) he flew U.S. officials to Paris to arrange the "October Surprise."_ On board, says Russbacher, were George Bush, William Casey, Robert Gates (Bush\'s future CIA Director) and Donald Gregg (whose CIA work began when Bush was director)._ They met with Hashemi Rafsanjani, the Ayatollah\'s second in command and Adnan Khashoggi, a powerful Saudi Arabian arms dealer. Arrangements were apparently made to give Iran $40 million as a down-payment to delay release of the hostages.
_____ When future Paris meetings, secret payments and arms deals became known, the Iran-Contra scandal began to unravel._ Russbacher, and several CIA operatives, who blew the whistle were subsequently jailed in the U.S.
-The man used American hostages to further his political career. Possibly the most selfish action I can imagine by someone seeking public office.
