[The CIA starts talking about extraction options for the six US Embassy employees]
What we like for this now are bicycles. We've identified back roads from the Shemiran district — a couple of rat lines through the mountains to the crossing at Tabriz. Cars are off the table because of the roadblocks.
We wait until the weather clears up then deliver the six bikes, provide them with maps to the Turkish border.
We have intelligence they can ride bicycles or we’re prepared to send in somebody to teach them.
Or you could just send in training wheels and meet them at the border with Gatorade. It's 300 miles to the Turkish crossings. They'd need a support crew behind them with a tire pump.
We've only been asked to sharpshoot this, State's handling the op.
Who is...?
Tony's an exfil spesh. He got a lot of the Shah's people out after the fall.
Sir, if these people can read or add, pretty soon they're gonna figure out they're six short of a full deck. It's winter. You can't wait around until spring when it's nice enough to take a bike ride. The only way out of that city is the airport. You build new cover identities for them, you send in a Moses, he takes them out on a commercial flight.
We've explored those options.
They're never going to get past airport control. Komiteh own the place.
They could pose as reporters. The government issued seventy-something visas for American journalists.
Seventy-four. And the Revolutionary Guards keep them on 74 leashes.
If they're caught with fake journalist creds, it's Peter Jennings' head in a noose in an hour. [...] Sir, exfils are like abortions. You don't want to need one, but when you do, you don't do it yourself.
