Author: Department of Defense (DoD)

Publisher:

Published: 2017-03-06

Total Pages: 655

ISBN-13: 9781520769523

Presented in paperback in two volumes because of its massive content, with a total of over a thousand pages of text and images, this unique and comprehensive book provides encyclopedic coverage of the Iranian hostage crisis during the Carter administration and the 1980 failed military rescue mission with declassified Department of Defense documents, intelligence reports, histories and reports. These reports provide important new information on this controversy. There is extensive coverage of military activities, including the planning and execution of the hostage rescue mission called Operation Eagle Claw, which resulted in the Desert One tragedy on April 25, 1980. There is also new information on planning for Operation Snowbird later in 1980.Volume One Contents: Part 1: Overview * Part 2: Iran Hostage Rescue Mission Report (The Holloway Report) * Part 3: Robert Ode Hostage Diary * Part 4: Statements by Defense Secretary Brown and JSC Chairman Jones * Part 5: Crisis in Iran - Operation Eagle Claw * Part 6: The Iranian Hostage Rescue Mission - A Case Study * Part 7: Two White Houses - The Iran Hostage Crisis * Part 8: Choosing Peace: Jimmy Carter and the Iran Hostage Crisis * Part 9: A Classic Case of Deception - CIA Goes Hollywood, The Argo Cover Story * Part 10: Broken Stiletto - Command and Control of the Joint Task Force During Operation Eagle Claw at Desert One * Part 11: Desert One: The Hostage Rescue Mission * Part 12: Operation Eagle Claw - Lessons Learned * Part 13: Disaster at Desert One: Catalyst for Change * Part 14: The Iranian Hostage Rescue Attempt * Part 15: Iranian Hostage Rescue Attempt - A Case Study * Part 16: Skipping the Interagency Process Can Mean Courting Disaster: The Case of Desert One * Part 17: Explaining Iran's Foreign Policy, 1979-2009 * Part 18: USSOCOM Mission * Part 19: From Son Tay to Desert One: Lessons Unlearned * Part 20: Airborne Raids - A Potent Weapon in Countering Transnational TerrorismVolume Two Contents: Part 21: Command and Control of Special Operations Forces Missions in the U.S. Northern Command Area of Responsibility * Part 22: Excerpt about Desert One from The Praetorian STARShip: The Untold Story of the Combat Talon * Part 23: Original DocumentsOn November 4, 1979, more than 3,000 Iranian militant students stormed the American Embassy in Tehran, Iran. 66 Americans were seized and held hostage, precipitating a confrontation with the United States. The result of this crisis would change the course of a presidency, and affect the relations between the two nations. In military history one can stand out as a splendid example or a disastrous reminder. On April 24, 1980, highly-trained members of the four armed services made a valiant attempt to rescue the 44 diplomats and servicemembers held hostage in the Islamic republic of Iran. What the vast majority of Americans did not know was that planning for an armed rescue attempt began almost immediately after the embassy was overrun. The code name for the overall operation was Rice Bowl, while the operational portion was known as Eagle Claw. The operation was complex and faced several limiting factors, among which were the relative isolation of Tehran and the available courses of action which involved an increased risk of equipment failure. One critical piece of the operation was a refueling and overnight stay at a mid-desert site named Desert One. When the operation finally launched on the night of April 24, 1980, equipment failures and unpredictable dust storms caused the on-scene commanders to abort the mission. As the rescue force prepared to evacuate Desert One, an H-53 helicopter collided with a C-130.