At 1600 Washington time President Reagan and his national security team briefed members of Congress on Operation Eldorado Canyon. After the briefing and congressional members had a chance to ask questions, Reagan asked if anyone thought the operation should be cancelled. None did. Reagan thanked them for their support and cautioned them about the operational security concerns regarding the information in the briefing.

The Reagan administration waited until the mission was well underway before notifying the Soviet government. Secretary of State Shultz met with the Soviet chargé d'affairs at the State Department. Shultz showed him evidence of Libyan involvement in the West Berlin terrorist bombing, informed him of the operation, and assured him it was not directed in anyway at his country.

Several news agencies inevitably began to piece the evidence together; Two carriers where at sea in the Mediterranean; Ambassador Walters, the U.S. Ambassador the United Nations, recently completed a tour of allied capitals in Europe, and Reagan had just conducted a high-level meeting with members of congress; and concluded that an attack was imminent.

They began to discuss U.S. military options and potential targets in Libya. Fortunately, they were discussing these in very general terms and focusing on the Sixth Fleet with no mention of the Air Force aircraft that had taken off from England.