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From: ka@hou3c.UUCP (Kenneth Almquist)
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Re: What did Jessie say?!?
Message-ID: <174@hou3c.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 7-Jan-84 21:08:06 EST
Article-I.D.: hou3c.174
Posted: Sat Jan  7 21:08:06 1984
Date-Received: Sun, 8-Jan-84 04:45:20 EST
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Tom Craver suggests that Jackson said something like, "Do it to hurt
Reagan, and to to help me get elected, and I will be sure to do X for
you."  This strikes me as unlikely because Jackson has no real chance
of winning, and the Syrians must surely know that.  I'm not saying
that Syria wasn't acting out of self interest; the favorable publicity
for Syria created by the release may make it easier for Syria to pur-
sue its foreign policy goals in the Middle East.  Jackson may have
pointed out to them that releasing the pilot would tend to tie Reagan's
hands with Congress.  Alternatively, Syrian officials may have already
decided to release the pilot, and Jackson just happened to be the first
person to ask.
					Kenneth Almquist