The Secret Mission That Doomed Jimmy Carter's Presidency

The passing of President Jimmy Carter has inspired national reflection on the 39th president’s tenure and legacy. Of all the men who have served as president, Carter may well have the most admired post-presidency body of work. But Carter’s four years in office suffered from a national “malaise” that Carter himself helped to name and failed to effectively counter. Compounding the malaise, and perhaps dooming Carter’s reelection chances, was one profound failure—a special operation dubbed Operation Eagle Claw.

Bringing the Hostages Home

In November 1979, a group of Iranian college students stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and took 102 Americans hostage. The hostage-taking coincided with the overthrow a US-installed government, also known as the Iranian Revolution.

Negotiations to secure the release of the hostages failed, inspiring Carter to cut off diplomatic relations with Iran in April 1980. Feeling the pressure of the upcoming election, which was amplified due to the jingoist Republican nominee, Ronald Reagan, Carter authorized a military rescue of the hostages. But executing such an operation would no easy task.

“Because the U.S. military had no force ready to conduct such an operation in an area in which the United States had few bases or resources, the mission required five months of intensive planning by personnel from all service branches and the Central Intelligence Agency before receiving the President’s approval,” the Air Force Historical Support Division wrote.

The five months’ worth of planning culminated in Operation Eagle Claw. The plan was audacious, requiring three USAF MC-130s to transport a 118-soldier assault team from a small island near Oman to a remote desert location to the southeast of Tehran. The desert location was code-named Desert One. At Desert One, the MC-130s would rendezvous with three USAF EC-130s and eight RH-53D helicopters. The EC-130s would refuel the MC-130s while the assault team would transfer to the RH-53s before flying to another location 65 miles away from Tehran. At the second location, the team would hide through the night, before being driven the rest of the way to Tehran.

“After storming the embassy, the team and the freed hostages would rally at either the embassy compound or a nearby soccer stadium to be picked up by the helicopter force,” The Air Force Historical Support Division wrote. “The helicopters would then transport them to Manzariyeh, 35 miles to the south,” where USAF C-141 would transport the assault team and hostages out of Iran.

Obviously, the plan was extremely complex, with so many crucial variables at play, capable of spoiling the venture. Everything needed to go perfectly. Alas, the operation was beset with problems from the start. Most notably, the helicopters were stricken: two aborted the flight because of flight instrument and mechanical problems; a third helicopter suffered hydraulic problems and could not complete the mission despite arriving at Desert One; a severe and unexpected dust storm intercepted the six helicopters that proceeded to Desert One, setting the team back one hour; and tragically, at Desert One, one helicopter’s rotor blades collided with an EC-130. Several service members were killed and the team was left with just five helicopters (of the eight deployed). To complete the rescue mission and extract all the hostages and servicemembers, a minimum of six helicopters were needed. The mission was aborted.

Harrison Kass is a defense and national security writer with over 1,000 total pieces on issues involving global affairs. An attorney, pilot, guitarist, and minor pro hockey player, Harrison joined the US Air Force as a Pilot Trainee but was medically discharged. Harrison holds a BA from Lake Forest College, a JD from the University of Oregon, and an MA from New York University. Harrison listens to Dokken.

Image: Wikimedia Commons.