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Iranian Hostage Rescue (5/6)

This is also part of this series: Surviving Disaster (6)

Subjects: American Studies, Disaster Preparedness, History, Law, Political Science, Terrorism

Grade Level: SrH-Adult
Producer: BBC
Closed Captioned: No

Running Time: 60 mins
Country of Origin: Great Britain
Study Guide: No

Copyright Date: 2006
Available in French: No

The failed attempt to rescue American hostages in 1980, which ended in fiery disaster in the Iranian desert and the death of eight men, has continued to haunt the US military. But the men who survived are convinced the mission was justified.

In November 1979, Iranian militants seized the US embassy in Tehran, taking 66 Americans hostage. After diplomatic attempts to negotiate their release failed, five months after their capture President Carter commanded an elite US Military force to launch a top-secret rescue operation which would end in disaster and cost him his presidency.

Only hours into the rescue mission, one of the helicopters failed, leaving President Carter no choice but to abort the operation and pull all units out of the Iranian desert. Defeated before they had even begun, they prepared to leave the desert. But with suspended sand from an earlier storm affecting visibility, tragedy was about to strike, and eight men would die as a result.

Surviving Disaster re-creates the operation from the moment the Americans are taken hostage right through to the downfall of President Carter, fusing a drama documentary with archive footage of those directly involved in Operation Eagle Claw. Eight months after this failed operation, the hostages were finally freed. Ultimately, it was diplomacy and not military force that brought them home.

PLEASE NOTE: The series contains some disturbing and graphic images.

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