October 9 My Dearest Boof: For the first time since this incredible crisis started I am feeling optimistic that you will have this letter in your hand soon. Despite the Iran Iraq conflict- or perhaps because of it, my instinct is that there will be a resolution to all this. I really should be writing: Dear Hero because that is what you and your colleagues have become to two hundred million Americans over the past year. Realize that, however much in shock you may initially be, and get used to the role which will be yours for some weeks to come until we can safely escape CBS, NBC, and ABC not to mention a million civic groups around the country. As I begin to write this I am appalled at all the information I should be trying to lay out to you in a single letter. I think it is beyond my powers. If all goes according to the scenario that we have been planning over these long months you are wending your way to Weisbaden, Germany- to the USAF Hospital there where you will spend a few days coming out of "space shock" or whatever the catchword for it will be. Sheldon Krys is basically in charge of the operation. Sheldon and I have become fast friends since last November better friend once could not have, in my opinion. And he is certainly your friend, so gravitate to him as fast as possible! More about that later in this letter. Looking back over this letter and the typos you must be getting a sense of my emotional release even before the fact. Although I have been able to carry on on all fronts in a way in which I feel and hope that you would approve of, it has been necessary to withhold much emotion in order to normalize where possible both for my own psychic being and for that of the boys, Mum and Pop and every other concerned friend of ours. It has not all been ghastly, to be honest, but it has proved wearing. Nothing in comparison to what you have been through, my dear Love. How will we ever be able to exchange every thought and emotion that has flowed in us. It will take years of close companion- ship. That is fine with me. I long for the process to start in earnest. When you reach the hospital there will be a chance for us to communicate by phone. I plan to move out of Huntington Street immed- iately, to Sheila and Nicky's house because the Press know where I live and what our phone number is and you and I will never have a chance. By day, I plan to be at the Department- on the seventh foor- in the Iran Working Group. The numbers there are 202-632-9386 from 9-5PM or 632-6610 24hours of the day. This has been the case since Nov. 4 1979. Everybody knows me and Sheldon can always find me. Sheila and Nicky's number is: 362-0952. They have been staunch friends as have been 550 other odd pals in all this! That is a subject for a later phone conver- sation. Your letters from Tehran have been a source of enormous comfort and pride. I feel they should be bound into a book! On that subject you are going to be asked to write a book, I am being asked to write a book-- bah blah blah. Life is going to be crazy and funny as hell for us both for some time to come, my boof. And thank god for your sense of humor- because we are all going to need it in the foreseeable future. Alot [sic] of good things have come out of this horrendous crisis. Again, that is a statement difficult to define. Sheldon- in his sensitive, knowledgeable way will brief you on many things before I can by phone, I think. A medical team from State will be on hand en force to meet with you. I think they will all be in asmuch [sic] a state of euphoria and shock as the rest of us but they are professionals and anxious to be helpful -2- on every front. For statistical purposes, apart from truly concerned feelings about every hostage they will present you with psychological tests and, no doubt, long periods of consultation and "think-tank" sort of seminars. I whish I had the medical vocabulary to discribe [sic] all this. All of it wounds important and useful so go along with it. A marvellous [sic] black lady named Ester Roberts has become head of Medical services inthe [sic] last few months and we are great pals. I have asked that she be your "shrink". Dr. Jerry Korçak is the other big wig and he is a very good man. There are numerous others whose names escape me presently- all well meaning. But these two you should particul- arly connect with. We have all hashed back and forth over the months as to whether families, too, should come to Weisbaden to be with you. The consensus is that you are all better off without that sort of contact initially. The "decompression" period is not so long that it will make that much difference in the long run and it will allow everyone to shake down a bit. I hope you agree. We will certainly have plenty of opportunity at free fone [sic] calls!! The boys and I will be at the Airport to greet you and I suspect that wild horses could not stop Mum and Pop. I don't know the final scenarios on that as I write but will know the details by the time we talk as will you. The White House, The Congress, The State Department to name a few will all be points at which we will all touch base together in your first few days on U.S. soil again. It will be a merry-go-round to end all merry-go- rounds to be sure. After that I hope we ill be assured three weeks or so in another area. I leave the choice of holiday to you. Rest assured we have endless options- Salmon fishing camps, houses in Vermont, houses in Mexico, boats, trips to Haiti or wherever. And money to pay for it. A Hostage Relief Act has been passed in Congress to defray such expenses and others besides. I don't want to overwhelm you with too many details but feel I can at least touch on them lightly. As for your family--- nothing of the last few months in terms of worry and wear and tear will matter once you have returned. If fact everyone of us has managed to cope and keep relatively normal in all this. The tears of relief and release will all be joyous and anything but harmful. You will be proud of all the boys who each in his own way has handled himself with dignity and aplomb. All based on their true pride andconfidence [sic] in you. Naturally, this goes for me too. And Mum and Pop have never been better, considering everything. Their friends have been bricks and they have responded accordingly. Naturally, it gives them great pride and pleasure that your name is constantly on eveeryone's lips and minds. In the course of all this the families of the hostages have formad an association called FLAG. Family Liaison Action Group- of which I am a director and board member. We have all managed to hold each other up in this harrowing time and have become stronger for it as, no doubt, have you. FLAG is a saga in itself and an organization that will have value for years to come, I think. Brice Claggett and Covington Burling have been staunch protectors and legal council to us on a "pro bono" basis. This is a small part of it all. Again, there will be plenty of time in which to aquaint [sic] you with all that. I have somehow managed to stay alive at Begg with several listings and sales to my credit. TV is beginning to interest me more, but that too is another subject to discuss later. All this is to warn you that when we finally talk * on the phone I shall probably be weeping so much that initially not much will be communicated. I did want you to know that I have not been in that state totally and have even managed to accomplish some things of value in tribute to you -your colleagues- and to your place in history which will be enormous. I shall write a few more home-coming letters before I am done but want to be sure this initial one is safely with Sheldon. * Written along the left hand margin: *This come with all my love. Am KEEPING THE BED WARM- XXXOOOXX Thankfully Wee.