0:03:30 Report on oil (Natural Sound) 0:04:28 People waiting in line to get shots (Natural Sound) CUT OFF by NBC London 0:06:57 Pres. Bush talking about hostages 0:09:30 ? End of SKYCOM news 0:15:30 Forest fires really raw footage 0:20:41 Some guy signing autographs 0:28:31 World map People setting up press conference at Pentagon? 0:33:00 People adjusting Fred Francis's tie 0:50:00 NBC Nightly News, take 1 Tom Brokaw TB: Iran offers to help with the hostages, and President Bush is hopeful, but [wink] we still have a long way to go. NBC News has learned of a new American spy investigation, and those western fires are getting worse. [theme music] long shot Ann: NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw TB TB: Good evening. The United States and Iran tonight appear to be moving cautiously toward a better relationship, and that may mean freedom for some of the hostages. It MAY mean that. Iran's new president, Hashimi Rafsanjani, is offering to help and President Bush is encouraged. After all, Iran is the paymaster for Hezbollah, the radical Muslim organization in Lebanon responsible for most of the kidnappings. To explore the various ramifications tonight, we have NBC's Three boxes Rick Davis analyzing the Iran angle, John Cochran at the White House, Fred Francis at the Pentagon. Rick, to begin, why this offer from Rafsanjani? RD RD: Tom, even before Hashimi Rafsanjani was elected president, diplomats in Teheran were told the hostage issue would be a priority item for his new government. long black (no sound) Iranians (wrong sound) Rafsanjani ...Rafsanjani must establish closer relations with the West to solve Iran's economic problems. Freeing the hostages is the first step. After war-torn something eight years of war, much of Iran must be rebuilt. The oil industry is at 25% of pre-war production. Rafsanjani must get foreign investments, but it is a dangerous step. Minister of Infomation Ali AAM Akbar Motoshomi? opposes closer ties with the West. He has been called Iran's architect of terrorism. Hezbollah? Motoshomi organized Lebanon's Hezbollah. Rafsanjani knows Hezbollah symbolizes Iran's support of international violence and kidnapping. Higgins hanging Iranian sources say Rafsanjani felt the execution of Col. William Higgins Cicippio and the threatened execution of Joseph Cicippio could lead to a bloodbath blamed on Iran. The order went out he must Elaham Cicippio In Beirut today, Cicippio's wife spoke for all hostage families EC: I wish, and deeply hope, that all the hostages, without any excep--exception, will be freed soon. Sheik F? RD: The spiritual leader of Hezbollah has gotten Iran's message Sheik F? told his followers followers this was not a time for conflict with the United Sheik F? States, but he demanded Israel release Sheik Obeid, and all 300 Shiites held in K? Prison in South Lebanon South Lebanon by the Israeli-backed South Lebanese Army Army. Hezbollah Some Hezbollah factions will be hard to control. They are now termed bandits who demand ransom for the release of hostages. Someone may have to pay, openly or secretly. RD startled In South Lebanon, Hezbollah forces are closely-knit family and clan units. Loyalty to Iran may be doubtful. Hostage negotiations will be slow and complex. Tom? TB TB: Thank you, Rick. NBC's John Cochran is at the TB & JC in boxes White House now with a report on how President Bush is playing the Iran offer, and plans for the next step, which, as Rick Davis pointed out, are complicated. John? JC JC: Tom, the President's reaction was classic George Bush: cautious. He feels he's walked through a minefield this week without a misstep and he doesn't want to get sloppy now. GB The President said he was pleased with the Iranian president's conciliatory tone, but Bush could not reporters confirm reports that it was Rafsanjani who told Joseph Cicippio's kidnappers GB not to kill him. GB: I don't know the total role of any individual in that area in all of this, but when you see a statement that offers hope for the return of our hostages, I want to explore it to the fullest. JC: But how to explore it? How to encourage Iran's help is the problem for a President who vows he will never bargain for hostages. Iranians marching Ronald Reagan said the same thing, claiming his arms deal with Iran was only meant to encourage pragmatists like Rafsanjani. George Bush must find a less politically explosive way of gaining Rafsanjani's help. JB Today, Secretary of State Baker said making a deal would only create more problems by encouraging more kidnapping. JB: We have American citizens all around the world who would be subject to seizure, to host--to being taken as hostage, uh, taken as hostages, if, if the word went out that the United States was willing to make concessions to terrorists. Airplanes JC: Iran used to be a major buyer of American combat jets and is demanding billions of dollars' worth of military hardware bought but never delivered. World Court Iran also wants American negotiators at the World Court in the Netherlands to turn over about $4 billion in Iranian assets frozen by Jimmy Carter ten years ago. Rafsanjani Bush hopes that Rafsanjani is sophisticated enough to realize he can eventually get his money, but not now. GB Bush is making no promises to Rafsanjani, or even to the families of the hostages. GB: Uh, I'm, I'm encouraged, but I don't want to get the hopes of the, uh, hostages' loved ones up once again to have those hopes dashed... JC JC: One of the reasons for Bush's caution is that US intelligence reports that Rafsanjani has by no means won his long power struggle with Iran's hard-line extremists, and by the way, that noise in the background is George Bush on his way to a ballgame in Baltimore. He's feeling pretty good at the end of this week, Tom. TB TB: Thank you very much, John Cochran. What many people may not realize is that when the Palestinians were in Lebanon, they were an important source of intelligence about that country for the United States. But once they were driven out by Israel, our information about what's going on there dried up. The chances of a successful surgical strike to rescue the hostages are remote at best. TB & FF in boxes So, NBC's Fred Francis at the Pentagon, I gather the big US guns were aimed at Iran? FF FF: That's right, Tom. NBC News has learned that Iran's President Rafsanjani was warned by intermediaries that the United States has decided to end this cycle of hostage-taking with force if diplomacy fails. Rafsanjani Rafsanjani was told, quote, the Americans are not joking this time, end quote. Here's what the US was and is prepared to do. Map of Mid East The military plan calls for air strikes against Iranian sponsored bases in Lebanon first. One of the targets is the Sheik Abdullah barracks in the city of Balbac?. The current plan also has ships military and economic oil field sites in Iran as targets, if the Iran regime does not capitulate. JL An admiral involved in drafting the plan four (James Lyons) years ago says the US should have acted then. JL: We knew precisely where the terrorists were, and this is before Balbac? became a household word. And we had the planes loaded. We had 'em in our crosshairs. We were not allowed to launch that strike. E Mediterranean FF: The war ships now off the coast of Lebanon and nearning Iran will be allowed to launch the air strikes if diplomacy fails. And highly placed administration sources tell NBC News that the President intends to keep the warships near ships Lebanon and Iran as pressure for the release of hostages. FF Unsaid, but implicit in the President's decision is the knowledge that his agressiveness could cost the lives of the Americans still held captive. Tom? TB TB: Thank you very much, Fred. In Israel tonight, the official line is that the government there is awaiting formal proposals that may lead to a hostage exchange but so far, nothing, according to Prime Minister Shamir. The Israelis continue to hold Sheik Obeid, the Hezbollah leader who is a key figure in the possible swap. The Israeli leaders, reportedly now, have agreed to spell out their demands only after hearing Hezbollah's terms. Also coming up here tonight on NBC Nightly News, a new US spy investigation. Forests Roger O'Neil on the fire lines of the American West tonight, where an aging fleet of airplanes and daredevil pilots are major weapons in this war. People at altar And, on Assignment America, Betty Rowen on an Episcopal priest, a woman, who provides a spiritual safe harbor for sailors visiting Port Newark, New Jersey. Commercials TB/nice backg The United States has a major new spy investigation in progress tonight, and the concern is that major damage may have been done. NBC's Katherine K of the Pentagon tonight with this exclusive KK Intelligence sources tell NBC News that they believe one of the most sensitive electronics eavesdropping stations in the world may have been compromised by an Air Force officer. radar dome Until last week, 33-year-old Capt. John Vladimir Hirsch was stationed at the Tempelhof Air Base in Berlin, assigned to the Electronics Security Command. He was an electronics engineer, working with highly classified equipment. His unit is responsible for building collecting intelligence on East Bloc radar and radio communications. US flag Hirsch had top-secret security clearances, and the Air Force believes he sold classified information. Now they want to know how much and for how long. JR JR: If the Soviets had an agent inside Tempelhof, (Jeffrey Richelson) they would know when the radar was operating, how successful it was in tracking, uh, uh, movements of Soviet-Bloc air forces, and it would also allow them to determine what communications intelligence was being received. Templehof entrance Last week in Berlin, Hirsch was given a lie detector test, prompted by what the Air Force described today as suspicious behavior. radar dish Hirsch flunked. He then hired a lawyer and refused to be retested. graphic When the Air Force searched his home in Berlin, they found several uncashed Air Force paychecks, several bank accounts of more than $120,000, photos of NATO military installations, and other classified documents. NATO documents were also found in his car. Map of Europe The Air Force also wants to know why Hirsch made frequent trips to France, Austria, and Italy during the last three years. JVH