President Jimmy Carter's Annotated Statement on the Failed Rescue Mission Regarding the Hostages in Iran
4/25/1980
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This is an annotated speech card from President Jimmy Carter's April 1980 speech announcing that the rescue mission attempting to free American hostages in Iran had failed.
On November 4, 1979, Iranian students in Tehran seized the U.S. Embassy and took 52 Americans hostage. The Iran Hostage Crisis lasted for 444 days and ended minutes after President Jimmy Carter left office in 1981.
President Carter committed himself to the safe return of the hostages while protecting U.S. interests and global influence. He pursued a policy of restraint that put a higher value on the lives of the hostages than on U.S. retaliatory power. The administration used direct appeals and economic sanctions before attempting a military rescue mission. Unfortunately, the mission failed, and the aborted mission seemed to many Americans as a symbol of U.S. military weakness in the post-Vietnam era.
On November 4, 1979, Iranian students in Tehran seized the U.S. Embassy and took 52 Americans hostage. The Iran Hostage Crisis lasted for 444 days and ended minutes after President Jimmy Carter left office in 1981.
President Carter committed himself to the safe return of the hostages while protecting U.S. interests and global influence. He pursued a policy of restraint that put a higher value on the lives of the hostages than on U.S. retaliatory power. The administration used direct appeals and economic sanctions before attempting a military rescue mission. Unfortunately, the mission failed, and the aborted mission seemed to many Americans as a symbol of U.S. military weakness in the post-Vietnam era.
This primary source comes from the Records of the Speechwriter's Office.
National Archives Identifier: 593298
Full Citation: President Jimmy Carter's Annotated Statement on the Failed Rescue Mission Regarding the Hostages in Iran; 4/25/1980; Records of the Speechwriter's Office. [Online Version, https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/president-carters-annotated-statement-on-failed-rescue-mission, April 29, 2024]Rights: Public Domain, Free of Known Copyright Restrictions. Learn more on our privacy and legal page.