12 May 2018
On 4 November 1979, Iranian revolutionaries broke into the American embassy in Tehran and took hostage 52 American diplomats and citizens, beginning what would be 444 days of captivity that would tarnish, and perhaps help bring down, President Jimmy Carter. The longest hostage crisis in history, it included far-reaching diplomatic negotiations and a failed military operation that left eight U.S. service members dead and several others injured, and Carter taking full blame for the fiasco.
Documents
- State of the Union Address, Jimmy Carter, 21 JAN 1980
- Relations with Islamic Nations Statement by the President, Jimmy Carter, 7 FEB 1980
- Executive Order 12205 – Economic Sanctions Against Iran, Jimmy Carter, 7 APR 1980
- Sanctions Against Iran Message to the Congress…, Jimmy Carter, 17 APR 1980
- Address to the Nation on the Rescue Attempt for American Hostages in Iran, Jimmy Carter, 25 APR 1980
Scholars
- Christopher Burkett, Ashland University
- David Alvis, Wofford College
- Gregory Schneider, Emporia University
- Stephen Tootle, College of the Sequoias