'We were convinced this would be the result, and based on that we could advise President Clinton that his trip was going to be successful,' one official cited by CNN said.

State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said Wednesday that 'we did our homework ... to make sure that if President Clinton did take this trip, that we would be able to ... win the freedom for these two.'

Kelly said that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also had a role in the mission, adding that 'The State Department was very involved.' More details, he said, will be released.

Administration officials also said it was always made clear by Clinton and the national security team that this would be a humanitarian mission.

Clinton's humanitarian help was not lost on Obama who reached out to the journalists' families on Tuesday night.

'I want to thank President Bill Clinton - I had a chance to talk to him - for the extraordinary humanitarian effort that resulted in the release of the two journalists,' he said at the White House.

'My hope is that the families that have been reunited can enjoy the next several days and weeks understanding that because of the efforts of President Clinton and Gore they are able to be with each other once again.'

(Arun Kumar can be contacted at arun.kumar@ians.in)