The Carter Years | 444 Days | 4

American History Tellers

Wondery

Society & Culture, Kids & Family, History, Education For Kids

4.7 • 18.3K Ratings

🗓️ 30 April 2025

⏱️ 44 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

On November 4th, 1979, Iranian students overran the U.S. embassy in Tehran intending to stage a short sit-in protest. But after they detained embassy staff, what started out as a sit-in grew into a hostage crisis that lasted for more than a year. Iran’s new political and religious leader, the Ayatollah Khomeini, took advantage of the situation to consolidate his grip on power. Today, Lindsay is joined by journalist Mark Bowden to talk about the hostage crisis and what it cost the Carter administration. Bowden is the author of Guests of the Ayatollah: The Iran Hostage Crisis: The First Battle in America’s War with Militant Islam.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	As we explore the triumphs and tragedies that shaped America,
0:03.9	we're always striving to paint a vivid, nuanced picture of the past,
0:07.3	and with Wondery Plus, you can experience that vision in its purest form.
0:11.0	Enjoy ad-free episodes, early access to new seasons,
0:13.8	and exclusive bonus content that illuminates the human stories behind the history.
0:17.9	Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app or on Apple Podcasts and see American
0:21.7	History through a whole new lens.
0:36.8	Imagine is December 26, 1980, you're sitting in your living room in Bethesda, Maryland.
0:42.5	You switch off the television and sigh.
0:45.6	For months now, you've tuned in every night to see what's going on with the Americans being held hostage in Iran.
0:51.3	You've watched in horror as a news broadcast footage of protesters chanting death
0:55.4	to America, and the American hostages were paraded in front of the cameras. You can only imagine
1:00.8	what they're going through. As the glow of the television fades, your teenage son comes into the
1:06.4	room with a notebook and plops on the sofa beside you. Hey, Dad, can you help me with my homework?
1:11.7	Yeah, what's the assignment?
1:13.4	Supposed to write a paper about the hostage crisis.
1:16.2	Oh, well, what about it?
1:17.6	This damn disgrace is all I can say.
1:19.7	Why can't we just go in and get them?
1:21.8	Well, President Carter has tried that, and it was a failure.
1:24.9	All we achieved was killing some of our own.
1:29.0	You shake your head,
	...

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