RECENT C 13 MARCH 1980 (TEHRAN ,IRAN ) (REUTERS)


CU Man demonstrating the use of shredding machine (2 shots)
CU Group of men sorting out shredded documents (2 shots)
SV & CU Woman reconstituting shredded documents (4 shots)
CU Woman shows reconstituted document to camera

(1.30)
dn/ TELERECORDING

Background: Students occupying the American Embassy in Teheran have begin piecing together shredded documents in an attempts to prove that the buildings was a centre of espionage. Ever since they took over the embassy last November, the students have maintained that the CIA worked to support the Shah and undermine the Iranian revolution.

SYNOPSIS: At the time of the occupation, American officials destroyed sensitive documents in the embassy -- or thought they had. But a few days after they moved in, the students produced two documents which apparently had been overlooked. One appeared to show that the American government had seriously considered the possibility of admitting the Shah to the United States.

The other document, a cable signed by the Secretary of State, Cyrus Vance, also discussed the Shah's desire to live in America. It asked the U.S. Charge d'Affaires in Teheran, Bruce Laingen, what effect such action might have on the safety of Americans in Iran and on U.S. relations with the Iranian Government. Both seemed to confirm the students' suspicions.

At various times since then, the students have demanded that certain hostages should be put on trial for espionage. Although the Iranian Government has demanded that the hostages should be placed in its custody and that a United Nations Commission should be allowed to see them, the students have taken a harder line. They want the hostages to be used as a bargaining lever for the return of the Shah; they refused to hand them over or to allow the UN to visit.

Now the have begun laboriously piecing together more documents to back their espionage charges.