Part III: 1979 Hostage Crisis – Negotiations

On November 17, the Office of the State Department Historian released its records on the hostage affair. Students seized the U.S. Embassy in Tehran on November 4, 1979 to protest the Carter administration’s decision to take in the ailing former shah for medical treatment. Student leaders later said their intention was to hold the embassy for a few days, but 52 Americans ended up being held for 444 days. U.S.-Iran relations have never recovered from the crisis. The U.S. records were categorized into five topics. This piece covers the third category on negotiations, with links to the other four topics:

• First Responses
• Options 
• Negotiations (full report below)
• Rescue Mission
• Covert and Overt Operations

Related Material: “The Carter Administration”

 

Negotiations

129. Memorandum From Gary Sick of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Brzezinski)

130. Summary of Conclusions of a Special Coordination Committee Meeting

131. Minutes of a National Security Council Meeting

132. Telegram From the U.S. Mission to the United Nations to the Department of State

133. Memorandum From Gary Sick of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Brzezinski)

134. Summary of Conclusions of a Special Coordination Committee Meeting

135. Letter From H. Ross Perot to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Brzezinski)

136. Memorandum From Gary Sick of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Brzezinski)

137. Paper Prepared by the National Security Council Staff

138. Memorandum for the Record by Director of Central Intelligence Turner

139. Summary of Conclusions of a Special Coordination Committee Meeting

140. Editorial Note

141. Telegram From the Embassy in France to the Department of State

142. Telegram From the U.S. Mission to the United Nations to the Department of State

143. Memorandum From Gary Sick of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Brzezinski)

144. Memorandum From the White House Chief of Staff (Jordan) to President Carter, Secretary of State Vance, and the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Brzezinski)

145. Memorandum of Conversation

146. Letter from the Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (Bayh) and the Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (Goldwater) to President Carter

147. Editorial Note

148. Summary of Conclusions of a Special Coordination Committee Meeting

149. Memorandum by the Executive Assistant to the Deputy Secretary of State (Oxman)

150. Memorandum for the Record by Henry Precht, Iran Working Group

151. Memorandum From the White House Chief of Staff (Jordan) to President Carter

152. Summary of Conclusions of a Special Coordination Committee Meeting

153. Memorandum From the Deputy Executive Secretary of the Department of State (Bremer) to Secretary of State Vance

154. Record of a Special Coordination Committee Implementation/Coordination Group Meeting

155. Summary of Conclusions of a Special Coordination Committee Meeting

156. Memorandum From William Odom of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Brzezinski)

157. Telegram From the Embassy in the United Kingdom to the Department of State and the White House

158. Memorandum From Robert Blackwill of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Brzezinski)

159. Memorandum From the White House Chief of Staff (Jordan) to President Carter

160. Telegram From the Embassy in Panama to the Department of State

161. Minutes of a Special Coordination Committee Meeting

162. Memorandum From Gary Sick of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Brzezinski)

163. Summary of a Special Meeting

164. Memorandum of Conversation

165. Memorandum From the White House Chief of Staff (Jordan) to President Carter

166. Memorandum From the Director for Operations, Joint Chiefs of Staff (Shutler), to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (Jones)

167. Paper Prepared by the Joint Task Force

168. Memorandum From Secretary of State Vance to President Carter

169. Memorandum From Gary Sick of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Brzezinski)

170. Letter From the White House Chief of Staff (Jordan) to Christian Bourguet and Hector Villalon

171. Memorandum for the Record by Director of Central Intelligence Turner

172. Summary of Conclusions of a Special Coordination Committee Meeting

173. Message From the Swiss Ambassador to Iran (Lang) to the Department of State

174. Draft Message From the Department of State to the Swiss Ambassador to Iran (Lang)

175. Message From Iranian President Bani-Sadr Transmitted Through Egyptian Journalist Mohammed Heykal

176. Memorandum From the White House Chief of Staff (Jordan) to President Carter

177. Memorandum From the White House Chief of Staff (Jordan) to President Carter

178. Memorandum From the White House Chief of Staff (Jordan) to President Carter

179. Telegram From the British Embassy in the United States to the Department of State

180. Telegram From the Embassy in Switzerland to the Department of State

181. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Brzezinski) to President Carter

182. Intelligence Cable Prepared in the Central Intelligence Agency

183. Memorandum From Director of Central Intelligence Turner to the Deputy Director of Central Intelligence (Carlucci)

184. Handwritten Memorandum From the White House Chief of Staff (Jordan) to President Carter

185. Memorandum From Jasper Welch of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Brzezinski)

186. Memorandum Prepared by the Iran Task Force, Central Intelligence Agency

187. Memorandum of Conversation

188. Letter From H. Ross Perot to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Brzezinski)

189. Editorial Note

190. Memorandum From Gary Sick of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Brzezinski)

191. Memorandum From the Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs (Saunders) to Secretary of State Vance

192. Summary of a Paper Prepared in the Bureau of Intelligence and Research

193. Memorandum From the Special Assistant to the Secretary of State (Raphel) to Secretary of State Vance and the Deputy Secretary of State (Christopher)

194. Message from the Swiss Ambassador to Iran (Lang) to the Department of State

195. Message From the Swiss Ambassador to Iran (Lang) to the Department of State

196. Message From the Swiss Ambassador to Iran (Lang) to the Department of State

197. Memorandum From the White House Counsel (Cutler) to the White House Chief of Staff (Jordan)

198. Memorandum of Telephone Conversation

199. Memorandum From Gary Sick of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Brzezinski)

200. Summary of Conclusions of a Special Coordination Committee Meeting

201. Summary of Conclusions of a Special Coordination Committee Meeting

202. Memorandum From Director of Central Intelligence Turner to the Deputy Director of Central Intelligence (Carlucci)

203. Editorial Note