An End to the Hostage Crisis - Short History
- Department History
NOTE TO READERS
“A Short History of the Department of State” has been retired and is no longer maintained. For more information, please see the full notice.
“A Short History of the Department of State” has been retired and is no longer maintained. For more information, please see the full notice.
An End to the Hostage Crisis
Republican Ronald Reagan defeated Carter in the 1980 presidential election. Although Deputy Secretary of State Warren Christopher had completed negotiations under Algerian auspices to free the American hostages in Tehran, President Carter and Secretary of State Edmund S. Muskie, suffered to their last day in office. On January 20, 1981, the hostages were finally freed—but only after Ronald Reagan had been sworn in as president.