Page 6-Friday November 30 1979-The Michigan Daily
Iranian coverage was difficult
for ousted Associated Press
I
By NICK KATSARELAS
Associated Press Washington Bureau Chief Walter
Mears, completing a stint yesterday as a visiting professor at
the University, described problems his organization faced
covering the Iranian crisis without correspondents in that
country.
Reporters from America's largest news service were
ousted from Iran in September because, Mears 'said, he
believes the Iranian government didn't approve of AP's
coverage of the Kurdish rebellion. In addition, he said the
Iranian government may have objected to a close relation-
ship between the deposed Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi
and an AP reporter.
"ALTOUGH THE (Iranian) government was trying to
play it down, we were describing the fighting, and they didn't
care for that," Mears said.
Until three weeks ago, when AP was permitted back in
Iran, Mears said the service had to depend largely on
Teheran radio broadcasts, correspondents from other agen-
cies, and State Department information for its dispatches
about the crisis.
"We lacked eyewitness material, first-hand reports, and
photographs," explained Mears, who is a Marsh professor in
the Communications Department. "We kept making contacts
when we could."
MEARS, WHO is vice-president of AP, said the Iranian
government values the presence of the American press in
Iran, despite the widespread anti-U.S. sentimeit there.
Mears said the head of the Iranian Embassy in the U.S. per-
mitted AP to return to Iran because "he said they (Iranian
officials) were very interested in having accurate reporting
of the Iranian revolution."
The press, Mears explained, plays an integral part in the
running battle between religious leader Ayatollah Ruhollah
Khomeini and President Carter. He cited the recent in-
vitation to the three major television networks to interview
Khomeini.
"They want the American media there to carry their
message," Mears explained.
"The Ayatollah wants film of eight zillion people stomping
around outside the U.S. embassy," he added.
The Marsh professor flew back to Washington last night
after spending the week speaking to several communications
classes.
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7
Released hostage says life in Iran was good
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Terri Ted-
ford, a secretary who was one of the 13
American hostages released from the
U.S. Embassy in Tehran, says she
"would go back to Iran in a minute if I
could."
Tedford, 24, said she loved her em-
bassy job, Iran's warm and dry
climate, hikes in the nearby mountains,
and numerous parties.
"AS FAR AS being hostages, we
weren't mistreated. It could have been
much worse," she said in an interview
Wednesday at her parent's home in
suburban South San Francisco.
"Physically I'm here, but
emotionally I am in Iran," she said.
"My thoughts are constantly on the
FRI--6:00, 8:00, 10:00 FRI-Adults $1.50 til 6:30 (or capacity)
SAT. SUN-1:50, 3:50, 6:00, 8:00, 10:00
SAT, SUN--Adults $1 .50 til2:15 (or cap.) Adults $2.50 til 4:30 (or cap.)
remaining 49 hostages." sidered the safest.
The State Department said yesterday "AFTER A ,three-hour period elap-
that there were actually 50 Americans sed, we saw the situation was hopeless 5
remaining. and surrendered," she said.
BECAUSE OF their concern for the She and six other women hostages
hostages still being held by Iranian were kept in the same room most of the
militants, Tedford said the freed time, guarded by Moslem women, she
hostages had all agreed that "it could said. It was five days before they were
be detrimental to the well-being of the allowed to bathe and change clothes
other 49 if we went into detail." and their hands were tied most of the
She said she had been transferred to time.
Tehran on Sept. 20 and that she has "If you ate more, they left your hands
become accustomed to demonstrators untied longer," Tedford said, adding
chanting outside the embassy walls. that the women gained about six pounds
But that changed on Nov. 4 when the each during their captivity because of a
militants stormed into the embassy diet of Iranian bread, rice, and other
grounds. As she was taking dictation, starchy food.
Tedford said, a security i guard ran She said the hostages read to pass the
down the hall, telling everyone to go up- time.
stairs to the part of the building .con-
Mexico: harboring shah
not in national interest
Tedford
hostages not mistreated
I
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(Continued from Page 1)
The court, composed of 15 inter-
national justices, is not in session, but
Vance cited the "extraordinary urgen-
cy" of the Iranian situation and asked
for action "within days."
"THE PRESENT crisis constitutes a
serious threat to international peace
and security," Vance wrote.
The U.S. suit asked the court to
"declare that Iran shall release im-
mediately and permit to depart from
Iran immediately all hostages and
other members of the embassy.
It also asked that Iran be required to
pay unspecified reparations to the
United States "for numerous grave
violations of international legal rights."
The resolution was sent to the House
Foreign Affairs Committee, whose
chairman, Rep. Clement Zablocki (D-
Wis.) said he had no plans to act on it.
Miss Lillian says she would
have Khomeini killed
BOW, N.H. (AP) - Lillian Carter
said last night that if she had a
million dollars, she would hire
someone to kill Iranian leader
Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.
During a question-and-answer
session at the Bow Men's Club, the
president's mother was asked how
she would "handle fanatics" like the
ayatollah if she were president.
"If I had a million dollars to spare,
I'd look for someone to kill him," she
said, and the crowd stood and
cheered.
Carter's mother, known as "Miss
Lillian," also said she believed the
deposed shah of Iran should not be
returned to his homeland, saying:
"How can you send the shah back to
a sword? To certain death?"