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TheIranHostageCrisis
Author:KennethJ.Bechtel,AnneArundelCountyPublicSchools GradeLevel:High Durationoflesson:1classperiodor90Minutes Overview: TheIranHostageCrisislastedfrom19791981,butitsaftereffectschangedthepolitical anddiplomaticlandscapebetweentheUnitedStatesandIranfordecadestocome.On November4,1979IranianstudentdemonstratorsstormedtheU.S.embassyinTehranandtook 52Americanshostage.ThehostageswouldbereleasedonlywhentheShahcamebacktoIranto standtrialforcrimescommittedagainsttheIranianpeople.TheformerleaderofIran,theShah hadbeenvotedoutofofficein1950,butwasreinstatedafteraU.S.leadcoupin1953.He becameacloseallyoftheU.S.,butwaswhollyunpopularinIranandwaseventuallyoverthrown in1979. Thesituationwasonlyexpectedtolastashorttime,butitdraggedonfor444days.The Carteradministrationwasseenasineptandineffectiveinhandlingthecrisis.Abotchedrescue attemptin 1980onlyreinforcedtheseviewsandCarterwasnotreelectedinthe1980presidential race.ThehostageswerereleasedonJanuary20,1981,thesamedayRonaldReaganwassworn intooffice.Inthislesson,studentswillexamineprimarysourcedocumentsfromthroughoutthe crisisinanattempttoreconstructtheevent.Theywillinessencebeworkingbackwards,trying todecipherwhatdocumentsaremoreimportantthanothersastheyconstructadebriefingofthe event.Theinstructorwillthensharetheactualdetailsofthecrisisandstudentswillbeableto seehowtheirclosetheirinterpretationsweretowhatactuallyhappened. ContentStandards: Era10:ContemporaryUnitedStates(1968tothepresent) Standard2: Economic,social,andculturaldevelopmentsincontemporaryUnitedStates HistoricalThinkingStandards Standard3:HistoricalAnalysisandInterpretation A.Identifytheauthororsourceofthehistoricaldocumentornarrative. B. Compareandcontrastdifferingsetsofideas,values,personalities,behaviors,and institutions. D.Considermultipleperspectives. E.Analyzecauseandeffectrelationshipsandmultiplecausation,includingthe importanceoftheindividual,theinfluenceofideas,andtheroleofchance. Standard5:HistoricalIssuesAnalysisandDecisionMaking A.Identifyissuesandproblemsinthepast.

EducationalmaterialsweredevelopedthroughtheTeachingAmericanHistoryinAnneArundelCountyProgram,apartnershipbetweenthe AnneArundelCountyPublicSchoolSystemandtheCenterforHistoryEducationattheUniversityofMaryland,BaltimoreCounty.

StudentswillanalyzehowIranHostageCrisisimpactedanentirepresidencyofJimmyCarter. TheIranHostageCrisis,whichlastedfrom1979to1981, wasthefirsttimetheUnited StateswasforcedtodealwithIslamicextremists.TheUnitedStatessupportedtheShah,or leaderofIran,asanallyoftheUnitedStatesfrom1953to1979,despitehisarbitraryarrestsand excessivepunishmentsoftheIranianpeople,includingIranianstudents.Afteryearsofabuse, they respondedbyfollowingthewordsofaMuslimreligiousfundamentalistleader,the AyatollahKhomeini,totakebackIranandplacehiminpower.Thestudentstookactionby seizingtheUnitedStatesembassy,whichtheysawasbothasymbolicandtangiblesourceof supportfortheShahsauthoritarianregime.TheAmericansintheembassyweretakenhostage andthisadhocactionmorphedintoamuchlongerdramathatlastedfor444daysandwouldnot enduntilPresidentCarterleftoffice.Overall,theIranHostageCrisiswasaneventthatchanged politicalanddiplomaticrelationsbetweentheUnitedStatesandIranfordecadestocome. IranianresentmentofUnitedStatescanbetracedbacktothe1950s. Sincethebeginning oftheColdWar, theUnitedStatessupported anyregimethatwasnotcommunist,nomatterhow unpopulartheywerewiththepeopleoftheircountry.Under thesecircumstancesIranbecamean
1 anticommunistcountryandtheShahbecamean ally oftheUnitedStates. In1950theShah

fledIran when MohammedMossadegh waselectedPrimeMinister. MohammedMossadeghhad longresentedtheBritishcontrolledoilindustryinIranandtappedintotheantiBritish resentmentinhiscountrytogetelectedandthenexpeltheforeigninfluenceoverIrans economy.Afterhiselection,Mossadegh exertedhispowerandnationalizedtheoilindustryin

ThomasG.Paterson,J.GarryClifford,ShaneJ.Maddock,DeborahKisatsky,KennethJ. th Hagan,eds.,AHistory:AmericanForeignRelationsSince1895,6 ed.(NewYork:HoughtonMifflinCompany, 2005),409.

EducationalmaterialsweredevelopedthroughtheTeachingAmericanHistoryinAnneArundelCountyProgram,apartnershipbetweenthe AnneArundelCountyPublicSchoolSystemandtheCenterforHistoryEducationattheUniversityofMaryland,BaltimoreCounty. 2 thecountry,riddingIranofBritishinfluenceovertheirmostpreciouscommodity,oil. This

eventtriggeredfearintheUnitedStates.Thestatedepartmentfeltthatcommunistscouldexploit thischaosandtheMiddleEast,especiallyIran,couldturnagainstdemocracyandtheUnited States.TheShah,whohadbeeninexile,contactedtheUnitedStatesandtheCentralIntelligence Agency(CIA)puttogetherOperationAJAXtodriveMossadeghfromIranandputhimself back

3 inpower.

Afterthecoupwhichbroughthimtopowerin1953theShahbecameacloseU.S.ally,
4 oftenconsultingwithU.S.diplomats. OvertimehisclosetiestotheU.S.becameasourceof

unpopularitywiththeIranianpeople,whoopposedhisgrowingrepressionandsympathizedwith KhomeinischargethatrelianceontheU.S.diminishedIransindependence.Between1953and theearly 1970stheU.S.supportedtheShahsambitiousplansforeconomicdevelopmentand regionalleadershipusingthecountrysenormousoilwealthandtheShahreciprocatedby purchasingbillionsofdollarsinhightechU.S.weaponry.TheShahfeltitwasnecessaryto purchaseweaponsforhissecurity,becauseU.S.diplomatstoldhimhewasindanger,andhe

5 spentbillionsofdollarsinoilmoneytobuytheweaponssolelyfromtheUnitedStates.

TheShahalsotooktheadviceoftheUnitedStatesandstartedaspecialpoliceforce calledtheSAVAK. TrainedbytheCIAandverycrueltowardstheIranianpeople,theSAVAK wasnotonly apoliceunit,butalsowasaspyingunit,gatheringinformationonIraniancitizens.

WilliamJ.Daugherty,InTheShadowOfTheAyatollah:ACIAHostageInIran. (Annapolis,Maryland:Naval InstitutePress,2001),2930Patterson, AmericanForeignRelations,409. 3 Patterson, AmericanForeignRelations, 409. 4 DavidFarber,TakenHostage:TheIranHostageCrisisandAmericasFirstEncounterWithRadicalIslam. (Princeton,NewJersey:UniversityofPrincetonPress,2005),103 Patterson, AmericanForeignRelations, 409. 5 Daugherty,InTheShadowOfTheAyatollah, 32Patterson, AmericanForeignRelations, 410.

EducationalmaterialsweredevelopedthroughtheTeachingAmericanHistoryinAnneArundelCountyProgram,apartnershipbetweenthe AnneArundelCountyPublicSchoolSystemandtheCenterforHistoryEducationattheUniversityofMaryland,BaltimoreCounty.

ItwasstatedthattheSAVAKwassoruthlessthatithadfemalemembersspyingontheir
6 husbands.Arbitraryarrests,imprisonments,andexecutionswerecarriedoutonamassivescale.

TheShahwaslosingstatusinhisowncountryandtheUnitedStateswonderedhowlong itcouldsupportsuchan unpopularleader.Startingin1978,thereweredemonstrationsmonth

7 aftermonthagainsttheShah. In1979theShahwasoverthrownby massdemonstrations

inspiredbytheexiledAyatollahKhomeini,acharismaticShiaMuslimreligiousscholarwho preachedaconservative(latercalledfundamentalist)variantofIslamandbuiltsupportinpartby
8 strokingIranianresentmentagainstU.S.supportfortheShahsregime. Inthistimeof

pandemoniuminIrantheShahwasdiagnosedwithcancerandPresidentCarter allowedthelong
9 timeallyoftheUnitedStatestocometoNewYorktoreceivetreatment.

OnNovember4,1979attenoclockinthemorning,Iraniantime,studentdemonstrators assembledinthestreetsoutsidetheUnitedStatesembassyinTehranstormedthewallsandcame intothetwentysevenacrecomplex.Americansmarinesinsidetheembassycompoundsounded analarmandtheembassywentintoalockdownmode.Tenmenwereassignedthetaskof disposingofsensitivedocumentsthattheembassyhadinstorage.Theembassyhaddirections fromthefederalgovernmenttoonlykeepasmanydocumentsascouldbeincineratedinthirty

10 minutes,buttheincineratorbrokeastheybegantodestroythedocuments. Themendidthe

nextbestthingandbegantoshred thedocuments.AfterafewhoursthesixtysixAmericansin theembassycouldnotholdoutanylongerandroombyroomtheywerecaptured.Thehostages

DavidHarris,TheCrisis:ThePresident,theProfit,andtheShah 1979andtheComingofMilitantIslam(New York:Little,Brown,andCompany,2004),28Patterson,AmericanForeignRelations,409. 7 Daugherty,InTheShadowOfTheAyatollah, 83. 8 StevenM.Gillon, TheAmericanParadox:AHistoryoftheUnitedStatesSince 1945.(NewYork:Houghton MifflinCompany,2003),327. 9 Daugherty,InTheShadowOfTheAyatollah,94Gillon, TheAmericanParadox,327 Patterson, American ForeignRelations,409. 10 Farber, TakenHostage,409 Harris, TheCrisis,28 Patterson, AmericanForeignRelations,409.

EducationalmaterialsweredevelopedthroughtheTeachingAmericanHistoryinAnneArundelCountyProgram,apartnershipbetweenthe AnneArundelCountyPublicSchoolSystemandtheCenterforHistoryEducationattheUniversityofMaryland,BaltimoreCounty.

weretoldthattheywouldbereleasedwhentheShahcamebacktoIrantofacetrialforthe
11 crimeshehadcommittedagainstthepeopleofIran.

Thehostagesthoughtthecrisiswouldbeoverquicklybutitdragged onformonths. PresidentCarterdecidedthatsincediplomacywasnotworking,hewoulduseforcetogetthe AmericanhostagesoutofIran.A DeltaForceofninetysevensoldiersandeighthelicopterswas assembledforamissiononthemorningofApril25,1980 totakecontroloftheembassyandfree thehostages. ProblemswiththerescuemissionstartedtooccuroncetheteamlandedinIran. Two helicoptersmalfunctionedbeforereachingIranandonehelicopterblewahydraulicpumpwhile inIranandwasunusableinthemission.WhentheDeltaForcewasdowntoonlyfive helicoptersitwasdecidedthattherescuemissionshouldbeaborted. Thedisastrousmissiondid notendthere.TheDeltaForceloadedintotheremaininghelicopterstoreturntobasewhenthey werecaughtinasandstorm.TwohelicopterscollidedandeightoftheDeltaForcesoldierswere killedinthecrash.PresidentCarterhadtoaddressthatnationthatnightanddisclosethefailure oftherescuemission. TheAmericanpeoplesresponsewasnotfavorabletoward thepresident.Most AmericansfeltthatCarterwasincompetentasaleader,ingeneral,aswellasinthecrisis
12 situation. AfterthefailedrescuemissiontheCarteradministrationandtheAmericanpublic

realizedthatthehostagecrisiswasgoingtolastlongerthananyoneexpected.Everynightnews stationsbroadcasthowlongthehostageshadbeenheld,pointingouthow ineptCarterwasasa

11

Daugherty,InTheShadowOfTheAyatollah, 104110 Harris,TheCrisis, 104 Gillon,TheAmericanParadox, 327 Patterson, AmericanForeignRelations, 409410. 12 Farber, TakenHostage,174 Harris, TheCrisis, 352361 Gillon,TheAmericanParadox,377Patterson, AmericanForeignRelations, 412.

EducationalmaterialsweredevelopedthroughtheTeachingAmericanHistoryinAnneArundelCountyProgram,apartnershipbetweenthe AnneArundelCountyPublicSchoolSystemandtheCenterforHistoryEducationattheUniversityofMaryland,BaltimoreCounty. 13 president. Carterbegantospeakwithadvisorstotrytoseewhatcouldbedonetobringanend

tothesituation. Foureventsunfoldedthatbroughtanendtothehostagecrisis.First,RonaldReaganwon theelectionof1980andpromisedtoendtheIranianHostageCrisisbyanymeansnecessary. ThispledgesurelymadetheIranianmilitantsquestionhowlongitwouldbebeforeanother

14 squadofDeltaForcesoldierswereontheirwaytotheembassy. Second,theAyatollah

KhomeinissupporterswereelectedtotheIranianparliament.Thismeantthattherewasno reasontoholdthehostagestoforceanyillegalpoliticalchangesinIran. Third,IraqandIran becameinvolvedinawar.IranianassetshadbeenfrozenintheUnitedStatesandtheynow neededaccesstothemoneyortheyriskedlosingtheirentirecountry.Finally,theShahdiedin July1980whilelivinginEgypt.NowwhatthestudentsofIrantrulywanted,fortheShahstand trialinexchangeforthehostages,wasimpossible. TheIranianHostageCrisishelpedcostPresidentCarterhisreelection,asthehostage situationwasamajorcampaignissuethatlosthim millionsofvotes.ManyAmericansviewed Carterasapresidentthatwasunfitintimesofcrisis.Othersstatedthathedidnotexhibit strengthinthesituationandmadetheUnitedStateslookweakontheworldstage.Adealwas struckbetweentheUnitedStatesandtheIranianterroristsholdingthehostages.TheUnited StateswouldunfreezeIranianassetsintheUnitedStatesinthehostageswerefreed.Finally,on January20,1981after444daysincaptivitytheAmericanhostageswerefreed,thedaybefore
15 RonaldReagantookoffice.

13 14

Gillon,TheAmericanParadox,327. Farber, TakenHostage,181Harris, TheCrisis, 328 Patterson, AmericanForeignRelations,412. 15 Farber, TakenHostage,175 Harris, TheCrisis, 406 Gillon, TheAmericanParadox,327 Patterson, American ForeignRelations,412413.

EducationalmaterialsweredevelopedthroughtheTeachingAmericanHistoryinAnneArundelCountyProgram,apartnershipbetweenthe AnneArundelCountyPublicSchoolSystemandtheCenterforHistoryEducationattheUniversityofMaryland,BaltimoreCounty.

AsAmericansweretryingtoforgetthelossoftheVietnamWar,copewiththe stagflationofthe1970s,anddealwithleftwingrevolutionariesinAfricaandCentralAmerica, theepisodeinIranconveyedtheinabilityoftheUnitedStatestodecisivelyshapeworldaffairs. TheUnitedStateshastriedtostayaheadofmilitantandterroristgroupsaroundtheworld,not justthoseintheMiddleEast,withvaryingdegreesofsuccess.SincetheIranHostageCrisisit hasbeenevidentthattheUnitesStateshastoworkwithothercountries,ratherthancontrolthem. CantheUnitedStatestrulymakethischangefromdominancetocooperationstillremainstobe seen,forifthecountryanditsleaderscannot,moreactsofaggressionandterrorismseem imminent. Daugherty,WilliamJ.InTheShadowOfTheAyatollah:ACIAHostageInIran. Annapolis,Maryland:NavalInstitutePress,2001. Farber,David.TakenHostage:TheIranHostageCrisisandAmericasFirstEncounter WithRadicalIslam.Princeton,NewJersey:UniversityofPrincetonPress,2005. Gillon,StevenM.TheAmericanParadox:AHistoryoftheUnitedStatesSince1945. NewYork:HoughtonMifflinCompany,2003. Harris,David.TheCrisis:ThePresident,theProfit,andtheShah 1979andtheComing ofMilitantIslam. NewYork:Little,Brown,andCompany,2004. Paterson,ThomasG.,J.GarryClifford,ShaneJ.Maddock,DeborahKisatsky,Kenneth th J.Hagan,eds.,AHistory:AmericanForeignRelationsSince1895,6 ed.NewYork: HoughtonMifflinCompany,2005. JimmyCarter Iran 39thPresidentoftheUnitedStates. arepublicinSouthwestAsia,thecapitalisTeheran,formerly,until 1935,wasPersia. OnNovember4,1979,IranianmilitantsstormedtheUnitedStates EmbassyinTehranandtookapproximatelyseventyAmericans captive.Thisterroristacttriggeredthemostprofoundcrisisofthe CarterpresidencyandbeganapersonalordealforJimmyCarter andtheAmericanpeoplethatlasted444days.

IranHostageCrisis

EducationalmaterialsweredevelopedthroughtheTeachingAmericanHistoryinAnneArundelCountyProgram,apartnershipbetweenthe AnneArundelCountyPublicSchoolSystemandtheCenterforHistoryEducationattheUniversityofMaryland,BaltimoreCounty.

AyatollahKhomeini

Iranianpoliticalandreligiousleaderwholivedfrom1902until 1989. wasoneofthefiftytwoAmericancitizenstakenhostageby IranianstudentsinNovember1979attheAmericanembassyin Tehran.Theywereheldforatotalof444daysandfinallyreleased, afterlengthynegotiations,onJanuary20,1981.

RobertC.Ode

InsertTeachingProcedureHere

ShreddedCIACablereportingoninformationprovidedbyanIraniancontact http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB21/0401.htm
WhentheUnitedStatesembassywasovertakenbyIranianmilitantstheemployeesoftheembassytriedto destroyasmuchinformationaspossible,usuallybyshredding.AftertheembassywastakentheIranians putbacktogethermostoftheshreddeddocumentswhichcontainednamesandimportantinformationgiven totheCIAbyIranianinformants.ThisisjustoneexampleofwhattheIraniansputbacktogether. Studentsmaynotknowwhatthisdocumentisatfirstbutitcanbepulledintotheirnarrativesifteachers explainwhatitisafterstudentshavestartedtheactivity

ApictureoftheAyatollahKhomeiniescortedbymilitaryofficersuponhisreturntoIran. http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/nsa/publications/iran/irbroch.html ThispicturewastakenwhentheAyatollahreturnedtoIranwithhisIslamic fundamentalistsandoverthrewtheshahsdoctoralregime.TheshahwasnotinIranat thetime.HewasintheUnitedStatesreceivingtreatmentforcancer.Thispictureshould givestudentsinsightintothefactthatthismanisimportantbecauseheissurroundedby somanypeople.

FarsiSurvivalGuidefromthe1980IranHostageRescueMission http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/nsa/DOCUMENT/DOCPIC/930728_1.gif ThiswaspartofthesurvivalkitgiventoDeltaForcecommandosduringthefailedrescue missioninApril1980.Thestatementsweretobeusedtotry tobringcompassiontothe commandosiftheywerecapturedortheirhelicopterwasdownedandtheyweretryingto getoutofIransafely.Studentsshouldrealizetheimportanceofsuchadocumentto someonewhowouldbelostinaforeigncountryandnotknowthecommonlanguage.

TheHostagesandtheCasualties

EducationalmaterialsweredevelopedthroughtheTeachingAmericanHistoryinAnneArundelCountyProgram,apartnershipbetweenthe AnneArundelCountyPublicSchoolSystemandtheCenterforHistoryEducationattheUniversityofMaryland,BaltimoreCounty.

http://www.jimmycarterlibrary.org/documents/list_of_hostages.phtml Thisdocumentisalistofallthehostages,releasedhostages,andSpecialForcesmembers whowereinvolveddirectlyintheIranianHostageCrisis.Thisdocumentshowsthat thesepeoplewerereal,hadfamilies,andletsstudentsunderstandthatthistragedycould happentoanyone.

Letterfrom JimmyCartertoAyatollahKhomeini http://arcweb.archives.gov/arc/digital_detail.jsp?&pg=1&rn=1&tn=595328&st=b&rp=details&n h=1 PresidentCarter triedadiplomaticapproachbeforesigningoffontherescuemissionthat wouldeventuallyfailinApril1980.ThisletteriswhathesenttotheAyatollahtotryto endthehostagecrisisbuttheAyatollahdidnotgiveinandthehostageswerenotfreed. Thisdocumentshouldshowstudentsthatpropercommunicationlineswereopenbetween thecountriesduringthecrisisbutevenwiththiscommunicationthehostageswerenot released.

ExecutiveSummaryoftheFailedMissiontoRescuetheIranianHostages http://arcweb.archives.gov/arc/servlet/arc.ControllerServlet?&pg=n&rn=1&nw=n&nh=1 &st=b&rp=summary&si=0 ThisisasummaryoftheplannedmissiontorescuethehostagesfromIran.The summarygivestimeframesofwhenthemissionwasplannedandwhenitwastobe conducted.Thedocumentalsogivesreasonsforwhythemissionfailedandbestofall givesrecommendationsonhowtheUnitedStatesshouldhandlecounterterrorismactions inthefuture. RobertC.OdeDiary http://www.jimmycarterlibrary.org/documents/r_ode/ RobertC.Odewastheoldestofthehostagesandactuallyretiredformdiplomaticservice. HetookajobtotraveltoIranandonlyexpectedtobeinIranforafewmonths.Hewas allowedtokeepadiarybyhiscaptorsandthisisararelookintothemindofsomeone wholivedthroughtheordeal.