Did reagan's speech ultimately free US hostages in 1980 from Iran? Compared to Ford?

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Political_Economist

New member
I was told by an instructor that it is possible that Reagan's crazy cow-boy attitude saved the hostages, because Reagan threatened to go to war with Iran if the hostages were not rescued. Minutes after Reagan made such a speech talking about Iran when he took office, Iran backed down.

How true is this?
 
J

Joe

Active member
The hostages were held to embarras President Carter and show the world they could do something to mighty America.

Regan was president at the time it happened. Thats about it.
Unless you want to look into the Iran-Contra Scandal.
Where allegedly under directions of the Regan White-house a deal was brokered to trade arms for the hostages.
Lt Col Oliver North was the officer accused of making the actual deal work.
His secretary Fawn Hall was accused of shredding documents related to the incident. ( scandal ensuded with an allegation that the attractive Ms Hall actually smuggled documents out of the office in her pantyhose.)

Oliver North was granted immunity for his testimony before congress and took all the blame for any wrongdoing sparing President Regan and further embarrasment or investigation.

Oliver North wound up a commentator on Fox News.
Fawn Hall returned to civillian life.
Ronald Regan recorded his testimony on videotape and sent it to congress but did not appear in person to testify. He could not be questioned or cross examined (but his testimony on tape would appear to future historians as the same as others who did appear in person) on the recordings of the hearings.


footnote: James Carter gained a reputation as a weakling by comparison to Regan. In reality Carter was a Naval Academy Graduate and Nuclear submarine Commander, Regan made movies for the Special Services promiting War Bonds and never actually served.
 
S

Sageandscholar

New member
First of all, of the 66 hostages taken in the Tehran Embassy hostage crisis, 13 were released in Nov 1979, 52 on Jan 20 1981 and only 1 in July 1980. So which hostages are you referring to being freed in 1980, and which Reagan speech?
The majority of the hostages were in fact released as a result of the Algiers Accords - negotiated by the Carter Administration.
It is possible that Reagan had some influence - but not due to any public speech. Secret deals between Reagan officials that later led to the Iran Contra affair are alleged to have begun with the hostage crisis - although this is far from proven.
 
D

draciron

New member
Threatened? He probably already had the generals selected and had talked to the Pentegon to get them planning the whole effort.

Iran feared Reagan. That is why they let the hostages go. Carter was weak, wimpy an whiny. Nobody feared or respected Carter.

Ford did the right thing sending in the military and that's what should have been done within 24 hours of the embassy being taken. If nothing else it'd saved a whole lot of lives. Before the Iranian embassy hostage America was feared. Nobody messed with an American citizen. Nobody provoked us and terrorists picked other countries to attack. I don't think there was a single terrorist incident against US citizens before the embassy debacle. After we failed to react to the embassy take over America has been target #1. We were publicly called a paper tiger all over the world and when Carter finally did get pressured into losing his cowardice and doing something militarily he didn't let the military handle it, he forced them to use a special unit he'd specifically created which tried to sneak in, instead two of the choppers collided and Carter ran with his tail tucked so far up between his legs nobody could have ever found it.

Reagan proved that messing with Americans was a bad idea and for a time we had the respect of the world and our relations all over the world improved. People don't respect weakness and the Obama/Bush/Clinton/Bush weak kneed idea of diplomacy just emboldens our enemies and makes us look stupid. They talk tough but do nothing.
 
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mrs_endless

New member
Iran knew that Reagan meant what he said. Don't understand why your instructor used the term "crazy cow boy attitude". Reagan said they could release the hostages or he was coming to get them. Sure enough, they were released.
 
W

wolfette

New member
Reagan was an unknown to Iran what they were hearing was unsettling,Reagan was a president that would have bombed and they knew it,they had no fear of carter.
 
E

ECon1

New member
I have to agree with the first poster, speeches do little, Reagan gave Iran military items to save American lives, this was called Iran contra.

The threatening overtone "might" have assisted, but surely it wasn't the main cause.
 
L

Lorraine

Member
Your "instructor" doesn't have any evidence for that.

The US hostages were going to be released anyway, it was only a matter of time. Ayatollah Khomeini wanted a purely populist revolution that would bring in a theocracy. He had absolutely nothing to do with the Iranian students coming in and taking U.N. embassy workers hostage, that responsibility lies with his radical followers. It was only after that he was implicated that he was pressured to release the hostages. Khomeini did not like Carter because Carter had a relationship with Reza Shah which included support for the Shah's policies and an arms deal
 
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