>>As to the Iranian hostage release ( have not extraneous knowledge on this - just analyzing the article you just alluded to ) : If Reagan (i.e. Casey) had a back-channel going to Iran isn't it just possible the idea was not to delay the hostage release, but to make it happen - i.e. the arms would be to release the hostages and the deal could only be made after Reagan and Casey had the authority to do so. The scenario Carter wants investigated is based on the supposition that the Iranians were about to release the hostages while Carter was still in office which I find unlikely.
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>I don't see how the pazdaran would see Reagan as better partner to negotiate with - in their eyes, he must have been a larger satan than Carter - whom I remember as the detente guy and the green guy, not the wield-larger-stick guy that much.
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>But then, I fail to understand believers in general, so... it could be just my lack of understanding.

It was the CIA that did the convincing. Did you read the agreements that came about between Reagan and Iran immediately following his winning the election?