You're listening to an airwave media podcast.

You know, it's not always easy being president.

In 1980 in the Oval Office, President Carter

made a big decision.

He hung up the phone and put his head onto his desk,

cradled his head in his hands for about five seconds.

That's all you get as the President of the United States.

His National Security Advisor, Zig Brazizinsky, sat there next to emotionless and silent.

The two men in charge of the military of the United States, the leaders of the free world, and there was nothing they could do.

It was a total disaster, and the worst hadn't even happened yet. Carter had just aborted a mission called Eagle Claw, but you and I know that mission as Desert One. It was an attempt to rescue the 54 hostages from the American embassy that were being held in Iran. Mechanical failures had just made the mission impossible. There was no way to continue.

His national security advisor, the joint chief of staff chairman, and the man in charge

on the ground had all recommended abort, and Carter did it.

With the knowledge that the failure of the mission would get out to the press we have a free press in America

That it would ruin his presidency would ruin negotiations for the out of Iran. The rescue mission turned from disaster to absolute tragedy. A helicopter crashed

into a transport plane. Eight men were killed. On television that night, Carter took full blame.

The plan for each.

The plan for Eagle Claw on paper went like this. I could explain it to you.

Eight helicopters would fly off the Nimitz carrier in the Indian Ocean to distract and avoid a Soviet tail.

They were tailing our aircraft carriers. That was a problem in those days.

Of the Cold War, the aircraft carrier Coral Sea would send speeding towards Indonesia.

Five C-130 transport planes would then arrive from a base in Egypt carrying the assault force of Delta Force, Special Forces, Special

Counterterrorism Forces and Army Rangers. Everyone would meet in an area south

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