Nixon got elected, in part, by secretly torpedoing Paris talks between US and North Vietnam in 1968. His campaign officials reached out to South Vietnamese officials via their embassy, and claimed that Nixon will "get South Vietnam a better deal". That caused South Vietnam to pull out of peace talks... Reagan saw that this worked and there were no repreccusions.
LBJ confronted Nixon about this matter. The Christian Science Monitor had reported on this story, and unknown to Nixon, LBJ had intelligence reports that suggested the report was true. Nixon, of course, denied everything - leaving LBJ with a difficult decision about a week from the election. The intelligence he had was nowhere near conclusive, but did backup the public reporting - should he go public and add credibility to the story and probably throw the election to Humphrey or not? He decided that without proof the Nixon had done this, it would be wrong for him to interfere with the election. One can be pretty sure that neither Nixon nor Reagan, and DEFINITELY not Trump would have the decency and respect for our elections to do that.
@@kurtisengle6256 Nixon Tried to Spoil Johnson's Vietnam Peace Talks in '68, Notes Show Archived March 7, 2017, at the Wayback Machine, The New York Times, Politics Section, Peter Baker, January 2, 2017. See also H.R. Haldeman's Notes from Oct. 22, 1968 Archived February 5, 2017, at the Wayback Machine, The New York Times, December 31, 2016, which reprints four pages of Haldeman's notes.
Death toll was 37,500 US and 3,750,000 Asians in '68 so 22,000 US lives and 2,200,000 Asian lives were spent for a campaign tactic and 4 SCOTUS seats one being Lewis Powell who set out to destroy the middle class and sell congress to K Street. The pro-life party kills more lives than any other party.
It is good that the president Carter is able to hear this. It should give him peace and recognition he deserves for his efforts. May god bless him and his family.
I was just saying those very words to my hubby here. Even though that good man, President Carter, doesn't have a vindictive bone in his body and I'm not even sure that thought would even occur to him. But I'll be proud enough of him for the both of us, if that's the case. And glad to see what we've already known about Ronald freaking Reagan coming out for those who didn't know it.
As an outsider that is a history and politics buff: The more I learn and research, the more it baffles me that Reagan is held in such high views as a president, when he's, as time goes by, clearly the worst president the US has had in probably the last century. His decisions have proven absolutely catastrophic to the American people in the short and long run. Corporations doing whatever they want, the income inequality, medical insurance, and, so on, and on, and on.
@@FoxSullivan As the late Morley Safer said after Reagan died, "I don't think history has any reason to be kind to him." Truer words were never spoken!
The climate change issue (Carter made it a priority away from fossil fuel, Reagan reversed it) Citizens United ( "Personhood" & Privatization monopolies to Corporations), Roe v.Wade Drama ( Reagan weaponized religious movements for his benefit)
Are there any good possible presidential candidates we can elect to stop this, who are as good as Bernie Sanders or better? I want Vice President Kamala Harris to be nominated as the president in 2024 if Joe Biden can not serve a second term.
Exactly. I would be crushed to know this and have had a family member involved in that event. I have yet to hear one TV reporter make even a note of that. I feel bad for Carter. But he has still had a full life and is loved and respected
Yeah, that's why the rethuglikans claim to be the party of "pro-life". They can just force a woman or girl to have another baby these days, so as not to upset the status quo, and replace the dead.
The last Republican president elected legitimately was Dwight Eisenhower. Nixon sabotaged the Paris Peace talks before the 1968 election, Reagan's advisors, Casey and others, did this to delay hostages release. Bush then pardoned everyone. Bush 2 used Jeb Bush to suppress thousands of voters in Florida in 2000, plus intimidation of vote counters in Dade county.
this has been known for 30 years. reagan cheated to win the white house. he told the iranians to keep the hostages and used stolen notes from the carter campaign in the ONLY debate reagan agreed to with carter. do you really think americans are so stupid as to vote for yet another GOP criminal a mere 6 years after nixon? reagan was a crook and he destroyed our economy which we're still suffering from today!
I remember that Reagan did that. Carter was believed to be a "weak" president from the public, from which I still disagree. He was a honest, godly man. Reagan was a grifter just like tRump. He made decisions about our country that we are still suffering from.
Carter was too Christian for Americans. He was against the Mayan genocide in Guatemala that reagan and the pro-life party approved in '83 as charged by The Hague. Eliot Abrams planned that and is now runn9ng Venezuela's seige to get the oli rig Total of France promised Exxon if NATO took out Ghadafy.
Reagan being elected demonstrated the perception of a strongman President appeals to a stable percentage of voters, regardless of qualifications or serious flaws. We've got to repair elections. I really like Obamacare, but it's too bad Democrats didn't have a great agenda ready while they had a filibuster proof majority, thinks like equal representation by population in the House. With small Montana's population as the divisor, there should be 575 House representatives, not 435. No states would have fewer than they currently have.
It was Reagan who destroyed the US middle class by allowing corporations to send all the manufacturing jobs overseas and transition the US to a "service" economy. Low wages, no benefits, every employee to be considered temporary/part time,, no job security--it was the beginning of the race-to=the-bottom capitalist system we have now. Remember how prosperous we were all going to be once they cut corporate taxes and regulations? And of course the tough on crime mantra created a private prison system of mass incarceration and crime actually went way up. Republican voters now blame Democrats for a situation they enthusiastically voted to create. The defunding of the public education system certainly worked well for Republicans. Their voting base are so ignorant and low brow you can win their vote just by promising to use gov't to hurt one of the many groups of people they hate, from Mexican labourers to teachers to trans people or doctors and nurses, university professors, unionize workers, etc. Is there anyone they don't want to get revenge on?
@@dthomas9230 The Senate is good the way it is, the founders got it right, for many reasons. As much as I like CA getting 60, remember TX and FL will benefit too.
Always knew that there was more to the story, but still really heartbreaking to hear this now. Dispite the fact that he wasn't perfect, Jimmy Carter was a great president and a truly decent human being. And such a far cry from, and so far above, anyone that the Republican party has given us in more than 150 years.
Carter's mandate for fuel efficiency in the auto industry finally saw benefits in the 90's... until Gingrich and company got rid of it. Unbelievable how far the GOP keeps setting us back.
@@bengaltiger96 You're right, my bad, I "mathed" it wrong. But on the other hand it wasn't the Republican party of today that gave us Lincoln. So even if I got my math right, the Lincoln party affiliation is not exactly straightforward.
Carter will go down as one of the BEST former Presidents. And I say this as a Republican, I am willing to give credit where credit is due! He was, is, and always will be a true statesman. ❤
The same as today, where the GOP destroyed the economy handed to them gaining 230,000 jobs a month from Obama/Biden. Cons have been using this ponzi scheme to starve govt.shower the wealthy with tax cuts and adding it to the deficit, in Trumps case nearly 8T in 4 yrs. The debt ceiling was also created by cons
Back when the debt was just 31% of GDP, unions were strong so wages rose with productivity, 70% top tax rates encouraged corporate investment instead of strip-mining companies for profiteering. Even health care worked better - our cost vs life expectancy ratio was on par with other developed nations before Reagan ballooned costs and stagnated improvements in life expectancy. And I'm a former GOPher too.
Well, I've been an Independent since the 60s, and Carter was a TERRIBLE WITH THE ECONOMY......Were u an adult then????? Contrast the Great Trump economy with Carter's 18-21PERCENT INTEREST RATES!!! I LOVE PRES TRUMP, ESPECIALLY HIS HARRY TRUMAN STYLE TWEETS. Trump 2024 to fix all of OBUMA'S, BIDEN'S, and DEMOCRATS FUBARS.
Much of this was explained in1989 by Barbara Honegger in her book OCTOBER SURPRISE. Her book was suppressed. The orginial publisher was sold to a Republican operative and the book was recalled -- as an employee of B. Dalton I was told to rip the hardcovers off the book, count the inventory and toss the books into the dumpster. I later found out that Honegger did not even know that her book had been suppressed.
I feel like I had heard this before. I was born in '71, so Carter is the first president I remember. And I remember being a teenager and hearing about shady dealings that cost him re-election at the hands of George HW Bush.
Thank you thank you thank you!! I've always had the gut feeling that something hinky had gone down and have despised Reagan all this time for taking the credit for the hostage release.
The most advanced military force on the planet "Forgot" to put sand filters over their helicopter intakes for a desert rescue operation and the helicopters crashed, embarrassing Carter.
For Joe to suggest "did Ronald Reagan know about this" is typical pathetic Joe Scarborough. OF COURSE HE KNEW ABOUT IT. And he knew about Arms For Hostages too!
Isn't it funny - meanwhile - Mika has to be thinking about her father - and what that did to him - what a crazy couple these two are - beneath the surface I picked up some audible gasps Mika was making as this was being read- it was very personal to her and her family. My god her dad was NSA - he would have been one of the most critical point person on the hostages
The world would have been such a better place if Carter could have served a second term! Just imagine the progress we could have made on solar alone. Reagan ripped all the solar off the White House as soon as he got in because he was beholding to the oil interest!
@@brianarbenz1329 Man… that to me is a hanging offence.., prolonging a war in which your countrymen are dying.. just to improve your odd in the election… super filthy
Just think how much better this country would have been had we had four more years of Carter, and dementia Ronnie would have been too gaga by 1984. Perhaps the Republican Party might still be an honorable choice.
I vividly remember the time and circumstances. This new information, for some reason is NOT surprising to me. My husband I both voted for Carter, despite the nay sayers. We were convinced there was something fishy s out the timing of the tease of the hostages. What an egregious offense against not just Pres Carter but also the hostages and their families. My question is, can someone be held liable for such an act?
The name of the Reagan National Airport in D.C. should be changed to the Carter National Airport. The Reagan name is a national discrace. Reagan was an actor who won his election by portraying a great, patriotic man. The truth was far different. Carter on the other hand was 100 percent authentic and his greatness has continued throughout his life.
OMG can you imagine - the effort the republicans have made to annoint Reagan for sainthood - I sometimes think I am in the twilight zone listening to the way he is talked about here in the red state that I live in - I just so happened to be alive during all that - and they way it is described is insane. Yes he literally was "hired " to play a role of the Marlboro man/ frontiersman -president. Having said that - in fairness - it was Joe Kennedy who first came up with the idea and carried it out first. He just had a stroke - so didn;t have the where with all to keep his kid out of that lunatic asylum known as Texas.
Decades ago I heard about both Nixon telling Viet Nam: Don’t make peace yet, when I become President, I’ll give you a better deal;and Regan telling Iran: Don’t release the hostages, when I become President, I’ll give you a better deal; it’s seems like the news actors are sounding like they are first hearing this. What is going on?
Some people don't know all of the history, some don't read books or newspapers and don't usually conduct research online. Telling stories like these on the news and other media is important. A history not remembered is easy to repeat.
Carter is the best president in my lifetime. It's sad that so many people want to define his legacy by his last year in office. I hope our nation reconsiders his legacy and stops thinking of him as a "less-than-average" president.
@@georgfriedrichhandel4390 The thing that always seems to be forgotten about President Carter is that he repaired the economy, the energy crisis and freed the hostages BEFORE he left office. And President Carter and the VP (Mondale of Minnesota) are partly responsible the 1980 US Olympic Hockey Team's winning. Not reagan... When I watch documentaries about "The Miracle" it's never emphasized that reagan had nothing to do with that team's success, but I have noticed that some people want to attribute the gold medalists to him too. It was Walter Mondale who was in Lake Placid for most if not all of the tournament.
And even if he doesn't, he should still take full responsibility for what his people do. Whenever a sports team has a losing season, the coach gets fired, not the entire team. It's called accountability.
No. It’s called propaganda, unless MSNBC have real proof. Which they do not. It’s just the tired cliche hatred of Reagan far left looks have had for 40 years.
That is right. How dare the GOP and Ronald Reagan get away with treason! If Donald Trump gets away with domestic terrorism and all the other crimes he committed in his lifetime, then we will continue to fail as a nation and never succeed. I do not want anybody to be behold to the lies of the unethical party any longer. Not just any Republicans. RepubliKKKans.
Feels like it was all determined when we bent over and let Bush (son of the criminal/spook behind the October Surprise) steal the 2000 election. To think what we (and innocent civilians all over the world) would have been spared. Whatever- it's long gone now.
Who do you think was really calling the shots there... For 30+ years we had a clinton or a bush in the white house in some capacity.... that's not an accident.
That wasn''t Reagans pick - that was the party - and he was CIA director for maybe 18 months- 2 yrs max - Reagan had an army of bagmen just dying to do dirty deeds done dirt cheap - a lot of it was smoldering resentment from Nixon's impeachment
If Ford had not hinted that he would run as Reagan's VP selection, thus taking time away from Paul Laxalt supporters to build support at the GOP convention that year, it would not have been Bush at all.
Somewhere in an alternate time line …….perhaps . But, I don’t think Reagan was the god that republicans like to pretend. Apparently killing Americans to get and keep power has been an ongoing benefit of republicans in office.
No 12 long years of deregulation and trickle-down policies! No Iran-Contra, no arming Al-Qaeda, no rise of the extreme far right in America. More rights to the working class. More power to the little people. Billionaires and corporations actually paying their taxes. A beautiful timeline!
What hidden secret??? The book 'October Surprise' by Barbara Honegger came out in Jan. 1989, not to mention Thom Hartmann for the last 5+ years talks about it at least once a month.
Imagine how different the country would have been without Reagan, the president that changed the trajectory of so many things, wealth moving upwards etc etc etc.
Essentially, the destruction of the American middle class. And we wonder why we can't have good things. Can't take good care of our young folks nor our old people. A broken and sick culture moving to decline, yet telling ourselves we're "the greatest country in the world". It won't work.
Jimmy Carter has always been one of my heroes and favorite ex-President. Compared with his devotion to America and service to our nation, 45 is little more than the greatest fraud and professional grifter to ever hold the office.
Not surprised to hear this. I was 13 years old at the time. We held a parade in my home town when a neighbor was released. He worked in the embassy. Carter was a good man. It's interesting to think that Iran's actions likely led to Reagan's election (and all that followed).
So did I. Republicans and Ronnie supporters always claimed that this was because Iran "was afraid" of Reagan. But you're right. The timing of the release could not have been mere coincidence.
15 minutes after Reagan was sworn in the IRI announced the release of the hostages. In early March 1981 a chartered cargo plane flown by Israelis and loaded with tens of millions worth of US-made warplane spares and ordinance was forced down by the USSR trying to skirt the borders of Turkey and the Soviet Union while sneaking into Iran. Reagan's Secretary of State, General Alexander Haig was asked whether that didn't violate the US and UN embargo on weapons to Iran and Iraq. Haig, in his endearing and coy way answered, " Someone in the Administration must have blinked."
Reagan had both Nixon's top aides working with him _and_ a ton of Republican resentment for Nixon's resignation. Considering what he did to organized labor as a former union boss himself, I wouldn't put this past him.
Haig was one of the murkiest of the murky - he was Kissinger's deputy not back in 68 but certainly during Nixon's administration - and he had all of Kissingers mercurial instincts. I do not know the other aid of Nixon's you are referring to but Haig would have been front and center in this .
i'm so glad this came out (in a documented way since everybody knew it was a fix) while Uncle Jimmy is still alive! God bless Jimmy Carter and may his work bear fruit!
Yeah, one thing that is consistent with ALL republikans, whether they vote for the orange clown or not, is they seem completely oblivious to their own hypocrisy and don't seem to want to acknowledge they are the freaking enablers! They voted for garbage like Reagan, who's filthy policies have had a massive hand in damaging the US, but they'd be okay with giving him a sainthood anyway. The irony and reality is lost on them. I love that the Lincoln Project spends massive amounts of money trolling tRump and his filthy party, and that even though they're rethuglikans, they hate him as much as we do. But that's just the thing: they're still rethuglikans. If the party I aligned myself with did a fraction of the garbage the GQP has done, I could never support their party, nor vote for any of them again. How anyone of good conscious can remain in that party speaks to me, and I don't like what I'm hearing.
It wasn't Reagan, he was a puppet. His soon to be Vice President was the current CIA Director, George H.W. Bush. So to be clear, Carter's own CIA Director was pulling the strings to further his own political career. Bush went on to run things behind the scenes for the next 8 years as VP, and 4 more years as President.
Yes, we might not have known who did it, way back then, but we definitely suspected that it happened. Jimmy Carter is an amazing person, and a great president - in very difficult circumstances.
To think as an American being held hostage your fellow countrymen are working to keep you held in captivity and personally & professionally benefitting from your continued captivity!
@@buckeyewill2166 basically every republican president since has been worse than watergate - they just learned how to hide it better - and don't record anything - Nixon recorded everything because he wanted to write memoirs after his presidency and wanted the recordings to refer to
It's news that a witness has come forward. We "knew", but had no proof before this. We now know, with proof, that GOP operatives kept Americans in captivity longer than needed. We know now that the GOP betrayed their country.
Thanks for a good report. This history is important. I was a young woman, not particularly tuned in to politics. I remember how Carter had so much trouble with the hostage situation. Imagine how the world might have wound up had Carter been able to do a second term? (I dare say better) We should all take a lesson from this. I think the Vietnam war was still a huge factor behind the scenes. There were a lot of loose ends that were left unresolved - How can we promote healing in today's world?
I think the injustice, the horrible part of the story, is that no one is mentioning how the hostages had to remain in captivity while politicians played God and Carter was genuinely concerned about those in iran.
Casey was in the loop. Read what he, Casey, asked when Barnes and his travel mate landed back in the US. There was another incident regarding this Iran/hostages situation: a military team was dispatched to free the hostages. Their helicopters crashed in an Iranian desert and the plan was abandoned. In light of these confirmations by Mr. Barnes, I would not be surprised to learn that the crashes were some kind of self-sabotage. I wrote "confirmations" of what we inferred at that time: that the GOP made a deal with the Ayatollah to keep those Americans in custody until after the election. Nixon, Reagan, Trump: why is it that, when we find election cheating going or gone on, it's always by GOP people?
Wow - I had never considered that - wouldn't that be something to learn that rescue mission was sabotaged - and it was very significant - when that happened - the prevailing opinion was Carter - was a nice man - he just couldn't get it done. It was a heroic mission but it failed to achieve the objective And lets not forget - the whole thing started because Carter's CIA had no idea how weak / sick the Shah was. They completely misinterpreted that whole situation and it completely upended the middle east ever since. That was why Reagan won in 1980 - people forget how - much of a reach he was as president - he had been an actor - he acted and spoke like a tough guy - he was a Barry Goldwater who could get elected - people were deathly afraid he was going to start a nuclear war but the president we had seemed to not be able to get things done - so Reagan became a justifiable risk - hence the so-called Reagan democrats
Our family loved the Reagans. It wasn't until 90's until I was old enough to understand politics and how bad a man Reagan actually was. Too bad this story wasn't out before.
What is so addictive about power, that your will set up your rival at the cost of hostages ? Only miserable, wretched people, weak souls will do this. And there are still (too) many in politics.
Do you think the hostages may have liked to get home earlier, rather than be used as political pawns by Americans? In the article, Mr. Baker tells that the deal was to give Iran arms, via Israel. I wonder if this is what lead to the Iran/Contra affair.
This story is 30-years old…As well as Nixon’s seeking N Vietnam’s holding off peace talks. Given the current state of misinformation in the U.S., it’s still good to see that historic truths can surface for new generations.
CASEY WAS IN MADRID: “a cable from the Madrid embassy indicating that Bill Casey was in town, for purposes unknown.” From a memo found in George H.W. Bush Presidential Library. The memo, dated Nov. 4, 1991, was written by President Bush’s deputy counsel, Paul Beach, and it described the State Department’s efforts to collect documents in response to congressional subpoenas for “material potentially relevant to the October Surprise allegations.” Beach then specifically mentions “a cable from the Madrid embassy indicating that Bill Casey was in town, for purposes unknown.” The State Department cable was NOT sent to Congress. And Peter Baker actually knows this fact as it was in the NYT article!
Peter is already sweeping facts of his own story under the rug. That's traditional with this story. Congress spiked their own October Surprise investigation just when confirming information from Soviet, French and other European intelligence agencies arrived. Weeks later Robert Parry found those files in an abandoned ladies' room on the lower level of a Capitol Hill parking lot!
The world would have been a much, much better place if Carter had been re-elected. Reagan's election was the start of the Republican push to establish an oligarchy in this country.
3:27 “Joe (you Reagan sycophant).” This is from the same playbook that Nixon used in 1968 to prevent LBJ from reaching an agreement with the North Vietnam.
This story is new to me, but parallels a story I read about at the time; two books were published about it. I didn't read them, but did read reviews. One book was reviewed as inconclusive. The other was said to have lacked the "smoking gun," but only just; it said that Reagan himself had deputed Casey to go to Paris to talk to the Ayatollah Koemenhi (in exile), to make a deal by which Reagan, if elected, would arrange for Iran to get weapons it wanted, if the regime would hold our hostages till after the 1980 election. There was no conclusive direct evidence that this occurred, but very strong circumstantial evidence. And certainly I inclined to believe this story as I'd witnessed already how Reagan had screwed over Calif. as governor. Need I point out that this was treason? We've had a succession of terrible Republican presidents from Nixon through Trump, with the (doubtful) exception of Bush I, who may have been involved in the plot to assassinate JFK.
It is not Treason - people use that term casually and incorrectly and it undermines its significance - Treason is aid and comfort to the enemy in time of war. Nothing in this meets that definition. It is certainly espionage - effectively acting as a double agent - on behalf of the USA - but against the USA's goals. That is really, really murky evil stuff and a far cry away from all the patriotic regalia associated with Reagan - but these were really nasty awful people. Casey was a religious nut - he was Opus Dei before any of that was really known. A very very strange and horrible character
When this story first broke back in late '89, a member of the US negotiating team (I forget his name) stated that in August-September 1980, the US and Iran were making much progress on the release of the US hostages and it looked like Washington and Tehran were about to reach an agreement. But according to this negotiator, in October the Iranians suddenly pulled out of the negotiations without giving an explanation. Even though the October Surprise has been officially discredited, I have always suspected that it might be true. There are just too many coincidences. Some people are now asking why it took this long for this story to break. It has been known for a long time; now; the difference is that's it's gaining wider acceptance.
Just more examples of Republican dirty tricks. I've known about this story for a very long time, I'm glad it is being brought back out to the public again.
I volunteered as a college student for the Carter/Mondale re-election campaign in St. Louis, MO. No suprise to hear what Reagan's campaign pulled, such as an immoral act. All to win a campaign. Keep people imprisoned for power. I remember asking President Carter if he was going to win. With a big smile and his Georgia accent, he said, "Right On." What a decent, relateable man.
Old ronald raygun was some wretch. So much damage was done. Cannot even imagine what's NOT being disclosed that went on. I hope Carter is lucid enough to hear this and understand the truth that's being exposed. One more reason for him to be at peace.
This was rumoured for a long time. I'm no insider (I'm not even American), but I had heard this about Reagan's administration a long time ago. I'm glad that Peter Baker put some facts on this story. How the sausage is made can sometimes be VERY dirty.
I'm glad the sensationalism of this story is backed up by the facts. It's long been rumored that this happened, and I learned about these strong rumors in high school in the early 2000s. Even if Reagan didn't know of this arrangement, it makes him an inept Harding like figure instead of the benevolent statesman that his supporters believe him to be.
He was not inept until his second term - when he literally had full blown alzheimers - but they covered that up - but he would literally go significant periods of time where he did not know what world he was in - Nancy made all the decisions - including who could be close enough to tell he was no longer there a large part of the time.
So, Carter should have had 4 more years, and we would have had electric cars 35 years sooner, and potentially infinitely farther from climate crisis. So, it wasn't just a couple dozen American lives being toyed with - the entire planet has paid the price.
Nixon got elected, in part, by secretly torpedoing Paris talks between US and North Vietnam in 1968. His campaign officials reached out to South Vietnamese officials via their embassy, and claimed that Nixon will "get South Vietnam a better deal". That caused South Vietnam to pull out of peace talks...
Reagan saw that this worked and there were no repreccusions.
LBJ confronted Nixon about this matter. The Christian Science Monitor had reported on this story, and unknown to Nixon, LBJ had intelligence reports that suggested the report was true. Nixon, of course, denied everything - leaving LBJ with a difficult decision about a week from the election. The intelligence he had was nowhere near conclusive, but did backup the public reporting - should he go public and add credibility to the story and probably throw the election to Humphrey or not? He decided that without proof the Nixon had done this, it would be wrong for him to interfere with the election. One can be pretty sure that neither Nixon nor Reagan, and DEFINITELY not Trump would have the decency and respect for our elections to do that.
Can we get a citation?
NEVER accept a 'fact' on a single data point. That it is completely believable is beside the point.
@@kurtisengle6256 Nixon Tried to Spoil Johnson's Vietnam Peace Talks in '68, Notes Show Archived March 7, 2017, at the Wayback Machine, The New York Times, Politics Section, Peter Baker, January 2, 2017. See also H.R. Haldeman's Notes from Oct. 22, 1968 Archived February 5, 2017, at the Wayback Machine, The New York Times, December 31, 2016, which reprints four pages of Haldeman's notes.
Death toll was 37,500 US and 3,750,000 Asians in '68 so 22,000 US lives and 2,200,000 Asian lives were spent for a campaign tactic and 4 SCOTUS seats one being Lewis Powell who set out to destroy the middle class and sell congress to K Street.
The pro-life party kills more lives than any other party.
@@kurtisengle6256 Iran-Contra.
It is good that the president Carter is able to hear this. It should give him peace and recognition he deserves for his efforts. May god bless him and his family.
I was just saying those very words to my hubby here. Even though that good man, President Carter, doesn't have a vindictive bone in his body and I'm not even sure that thought would even occur to him.
But I'll be proud enough of him for the both of us, if that's the case. And glad to see what we've already known about Ronald freaking Reagan coming out for those who didn't know it.
Too bad Robert Parry can't r respond to this. It is another confirmation of his decades of great reporting on this story.
Why…MAY?? Why not ask the god TO DO IT!! TO BLESS Jimmy….WHATEVER THAT MEANS?
Jimmy Carter already knew, this is just public confirmation.
He knew it from the beginning... he wasn't into playing politics... he could've easily called for investigations etc... he wasn't about all that.
And we're still suffering the consequences, and more the worse, of Reagan's election.
One of those are the stock buybacks that were made legal in 1982.
As an outsider that is a history and politics buff: The more I learn and research, the more it baffles me that Reagan is held in such high views as a president, when he's, as time goes by, clearly the worst president the US has had in probably the last century. His decisions have proven absolutely catastrophic to the American people in the short and long run. Corporations doing whatever they want, the income inequality, medical insurance, and, so on, and on, and on.
@@FoxSullivan As the late Morley Safer said after Reagan died, "I don't think history has any reason to be kind to him." Truer words were never spoken!
The climate change issue (Carter made it a priority away from fossil fuel, Reagan reversed it) Citizens United ( "Personhood" & Privatization monopolies to Corporations), Roe v.Wade Drama ( Reagan weaponized religious movements for his benefit)
Are there any good possible presidential candidates we can elect to stop this, who are as good as Bernie Sanders or better? I want Vice President Kamala Harris to be nominated as the president in 2024 if Joe Biden can not serve a second term.
I think Carter was probably the most ethical president the U.S. has ever had.
FDR was pretty ethical as well
That wouldn't take a lot.
low bar tbh
He sure was a great President Jimmy Carter...I read about this story 😢
Indeed.
The real upsetting part is that the hostages were not treated as human beings but as chips in a political poker game.
By the RepubliCONs
Exactly. I would be crushed to know this and have had a family member involved in that event. I have yet to hear one TV reporter make even a note of that. I feel bad for Carter. But he has still had a full life and is loved and respected
Yeah, that's why the rethuglikans claim to be the party of "pro-life".
They can just force a woman or girl to have another baby these days, so as not to upset the status quo, and replace the dead.
yup..that's SOOOO GOP.
As an American, you _are_ just a chip. We're all pretty much "disposable".
So much for the good old days when republicans were "not as bad". Yes they were, obviously.
party over country
The last Republican president elected legitimately was Dwight Eisenhower. Nixon sabotaged the Paris Peace talks before the 1968 election, Reagan's advisors, Casey and others, did this to delay hostages release. Bush then pardoned everyone. Bush 2 used Jeb Bush to suppress thousands of voters in Florida in 2000, plus intimidation of vote counters in Dade county.
Right?
just as bad back then. they just acted sane enough to dupe the American electorate.
this has been known for 30 years. reagan cheated to win the white house. he told the iranians to keep the hostages and used stolen notes from the carter campaign in the ONLY debate reagan agreed to with carter. do you really think americans are so stupid as to vote for yet another GOP criminal a mere 6 years after nixon? reagan was a crook and he destroyed our economy which we're still suffering from today!
I remember that Reagan did that. Carter was believed to be a "weak" president from the public, from which I still disagree. He was a honest, godly man. Reagan was a grifter just like tRump. He made decisions about our country that we are still suffering from.
Carter was too Christian for Americans. He was against the Mayan genocide in Guatemala that reagan and the pro-life party approved in '83 as charged by The Hague. Eliot Abrams planned that and is now runn9ng Venezuela's seige to get the oli rig Total of France promised Exxon if NATO took out Ghadafy.
Reagan being elected demonstrated the perception of a strongman President appeals to a stable percentage of voters, regardless of qualifications or serious flaws. We've got to repair elections. I really like Obamacare, but it's too bad Democrats didn't have a great agenda ready while they had a filibuster proof majority, thinks like equal representation by population in the House. With small Montana's population as the divisor, there should be 575 House representatives, not 435. No states would have fewer than they currently have.
It was Reagan who destroyed the US middle class by allowing corporations to send all the manufacturing jobs overseas and transition the US to a "service" economy. Low wages, no benefits, every employee to be considered temporary/part time,, no job security--it was the beginning of the race-to=the-bottom capitalist system we have now. Remember how prosperous we were all going to be once they cut corporate taxes and regulations? And of course the tough on crime mantra created a private prison system of mass incarceration and crime actually went way up. Republican voters now blame Democrats for a situation they enthusiastically voted to create. The defunding of the public education system certainly worked well for Republicans. Their voting base are so ignorant and low brow you can win their vote just by promising to use gov't to hurt one of the many groups of people they hate, from Mexican labourers to teachers to trans people or doctors and nurses, university professors, unionize workers, etc. Is there anyone they don't want to get revenge on?
@@cowboybob7093 A few more senators or votes cast per population percent. CA should get 60 votes to each WY vote.
@@dthomas9230 The Senate is good the way it is, the founders got it right, for many reasons. As much as I like CA getting 60, remember TX and FL will benefit too.
Always knew that there was more to the story, but still really heartbreaking to hear this now. Dispite the fact that he wasn't perfect, Jimmy Carter was a great president and a truly decent human being. And such a far cry from, and so far above, anyone that the Republican party has given us in more than 150 years.
I agree completely
The Republican party of today has nothing in common with the one from 100 years ago.
Carter's mandate for fuel efficiency in the auto industry finally saw benefits in the 90's... until Gingrich and company got rid of it. Unbelievable how far the GOP keeps setting us back.
Anyone? Really? Not even Lincoln?
@@bengaltiger96
You're right, my bad, I "mathed" it wrong. But on the other hand it wasn't the Republican party of today that gave us Lincoln. So even if I got my math right, the Lincoln party affiliation is not exactly straightforward.
Carter will go down as one of the BEST former Presidents. And I say this as a Republican, I am willing to give credit where credit is due! He was, is, and always will be a true statesman. ❤
Truth!
And THE BEST post presidency of all, a true humanitarian
The same as today, where the GOP destroyed the economy handed to them gaining 230,000 jobs a month from Obama/Biden. Cons have been using this ponzi scheme to starve govt.shower the wealthy with tax cuts and adding it to the deficit, in Trumps case nearly 8T in 4 yrs. The debt ceiling was also created by cons
Back when the debt was just 31% of GDP, unions were strong so wages rose with productivity, 70% top tax rates encouraged corporate investment instead of strip-mining companies for profiteering. Even health care worked better - our cost vs life expectancy ratio was on par with other developed nations before Reagan ballooned costs and stagnated improvements in life expectancy. And I'm a former GOPher too.
Well, I've been an Independent since the 60s, and Carter was a TERRIBLE WITH THE ECONOMY......Were u an adult then?????
Contrast the Great Trump economy with Carter's 18-21PERCENT INTEREST RATES!!!
I LOVE PRES TRUMP, ESPECIALLY HIS HARRY TRUMAN STYLE TWEETS. Trump 2024 to fix all of OBUMA'S, BIDEN'S, and DEMOCRATS FUBARS.
Much of this was explained in1989 by Barbara Honegger in her book OCTOBER SURPRISE. Her book was suppressed. The orginial publisher was sold to a Republican operative and the book was recalled -- as an employee of B. Dalton I was told to rip the hardcovers off the book, count the inventory and toss the books into the dumpster. I later found out that Honegger did not even know that her book had been suppressed.
Gary Sick's book October Surprise is far better and trustworthy.
I think most people have known this for some time.
I feel like I had heard this before. I was born in '71, so Carter is the first president I remember. And I remember being a teenager and hearing about shady dealings that cost him re-election at the hands of George HW Bush.
@@smartaMartini Me too. It was reported although maybe not by days before the election.
I still own two copies because I expected something like this.
Another reminder republican leaders haven’t acted in good faith since Eisenhower
Nixon sabotaged the Paris Peace Talks.
Eisenhower was not good .
@@jeffmullinix7916 He cleaned up after a world war that he was instrumental in winning.
Eisenhower was the last legitimately elected Republican president.
@stopthecrazyguy 😂 poor Ike
Thank you thank you thank you!! I've always had the gut feeling that something hinky had gone down and have despised Reagan all this time for taking the credit for the hostage release.
Many of us LONG suspected this was the actual situation !
Yep
👍
absolutely
The most advanced military force on the planet "Forgot" to put sand filters over their helicopter intakes for a desert rescue operation and the helicopters crashed, embarrassing Carter.
@D Thomas So you think Reagan's agents sabotaged those helicopters? Someone from General Electric?
For Joe to suggest "did Ronald Reagan know about this" is typical pathetic Joe Scarborough. OF COURSE HE KNEW ABOUT IT. And he knew about Arms For Hostages too!
I think Joe needs to learn about how Reagan got his political career kick started by turning in competing actors to the McCarthy hearings.
Joe's an enabler. He voted for all the trash that ended up putting tRump in the WH, and doesn't want truth about Reagan.
Isn't it funny - meanwhile - Mika has to be thinking about her father - and what that did to him - what a crazy couple these two are - beneath the surface I picked up some audible gasps Mika was making as this was being read- it was very personal to her and her family. My god her dad was NSA - he would have been one of the most critical point person on the hostages
The world would have been such a better place if Carter could have served a second term! Just imagine the progress we could have made on solar alone. Reagan ripped all the solar off the White House as soon as he got in because he was beholding to the oil interest!
That's my understanding as well. There are no republican "good old days" really, unless you're an old white guy with money.
@@donnavorce8856 People who actually remember Reagan years would laugh in your face. BTW he ripped off the solar panels because they were useless.
Didn’t Nixon do the same thing to American servicemen in the Vietnam war..
Yes he did.
@@brianarbenz1329
Man… that to me is a hanging offence.., prolonging a war in which your countrymen are dying.. just to improve your odd in the election… super filthy
For decades I have said the reaganites screwed with Jimmy. They were despicable then and worse now.
this was just one of many deplorable things they did. the birth of the deplorables
Just think how much better this country would have been had we had four more years of Carter, and dementia Ronnie would have been too gaga by 1984. Perhaps the Republican Party might still be an honorable choice.
No. They would just fall back on claiming Nixon was persecuted.
Reagan? You think Reagan had the brains or connections for the October Surprise (or anything else)? This was the Bush/CIA crime cabal.
That ship sailed with Nixon and their southern strategy. They planned this. This demise of the US and what we thought was Democracy.
Yeah, that's why the voters ousted Carter in 1980 and reelected Reagan in a landslide. We were vastly better off because of Reagan. Sorry Charlie.
Arms for hostages, the Iran, Nicaragua contra arms deal.
@simon kenton Actually, it was Bush, while Reagan was in the hospital, after Hinkley shot him.
Which is why Reagan didn't know about it.
@simon kenton This story was about cheating in the Reagan campaign.
@@kurtisengle6256 You should watch the SNL skit about this. It's what you are saying here.
There is a clear and continuous policy line from the 1980 October Surprise to Iran-Contra...and beyond.
IRAN CONTRA was the flip side of this deal. GOP presidents will sell out ANYBODY AND EVERYBODY TO MAINTAIN POWER. ANY QUESTIONS?
so good to see Chris Mathews on air. He is a dependable voice of intelligence and clarity.
👍
Sometimes.
Hahahahahahahahaha.
You sir are hilarious!
Yeah. Just ask Phil Donahue.
Chris Mathews is a dependable voice, but not of intelligence or clarity.
I vividly remember the time and circumstances. This new information, for some reason is NOT surprising to me. My husband I both voted for Carter, despite the nay sayers. We were convinced there was something fishy s out the timing of the tease of the hostages. What an egregious offense against not just Pres Carter but also the hostages and their families.
My question is, can someone be held liable for such an act?
Yes, by never voting for a Republican candidate
Maybe you believe in the Bermuda Triangle as well?
@@bigverybadtom It's pretty easy to spot a MAGAt as they always seem to be immune to facts. Bet you still believe Trump won in 2020 too, right?
The name of the Reagan National Airport in D.C. should be changed to the Carter National Airport. The Reagan name is a national discrace. Reagan was an actor who won his election by portraying a great, patriotic man. The truth was far different. Carter on the other hand was 100 percent authentic and his greatness has continued throughout his life.
Yeah, I hate that airport is named after Reagan. For it to be renamed after Carter would be cosmic justice indeed!
OMG can you imagine - the effort the republicans have made to annoint Reagan for sainthood - I sometimes think I am in the twilight zone listening to the way he is talked about here in the red state that I live in - I just so happened to be alive during all that - and they way it is described is insane. Yes he literally was "hired " to play a role of the Marlboro man/ frontiersman -president. Having said that - in fairness - it was Joe Kennedy who first came up with the idea and carried it out first. He just had a stroke - so didn;t have the where with all to keep his kid out of that lunatic asylum known as Texas.
Decades ago I heard about both Nixon telling Viet Nam: Don’t make peace yet, when I become President, I’ll give you a better deal;and Regan telling Iran: Don’t release the hostages, when I become President, I’ll give you a better deal; it’s seems like the news actors are sounding like they are first hearing this. What is going on?
Reselling the story packaged in a book. I think.
- Just a little ordinary everyday gaslighting.
Some people don't know all of the history, some don't read books or newspapers and don't usually conduct research online. Telling stories like these on the news and other media is important. A history not remembered is easy to repeat.
The issue is that this was always hearsay, not a printable fact backed up with witnesses.
That has changed.
Jimmy Carter was a great President, distinguished, honest, brilliant. I think of all the letters he sent my son.
Such a good man. He'll forever be in my top 3 presidents of all time.
Carter is the best president in my lifetime. It's sad that so many people want to define his legacy by his last year in office. I hope our nation reconsiders his legacy and stops thinking of him as a "less-than-average" president.
@@georgfriedrichhandel4390
The thing that always seems to be forgotten about President Carter is that he repaired the economy, the energy crisis and freed the hostages BEFORE he left office.
And President Carter and the VP (Mondale of Minnesota) are partly responsible the 1980 US Olympic Hockey Team's winning. Not reagan...
When I watch documentaries about "The Miracle" it's never emphasized that reagan had nothing to do with that team's success, but I have noticed that some people want to attribute the gold medalists to him too.
It was Walter Mondale who was in Lake Placid for most if not all of the tournament.
@@georgfriedrichhandel4390 People who remember him for real will know that he really was a bad president, despite all the attempts to whitewash him.
Hostages released January 20 81
Reagan president January 20 81
It's not really that big of a secret
Nope, there have been whispers about this for decades.
@@zoer7338 True! I remember hearing about it during the period around the election. I'm actually surprised that anybody is surprised about it...
The explanation was always that the Iranians were sticking it to Carter. And that they were afraid of what the cowboy Reagan would do.
Nobody pulls this kind of crap without the leader knowing.
And even if he doesn't, he should still take full responsibility for what his people do. Whenever a sports team has a losing season, the coach gets fired, not the entire team. It's called accountability.
There is a word for this, it's called treason.
"Trick or Treason?" The title of Bob Parry's second book on the subject.
That word no longer has any meaning.
No. It’s called propaganda, unless MSNBC have real proof. Which they do not.
It’s just the tired cliche hatred of Reagan far left looks have had for 40 years.
I always wondered why I never heard about an investigation into this (I'd heard about this incident w/details or names just Reagan years ago).
That is right. How dare the GOP and Ronald Reagan get away with treason! If Donald Trump gets away with domestic terrorism and all the other crimes he committed in his lifetime, then we will continue to fail as a nation and never succeed. I do not want anybody to be behold to the lies of the unethical party any longer. Not just any Republicans. RepubliKKKans.
We've gone from Carter to Trump in less than a century😮. Proper "dumb down amerika" campaign...not sure there's another 50 years😢
Feels like it was all determined when we bent over and let Bush (son of the criminal/spook behind the October Surprise) steal the 2000 election. To think what we (and innocent civilians all over the world) would have been spared. Whatever- it's long gone now.
Less than HALF a century. Basically two generations.
I don't care anymore. I won't be here in 50 yrs and I already put my order into the universe to not send me back to this god forsaken planet.
@@dottydew3673 Lol. I absolutely agree.
The founding fathers dreams and ideals are kaput.
always suspected something given Reagan's VP pick was the former CIA director
He was in Dallas the day before JFK was shot.
Who do you think was really calling the shots there... For 30+ years we had a clinton or a bush in the white house in some capacity.... that's not an accident.
That wasn''t Reagans pick - that was the party - and he was CIA director for maybe 18 months- 2 yrs max - Reagan had an army of bagmen just dying to do dirty deeds done dirt cheap - a lot of it was smoldering resentment from Nixon's impeachment
If Ford had not hinted that he would run as Reagan's VP selection, thus taking time away from Paul Laxalt supporters to build support at the GOP convention that year, it would not have been Bush at all.
@@dthomas9230 Don't you mean Nixon was there, Howard Hunt was there, everyone but Lee Harvey Oswald.
A second term of Jimmy followed by 2 terms for Bernie is a timeline I'd love to be living in, now. 🙂
Yes!
"President Robert F. Kennedy"
And Al Gore instead of that war criminal George W Shrub.
Somewhere in an alternate time line …….perhaps . But, I don’t think Reagan was the god that republicans like to pretend. Apparently killing Americans to get and keep power has been an ongoing benefit of republicans in office.
No 12 long years of deregulation and trickle-down policies! No Iran-Contra, no arming Al-Qaeda, no rise of the extreme far right in America. More rights to the working class. More power to the little people. Billionaires and corporations actually paying their taxes. A beautiful timeline!
What hidden secret??? The book 'October Surprise' by Barbara Honegger came out in Jan. 1989, not to mention Thom Hartmann for the last 5+ years talks about it at least once a month.
THANK YOU! My copy is still on my bookshelf!
Well, it is news when someone involved finally cops to the crime.
No, don’t.. They’re too stupid to understand anything so simple.. Especially when they’re trying so hard to act smart.. lol..
The problem is that October Surprise was officially discredited. Now it's gaining acceptance. Ronnie is rolling over in his grave!
Smh. You don’t know the difference between rumors and a witness saying they saw it happen?
Imagine how different the country would have been without Reagan, the president that changed the trajectory of so many things, wealth moving upwards etc etc etc.
Essentially, the destruction of the American middle class. And we wonder why we can't have good things. Can't take good care of our young folks nor our old people. A broken and sick culture moving to decline, yet telling ourselves we're "the greatest country in the world". It won't work.
The makeup of the Supreme Court would be different.
Yeah, we won the Cold War and he turned stagflation is prosperity. Reality sucks, huh?
Jimmy Carter has always been one of my heroes and favorite ex-President. Compared with his devotion to America and service to our nation, 45 is little more than the greatest fraud and professional grifter to ever hold the office.
Carter is the best president in my lifetime. Better than Clinton, better than Obama and much better than Ronnie who is totally overrated.
A fraud who gave us jobs, peace, and prosperity when Carter gave us none of this.
Not surprised to hear this.
I was 13 years old at the time. We held a parade in my home town when a neighbor was released. He worked in the embassy.
Carter was a good man.
It's interesting to think that Iran's actions likely led to Reagan's election (and all that followed).
how is this new news? we've known about this since the Iran/Contra hearings.
I was 14 and still remember how obvious that was.
I always thought it was kind of weird that Iran didn't release the prisoners until right after the election. Always felt it was a fishy deal
So did I. Republicans and Ronnie supporters always claimed that this was because Iran "was afraid" of Reagan. But you're right. The timing of the release could not have been mere coincidence.
15 minutes after Reagan was sworn in the IRI announced the release of the hostages. In early March 1981 a chartered cargo plane flown by Israelis and loaded with tens of millions worth of US-made warplane spares and ordinance was forced down by the USSR trying to skirt the borders of Turkey and the Soviet Union while sneaking into Iran. Reagan's Secretary of State, General Alexander Haig was asked whether that didn't violate the US and UN embargo on weapons to Iran and Iraq. Haig, in his endearing and coy way answered, " Someone in the Administration must have blinked."
Hostages weren't released until two and a half months after 1980 election.
Reagan had both Nixon's top aides working with him _and_ a ton of Republican resentment for Nixon's resignation. Considering what he did to organized labor as a former union boss himself, I wouldn't put this past him.
Haig was one of the murkiest of the murky - he was Kissinger's deputy not back in 68 but certainly during Nixon's administration - and he had all of Kissingers mercurial instincts. I do not know the other aid of Nixon's you are referring to but Haig would have been front and center in this .
I can imagine the hostages and their families will not enjoy hearing that the GOP ensured they would be held for more months than necessary.
Proves that Rethugs have been truly despicable for a loooooong time...
i'm so glad this came out (in a documented way since everybody knew it was a fix) while Uncle Jimmy is still alive! God bless Jimmy Carter and may his work bear fruit!
Leading directly to Iran Contra.
Of course, Joey would never, ever suspect St. Reagan could be so conniving.
Exactly! See my comment in the timeline.
He wasn't. This was more of Bush's CIA BS. Reagan was a corporate shill who read his lines.
Yeah, one thing that is consistent with ALL republikans, whether they vote for the orange clown or not, is they seem completely oblivious to their own hypocrisy and don't seem to want to acknowledge they are the freaking enablers! They voted for garbage like Reagan, who's filthy policies have had a massive hand in damaging the US, but they'd be okay with giving him a sainthood anyway.
The irony and reality is lost on them.
I love that the Lincoln Project spends massive amounts of money trolling tRump and his filthy party, and that even though they're rethuglikans, they hate him as much as we do. But that's just the thing: they're still rethuglikans.
If the party I aligned myself with did a fraction of the garbage the GQP has done, I could never support their party, nor vote for any of them again. How anyone of good conscious can remain in that party speaks to me, and I don't like what I'm hearing.
It wasn't Reagan, he was a puppet. His soon to be Vice President was the current CIA Director, George H.W. Bush.
So to be clear, Carter's own CIA Director was pulling the strings to further his own political career. Bush went on to run things behind the scenes for the next 8 years as VP, and 4 more years as President.
I wasn't at all interested in politics but I knew immediately that it was a set up. I can't believe you didn't realize it!
I was around during this time, and we knew what was up.
Is there some interpretation of these facts that doesn't include treason?
Yes, we might not have known who did it, way back then, but we definitely suspected that it happened. Jimmy Carter is an amazing person, and a great president - in very difficult circumstances.
And Pappy Bush was one of the errand boys involved.
I would say that he was much more than an errand boy but yes I would say he was involved.
This was no secret we Americans learned about but believed Reagan’s lies even though Iran contra gate hearings
To think as an American being held hostage your fellow countrymen are working to keep you held in captivity and personally & professionally benefitting from your continued captivity!
Thom Hartmann had this fact in one of his early books.
This was treason!
Worse than Watergate.
@@buckeyewill2166 basically every republican president since has been worse than watergate - they just learned how to hide it better - and don't record anything - Nixon recorded everything because he wanted to write memoirs after his presidency and wanted the recordings to refer to
This is news? Thought this was common knowledge.
It's news that a witness has come forward. We "knew", but had no proof before this. We now know, with proof, that GOP operatives kept Americans in captivity longer than needed. We know now that the GOP betrayed their country.
Not to Conservatives
@@cranmeister2365 the liberals helped cover it up, too
well some younger people like myself did not know this
I remember hearing whispers about it around the time of that election. I also thought that it was common knowledge at the time.
Thanks for a good report. This history is important. I was a young woman, not particularly tuned in to politics. I remember how Carter had so much trouble with the hostage situation. Imagine how the world might have wound up had Carter been able to do a second term? (I dare say better) We should all take a lesson from this. I think the Vietnam war was still a huge factor behind the scenes. There were a lot of loose ends that were left unresolved -
How can we promote healing in today's world?
How is it that we're hearing this as if it's news? This has been known for decades.
It's good for younger generations to hear the truth. In these days the truth is banned in school.
@@laluba3603 Yes, you're right, thank you for the good insight.
Jimmy Carter, an honest President. I will always respect him.
Those sleazy tactics regarding the delayed hostage release are a big part of why I have always been disgusted with reagan and his thugs.
I think the injustice, the horrible part of the story, is that no one is mentioning how the hostages had to remain in captivity while politicians played God and Carter was genuinely concerned about those in iran.
Anyone with their eyes open knew that was happening when it happened.
The installed Reagan and started the evangelical avalanche
I was 20 in 1980 didn't give crap about politics and I knew this story back then. It's not a secret it was know at the time.
What's the big surprise?
We've known this since 1980.
How did you not see this at the time! The hostages were MIRACULOUSLY released the day of Reagan’s inauguration!!!
Iran could have released them after the election in November. They hated Carter for supporting the Shah.
Casey was in the loop. Read what he, Casey, asked when Barnes and his travel mate landed back in the US. There was another incident regarding this Iran/hostages situation: a military team was dispatched to free the hostages. Their helicopters crashed in an Iranian desert and the plan was abandoned. In light of these confirmations by Mr. Barnes, I would not be surprised to learn that the crashes were some kind of self-sabotage. I wrote "confirmations" of what we inferred at that time: that the GOP made a deal with the Ayatollah to keep those Americans in custody until after the election. Nixon, Reagan, Trump: why is it that, when we find election cheating going or gone on, it's always by GOP people?
Wow - I had never considered that - wouldn't that be something to learn that rescue mission was sabotaged - and it was very significant - when that happened - the prevailing opinion was Carter - was a nice man - he just couldn't get it done. It was a heroic mission but it failed to achieve the objective And lets not forget - the whole thing started because Carter's CIA had no idea how weak / sick the Shah was. They completely misinterpreted that whole situation and it completely upended the middle east ever since. That was why Reagan won in 1980 - people forget how - much of a reach he was as president - he had been an actor - he acted and spoke like a tough guy - he was a Barry Goldwater who could get elected - people were deathly afraid he was going to start a nuclear war but the president we had seemed to not be able to get things done - so Reagan became a justifiable risk - hence the so-called Reagan democrats
This is not new. I read about this a long time ago. Now it's coming out😡.
"on October 19, 1980, Bush was dealing with Khomeini"
Just so happens Reagan's Men did the Iran Contra Scandal too.
What a coincidence!
Our family loved the Reagans. It wasn't until 90's until I was old enough to understand politics and how bad a man Reagan actually was. Too bad this story wasn't out before.
What is so addictive about power, that your will set up your rival at the cost of hostages ? Only miserable, wretched people, weak souls will do this. And there are still (too) many in politics.
Do you think the hostages may have liked to get home earlier, rather than be used as political pawns by Americans?
In the article, Mr. Baker tells that the deal was to give Iran arms, via Israel. I wonder if this is what lead to the Iran/Contra affair.
This story is 30-years old…As well as Nixon’s seeking N Vietnam’s holding off peace talks.
Given the current state of misinformation in the U.S., it’s still good to see that historic truths can surface for new generations.
I knew this in 1980.
Everybody knew about this. This was the beginning of the Irangate. I don’t understand why it comes as a surprise for so many poeple.
CASEY WAS IN MADRID:
“a cable from the Madrid embassy indicating that Bill Casey was in town, for purposes unknown.”
From a memo found in George H.W. Bush Presidential Library.
The memo, dated Nov. 4, 1991, was written by President Bush’s deputy counsel, Paul Beach, and it described the State Department’s efforts to collect documents in response to congressional subpoenas for “material potentially relevant to the October Surprise allegations.” Beach then specifically mentions “a cable from the Madrid embassy indicating that Bill Casey was in town, for purposes unknown.”
The State Department cable was NOT sent to Congress.
And Peter Baker actually knows this fact as it was in the NYT article!
Peter is already sweeping facts of his own story under the rug. That's traditional with this story. Congress spiked their own October Surprise investigation just when confirming information from Soviet, French and other European intelligence agencies arrived. Weeks later Robert Parry found those files in an abandoned ladies' room on the lower level of a Capitol Hill parking lot!
And what makes anyone think that Trump doesn't have a back channel to Putin, right now??? Or to Xi? Or to Kim Jong Un???
I understood this to be true January 20,1981. Everyone knew it.
Don’t forget Casey was elbow deep in Iran Contra too!
I miss Chris Matthew's Hardball! So Nice to see you, Chris! I Never missed Hardball, Watched it Everynight!
The world would have been a much, much better place if Carter had been re-elected. Reagan's election was the start of the Republican push to establish an oligarchy in this country.
Like I always say, Reagan was the worst.
I always said Reagan was the worst president ever than came George W to give him a run for it but Trump is hands down even worse lock him up
All Republican shenanigans and law breaking, no matter how small, should be put into a documentary for all to see.
That would be one loooooong documentary.
I can only imagine the outrage felt by the hostages themselves at such news.
3:27 “Joe (you Reagan sycophant).”
This is from the same playbook that Nixon used in 1968 to prevent LBJ from reaching an agreement with the North Vietnam.
One of the insider even said he was proud to have kept the 50+ hostages in Iran unitl after the election. It is disgusting!
These men that keep these "secrets" should be in jail, too
For sure MR CARTER is a great man done great after office getting his hands on work helping working on homes for the American people full respect
This story is new to me, but parallels a story I read about at the time; two books were published about it. I didn't read them, but did read reviews. One book was reviewed as inconclusive. The other was said to have lacked the "smoking gun," but only just; it said that Reagan himself had deputed Casey to go to Paris to talk to the Ayatollah Koemenhi (in exile), to make a deal by which Reagan, if elected, would arrange for Iran to get weapons it wanted, if the regime would hold our hostages till after the 1980 election. There was no conclusive direct evidence that this occurred, but very strong circumstantial evidence. And certainly I inclined to believe this story as I'd witnessed already how Reagan had screwed over Calif. as governor. Need I point out that this was treason? We've had a succession of terrible Republican presidents from Nixon through Trump, with the (doubtful) exception of Bush I, who may have been involved in the plot to assassinate JFK.
It is not Treason - people use that term casually and incorrectly and it undermines its significance - Treason is aid and comfort to the enemy in time of war. Nothing in this meets that definition. It is certainly espionage - effectively acting as a double agent - on behalf of the USA - but against the USA's goals. That is really, really murky evil stuff and a far cry away from all the patriotic regalia associated with Reagan - but these were really nasty awful people. Casey was a religious nut - he was Opus Dei before any of that was really known. A very very strange and horrible character
When this story first broke back in late '89, a member of the US negotiating team (I forget his name) stated that in August-September 1980, the US and Iran were making much progress on the release of the US hostages and it looked like Washington and Tehran were about to reach an agreement. But according to this negotiator, in October the Iranians suddenly pulled out of the negotiations without giving an explanation. Even though the October Surprise has been officially discredited, I have always suspected that it might be true. There are just too many coincidences. Some people are now asking why it took this long for this story to break. It has been known for a long time; now; the difference is that's it's gaining wider acceptance.
Just more examples of Republican dirty tricks. I've known about this story for a very long time, I'm glad it is being brought back out to the public again.
It’s not a 4 decade old secret, people just forgot about it.
Are Republicans willing to do the same thing again, this time to Ukraine?
I volunteered as a college student for the Carter/Mondale re-election campaign in St. Louis, MO. No suprise to hear what Reagan's campaign pulled, such as an immoral act. All to win a campaign. Keep people imprisoned for power.
I remember asking President Carter if he was going to win. With a big smile and his Georgia accent, he said, "Right On." What a decent, relateable man.
Wow!! 1980 I was 10 years old!! And this was going on!!
Old ronald raygun was some wretch. So much damage was done. Cannot even imagine what's NOT being disclosed that went on.
I hope Carter is lucid enough to hear this and understand the truth that's being exposed. One more reason for him to be at peace.
I wonder if Jimmy Carter is still of sound mind enough to be taking in this story... 🤔
This was rumoured for a long time. I'm no insider (I'm not even American), but I had heard this about Reagan's administration a long time ago. I'm glad that Peter Baker put some facts on this story.
How the sausage is made can sometimes be VERY dirty.
Most people would call this Treason.
Always suspected there was way more to the "October Surprise" rumors than what we were told.
I'm glad the sensationalism of this story is backed up by the facts. It's long been rumored that this happened, and I learned about these strong rumors in high school in the early 2000s. Even if Reagan didn't know of this arrangement, it makes him an inept Harding like figure instead of the benevolent statesman that his supporters believe him to be.
He was not inept until his second term - when he literally had full blown alzheimers - but they covered that up - but he would literally go significant periods of time where he did not know what world he was in - Nancy made all the decisions - including who could be close enough to tell he was no longer there a large part of the time.
You know, Ronnell Reagan knew about this
So, Carter should have had 4 more years, and we would have had electric cars 35 years sooner, and potentially infinitely farther from climate crisis. So, it wasn't just a couple dozen American lives being toyed with - the entire planet has paid the price.
Joe please stop talking about Reagan Republicans being better than Trump Republicans