This Day In 1970's History: Friday April 25, 1980
- Washington's mood was somber over the failure of the hostage rescue mission. President Carter said in a 7 A.M. statement after he had called off the mission that the United States would persevere through "every possible avenue" to free the hostages. The administration sought to stress that the rescue effort's aim had been humanitarian and should not be regarded as a military operation.
Washington intended to land troops in Iran under the guise of the attempt to rescue the hostages, Tass, the official Soviet new agency said in a special statement. The Soviet response to the rescue effort also said that the mission was an "aggressive act," part of a campaign against Iran that brought the United States to the "brink of insanity," creating a "serious danger" to peace. [New York Times]
- Ayatollah Khomeini warned that another attempt to rescue the hostages would endanger their lives. Over the state radio, he called the unsuccessful rescue operation a "stupid act," saying: "I am warning Carter that if he commits another stupid act we won't be able to control the youths now holding the nest of espionage and the spies, and he will be responsible for their lives." [New York Times]
- The allies reacted with concern to the failed rescue attempt, which they learned of through radio and press reports. Sympathy was expressed for President Carter, but the overriding feeling was that that the situation had moved into a dangerously incalcuable phase. Congressional reaction to the unsuccessful rescue mission ranged from bipartisan expressions of support to denunciation. President Carter called two dozen congressional leaders to the White House for a briefing on the rescue mission. Senator Alan Cranston said that there was general support for the President's decision to undertake the mission. [New York Times]
- Assurances were received from Iran by the family of John Earl Graves, one of the hostages at the American Embassy there, that there would be no retribution directed against the hostages for the attempted American rescue mission. "They assured us that none of the hostages will be harmed," said Luzette Graves, daughter of the Embassy's public affairs officer. She said that the message had been relayed through a contact in Paris after her family had spent hours vainly trying to reach friends in Iran from their Virginia home. [New York Times]
- No signs of survivors were seen following the crash in the Canary Islands of a chartered Boeing 727 carrying 146 British passengers and crew members. Contact with the plane was lost six minutes before it was due to land at Santa Cruz de Tenerife. [New York Times]
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