knew Paul and Bill well, having worked alongside them in earlier years as a systems engineer. For business matters he was Perot's top man, and he would soon become president of EDS. (Perot would continue to be chairman of the board.)
Now Perot and Meyerson talked business, reviewing each of EDS's current projects and problems. Both knew, though neither said, that the reason for the conference was that Perot might never come back from Turkey.
In some ways the two men were as different as chalk and cheese. Meyerson's grandfather was a Russian Jew who had saved for two years to buy his rail ticket from New York to Texas. Meyerson's interests ranged from athletics to the arts: he played handball, was involved with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and was himself a good pianist. Making fun of Perot and his 'eagles,' Meyerson called his own close colleagues 'Meyerson's toads.' But in many ways he was like Perot, a creative and daring businessman whose bold ideas often scared more conventional executives in EDS. Perot had given instructions that, if something were to happen to him during the rescue, all his stock would be voted by Meyerson. EDS would continue to be run by a leader, not a bureaucrat.
While Perot discussed business and worried about the plane and fumed against the State Department, his deepest concern was for his mother. Lulu May Perot was sinking fast, and Perot wanted to be with her. If she were to die while he was in Turkey, he would never see her again, and that would break his heart.
Meyerson knew what was on his mind. He broke off the business talk to say: 'Ross, why don't I go?'
'What do you mean?'
'Why don't I go to Turkey instead of you? You've done your share--you went to Iran. There's nothing you can do that I can't do in Turkey. And you want to stay with your mother.'
Perot was touched. Mort didn't have to say that, he thought. 'If you're willing...' He was tempted. 'That's something I'd sure want to think about. Let me think about it.'
He was not sure he had the right to let Meyerson do this instead of him. 'Let's see what the others think.' He picked up the phone, called Dallas, and reached T. J. Marquez. 'Mort's offered to go to Turkey instead of me,' he told T. J. 'What's your reaction to that?'
'It's the worst idea in the world,' T. J. said. 'You've been close to this project from the start, and you couldn't possibly tell Mort everything he needs to know in a few hours. You know Simons, you know how his mind works--Mort doesn't. Plus, Simons doesn't know Mort--and you're aware of how Simons feels about trusting people he doesn't know. Well, he
'You're right,' Perot said. 'It's not for consideration.'
He hung up. 'Mort, I sure appreciate your offer, but I'm going to Turkey.'
'Whatever you say.'
A few minutes later Meyerson left, to return to Dallas in the chartered Lear jet. Perot called EDS again and spoke to Merv Stauffer. 'Now, I want you guys to work in shifts and get some sleep,' Perot said. 'I don't want to be talking to a bunch of zombies back there.'
'Yes, sir!'
Perot took his own advice and got some sleep.
The phone woke him at two A.M. It was Pat Sculley, calling from the airport: the plane's mechanical problems were fixed.
Perot got a cab to Dulles Airport. It was a hair-raising thirty-mile ride on icy roads.
The Turkish Rescue Team was now together: Perot; Pat Sculley and Jim Schwebach--the deadly duo; young Ron Davis; the crew of the 707; and the two extra pilots, Dick Douglas and Julian 'Scratch' Kanauch. But the plane was
They boarded at six A.M. Perot looked around the interior of the aircraft in amazement. It had a bedroom with a king-size bed, three bars, a sophisticated hi-fi system, a television, and an office with a phone. There were plush carpets, suede upholstery, and velvet walls. 'It looks like a Persian whorehouse,' said Perot, although he had never seen a Persian whorehouse.
The plane took off. Dick Douglas and Scratch Kanauch immediately curled up and went to sleep. Perot tried to follow their example: he had sixteen hours of nothing to do in front of him. As the plane headed out across the Atlantic Ocean, he wondered again whether he was doing the right thing.
He might, after all, have left Paul and Bill to take their chances in Tehran. Nobody would have blamed him: it was the government's job to rescue them. Indeed, the Embassy might even now be able to get them out unharmed.
On the other hand, Dadgar might pick them up and throw them in jail for twenty years--and the Embassy, on past performance, might not protect them. And what would the revolutionaries do if
No, Perot could not leave his men to take then chances--it was not his way. Paul and Bill were his responsibility--he did not need his mother to tell him that. The trouble was that he was now putting more men at risk. Instead of having two people hiding in Tehran, he would now have eleven employees on the run in the wilds of northwest Iran, and another four, plus two pilots, searching for them. If things went wrong--if someone got killed-- the world would see this whole thing as a foolhardy adventure by a man who thought he was still living in the Wild West. He could imagine the newspaper headlines: MILLIONAIRE TEXAN'S IRAN RESCUE BID ENDS IN DEATH ...
Suppose we lose Coburn, he thought; what would I tell his wife? Liz might find it hard to understand why I staked the lives of seventeen men to gain the freedom of two.
He had never broken the law in his life, and now he was involved in so many major illegal activities he could not count them.
He put all that out of his mind. The decision was made. If you go through life thinking about all the bad things that can happen, you soon talk yourself into doing nothing at all. Concentrate on the problems that can be solved. The chips are on the table and the wheel is in spin. The last game has begun.
4______
On Tuesday the U.S. Embassy announced that evacuation flights for all Americans in Tehran would leave during the coming weekend.
Simons got Coburn and Poche in one of the bedrooms of the Dvoranchik place and closed the door. 'This solves some of our problems,' he said. 'I want to split them up at this point in the game. Some can take the Embassy evacuation flight, leaving a manageable group for the overland trip.'
Coburn and Poche agreed.
'Obviously, Paul and Bill have to go overland,' Simons said. 'Two of us three have to go with them: one to escort them across the mountains and the other to cross the border legitimately and meet up with Boulware. We'll need an Iranian driver for each of the two Range Rovers. That leaves us two spare seats. Who takes them? Not Cathy--she'll be much better off on the Embassy flight.'
'Rich will want to go with her,' said Coburn.
'And that fucking dog,' Simons added.
Buffy's life is saved, Coburn thought. He was rather glad.
Simons said: 'There's Keane Taylor, John Howell, Bob Young, and Bill Gayden. Here's the problem: Dadgar might pick people up at the airport, and we'll end up back where we started--with EDS men in jail. Who is at most risk?'
'Gayden,' said Coburn. 'He's president of EDS World. As a hostage, he'd be better than Paul and Bill. In fact, when Dadgar arrested Bill
'Gayden comes out overland with Paul and Bill, then.'
'John Howell is not even employed by EDS. And he's a lawyer. He should be all right.'
'Howell goes out by air.'
'Bob Young is employed by EDS in Kuwait, not Iran. If Dadgar has a list of EDS names, Young won't be on
