RIP.
I have often wondered about the hostage crisis. Jimmy Carter authorized the ill fated rescue mission. We seemed to be paralyzed in what to do.
It was no coincidence that the hostages were released as Reagan was being sworn in as president. I recall Reagan made some comments about the Iranians being barbarians or savages, words to that effect. I think that the Iranians were afraid of what Reagan might do. I think Reagan also described the hostages as prisoners of war, and suggested that Iran was at war with us, which would invite a military response.
Rather than take chances, Ayatollah Khomeini (sp)? and his boys decided to release the hostages.
I remember during the hostage crisis the news kept calling the hostage takers "students". After a while, Doonesbury came out with a very funny comic strip where the "students" were agonizing over being behind on their school projects and didn't have time to study for exams. After that, the news stopped calling them "students."
They had a farsi language specialist who was a spy, of course. The student idiot take-overErs didn’t know who he was.
One American captive went all Stockholm Syndrome, though, and do you know what he did?
He went and TOLD THE IRANIANS who this spy among their number was. That guy didn’t get executed but he underwent many beatings, severe interrogation and several mock executions.
The guy who ratted him out, you know what job he did after he got back to the USA?
He became a *COP*.
So just remember that.
I firmly believe it was also a B-12 shot to crazed muslims worldwide. We did nothing to them (except later we destroyed their enemy, Iraq).