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CONFIDENTIAL «R 6 0 0 F L A S H CYPHER CAT A PM KAMPALA 0 9 1 4 1 5 Z JULY . CONFIDENTIAL TO FLASH FCO TEL MO 2 7 3 OF 9 JULY 1 9 7 6 AND TO IMMEDIATE TEL AVIV, BONN, P A R I S , UKMIS NEW YOIRK, UKMIS GENEVA, NAIROBI AND WASHINGTON, MY T E L c 2 6 a i " MRS. BLOCH. 1 . THE PRESIDENT SAW yt IMMEDIATELY ON MY ARRIVAL AT STATE HOUSE. HE WAS ACCOMPANIED ONLY BY ONDCGA AMD E K O C H U . THE PRESIDENTIAL PRESS UNIT WERE ALSO PRESENT BUT WITHDREW PRIOR TO THE DISCUSSIONS, AMIN APPEARED IN A SOBER AND SERIOUS MOOD AND, THOUGH OBVIOUSLY WORRIED BY H I S MANY CURRENT PROBLEMS SEEMED AS MUCH IN COMMAND AS EVER. 2 . HE BEGAN BY ASKING ME TO EXPLAIN THE PURPOSE OF MY M I S S I O N , I REPLIED THAT HMG HAD FOUND IT IMPOSSIBLE TO ACCEPT THE UGAflDAN GOVERNMENT STATEMENT ABOUT MRS BLOCH. SHE HAD BEEN SEEN BY'MY CONSUL AT MULAGO HOSPITAL (.AST SUNDAY LONG AFTER THE ISRAELI . COMMANDOS HAD COf.'E AMD GONE. S.INCE THEN SHE HAD NOT BEEN SEEN ANYWHERE. OUR INFORMATION WAS THAT SHE HAD BEEN DRAGGED FROM HER BED AT THE HOSPITAL SCREAMING, THOUGH SHE HAD BEEN LIVING IN ISRAEL SHE WAS A BRITISH NATIONAL AND OUR RESPONSIBILITY, AMD THE PRIME MINISTER HAD DECIDED I SHOULD COME OUT AND ENQUIRE IMTO HER DISAPPEARANCE AMD THEN REPORT TO HIM, THE PM, P A R L I - AMENT AND INDEED THE WHOLE BRITISH PEOPLE WERE CONCERNED ABOUT HER FATEa SHE APPEARED TO BE AN INNOCENT VICTIM O F THE ISRAELI RA I D , 3 . THE PRESIDENT THANKED HE AND SAID HE WAS GLAD I HAD COME BACK, HE HAD BEEN BADLY MISREPRESENTED IN THE BRITISH PRESS AND HE W U L D l l K E TO PUT THE RECORD STRAIGHT. FOR THE NEXT 45 MINUTES PE GAVE f-€ A fiLOW BY BLOW ACCOUNT OF THE HIJACKING, THE SUBSEQUENT NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE TERRORISTS AMD THE ISRAELI COMMANDO.RAID AMD WHAT HAD FOLLOWED, HE MADE IT CLEAR ( AND I AM INCLINED TO SUSPECT HE WAS TELLING THE TRUTH) THAT HE HAD HAD NO PRIOR KNOWLEDGE OF THE HIJACKING OR THE FACT THAT THE TERRORISTS WOULD CGMF. TO FKTEBEE, CGtSTDENTIAL / HE ALSO MADE