Aircraft Arriving with Freed Hostages from Iran
1/20/1981
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The original caption for this photograph reads: Spectators watch one of two C-9 Nightingale aircraft bringing in the 52 freed hostages after their release from Iran. It was taken at Rhein-Main Air Base in Germany.
On November 4, 1979, Iranian students in Tehran seized the U.S. Embassy and took 52 Americans hostage. The Iran Hostage Crisis lasted for 444 days and ended minutes after President Jimmy Carter left office in 1981.
President Carter committed himself to the safe return of the hostages while protecting U.S. interests and global influence. He pursued a policy of restraint that put a higher value on the lives of the hostages than on U.S. retaliatory power. A spectrum of responses were deployed, including direct appeals, economic sanctions, and a military rescue mission.
With neutral Algerian diplomats acting as intermediaries, new hostage negotiations continued throughout late 1980 and early 1981. Iran at last released the hostages on January 20, 1981, just moments after Ronald Reagan was inaugurated as the new U.S. President.
The hostage crisis had a deep impact on US-Iranian relations. Today, some $1.973 billion of Iran’s assets remain frozen in the United States, and the U.S. has not imported any oil from Iran since 1992.
On November 4, 1979, Iranian students in Tehran seized the U.S. Embassy and took 52 Americans hostage. The Iran Hostage Crisis lasted for 444 days and ended minutes after President Jimmy Carter left office in 1981.
President Carter committed himself to the safe return of the hostages while protecting U.S. interests and global influence. He pursued a policy of restraint that put a higher value on the lives of the hostages than on U.S. retaliatory power. A spectrum of responses were deployed, including direct appeals, economic sanctions, and a military rescue mission.
With neutral Algerian diplomats acting as intermediaries, new hostage negotiations continued throughout late 1980 and early 1981. Iran at last released the hostages on January 20, 1981, just moments after Ronald Reagan was inaugurated as the new U.S. President.
The hostage crisis had a deep impact on US-Iranian relations. Today, some $1.973 billion of Iran’s assets remain frozen in the United States, and the U.S. has not imported any oil from Iran since 1992.
This primary source comes from the Records of the Office of the Secretary of Defense.
National Archives Identifier: 6344603
Full Citation: Photograph 330-CFD-DF-SN-82-06702.jpeg; Spectators watch one of two C-9 Nightingale aircraft bringing in the 52 freed hostages after their release from Iran; 1/20/1981; DFSN8206702; Combined Military Service Digital Photographic Files, 1982 - 2007; Records of the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Record Group 330; National Archives at College Park, College Park, MD. [Online Version, https://docsteach.org/documents/document/aircraft-freed-hostages, June 22, 2025]Rights: Public Domain, Free of Known Copyright Restrictions. Learn more on our privacy and legal page.
