attempts to free American citizen John Smith resulted in his death . Edgar Bergen : -- Speed meant that `` relative superiority '' over the enemy needed to be achieved in the first few minutes of the attack , as it was at Entebbe , and that the entire mission should be completed in around half an hour . Successful rescues usually have the benefit of surprise . In the worst case , an earlier rescue effort preempted the possibility of surprise , he says .
attempts to free American citizen John Smith resulted in his death . Edgar Bergen : Successful rescues usually have the benefit of surprise . In the worst case , an earlier rescue effort preempted the possibility of surprise , he says .