Nov 4: The Day the Roof Fell In

Image via Wikipedia

Today is the 30th anniversary of the takeover by militants of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran. According to the Carter Library, of the 66 Americans who were taken hostage, 13 were released on Nov. 19 and 20, 1979; one was released on July 11, 1980, and the remaining 52 were released on Jan. 20, 1981.The 52 Americans were held hostage for 444 days from November 4, 1979 to January 20, 1981.

Anna Tinsley of the Star-Telegram in Fort Worth, TX wrote recently about Rick Kupke, one the the 52 hostages, who recalled his 444 days as Iranian hostage (As anniversary nears, Arlington man recalls his 444 days as Iranian hostage). Excerpts below:

Rick Kupke was busy encrypting classified messages inside the U.S. Embassy in Tehran when the Marine Corps guard yelled over the radio, "They’re coming over the wall!"[…]Kupke, then a 33-year-old communications officer and electronics specialist, sent the telegram, closed a vault door to keep workers in the second-floor office safe and began shredding sensitive government documents — including those about unpopular Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who fled to the U.S. that year.

"The State Department asked me if I destroyed all the cables going back and forth about the shah. They said, 'You have to confirm to us that you personally destroyed that.’ I said, 'Yes.’ Then they gave us the order to destroy all of our equipment."

After Kupke smashed Teletype machines, he began the first of three trips to the roof to keep rifles and shotguns out of the hands of Iranians. After his third trip, he became the 66th — and final — American taken hostage that day.[…]Kupke said he’ll call a handful of the 42 living hostages Wednesday. But Nov. 4 is not the day many of the hostages choose to remember.

The day they’d rather remember is Jan. 20, when they were released, former charge d’affaires L. Bruce Laingen of Bethesda, Md., has said.

"That’s a good day," he said. "Nov. 4 is the day the roof fell in."

Read the whole thing here.

Related Items:

• The Memory Hole: Photos of the Iran Hostage Crisis
• Carter Library: List of Casualties and Hostages

Related articles by Zemanta

• Many who stormed US embassy in Tehran now oppose Iranian regime (telegraph.co.uk)
• Iran: New Opposition Battle on U.S. Embassy Siege Day? (time.com)

Operation Jaque: Post-Rescue Photos Now Online

Three passports with the last known image of the three men,
their proof-of-life, had been prepared by
the American Embassy Bogota Consular Section in record time.
The Ambassador (William Brownfield) would present them with these symbols
in a small ceremony, welcoming them home.
[US Embassy Photo via Facebook]

Slightly over a year ago, Operation Jaque conducted in July 2, 2008, in Guaviare, Colombia secured the released of former Colombian presidential candidate Íngrid Betancourt and the three American military contractors for Northrop Grummanwho were held hostage by the FARC: Marc Gonsalves, Thomas Howes, and Keith Stansell.

The three former hostages have released a book about their experience (“Out of Captivity: Surviving 1,967 Days in the Columbian Jungle”) earlier this year. Ingrid Betancourt is reportedly finishing her own book about the ordeal.

The US Embassy Bogota in its new Facebook page has released for the first time, some of the pictures taken that day in Tolemaida and Bogotá. The post-rescue photos are posted here.

Insider Quote: What Diplomacy Is All About

John Limbert was one of 100 Americans held hostage after Iranian students took control of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran. Limbert is a former U.S. ambassador and distinguished professor of international affairs at the U.S. Naval Academy. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) correspondent Heather Maher asked him for his reflections on the 30th anniversary of Iran's Islamic Revolution.

RFE/RL: How do you think your time as a hostage in Iran changed you?

"Well, I really don't know, specifically. I mean, I'm the worst person to ask this, you'd have to ask maybe my family members or colleagues.

But I think a couple things came out of it. One, I think I got a new appreciation for our own profession -- that is, the profession of diplomacy. And the idea of how do you solve problems between nations and between people? Because at the end of the day, that's what diplomacy is all about, and the importance of that process. Because if that process breaks down, you essentially have anarchy, of the kind that we encountered in Tehran in '79."

John Limbert
Former U.S. Ambassador to Mauritania

Former Embassy Hostage Says He Was 'Wrong' About Iran's Revolution
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
February 6, 2009

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You

There you go – just a few weeks ago we got acquainted with Frank Trammell (with those atrocious eyeglasses and side burns as wide as Sydney Harbour Bridge) and now we have a few more -- not all from Hollywood, mind you, but they will all be coming to a screen, big or small, near you.

New mom, Amy Pohler has returned to "Saturday Night Live," reprising her role as Hillary Clinton to address her selection as Secretary of State. She touched on leaving her Senate seat: "It has been such an honor to serve you, the citizens of New York. Who am I kidding this is not my home state... Pack up the house in Chappaqua Bill! What's that? We never unpacked? Even better!"

Now, can you actually imagine SNL passing up on a chance to have Ms. Pohler’s Secretary of State eat yak eyeball soup while conducting diplomacy in Dukaaristan? Stay tune for more of Ms. Pohler! I wonder if this means, we’d get to see the real deal visit SNL more often or a stop at Jon Stewart soon, if only to debunk the funnies.

Meanwhile the outgoing Secretary of State also has a film coming up - “the first ever 'musical docu-tragi-comedy' in the history of cinema.” Courting Condi is a movie by British filmmaker Sebastian Doggart that portrays the quest of a love-struck man, actor Devin Ratray, who wants to win the heart of US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

From Courting Condi, Wikipedia

The movie blurb says:

“A spin on the Rapunzel fairy-tale, this unique romantic/political/biographic documentary feature will follow one love-struck soul's hilarious, emotionally engaging quest to woo one of the most mysterious figures in American politics, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Devin Ratray is an American Everyman - a 30 year old New York based website designer, musician and besotted admirer of Condi, who is doing all he can to meet her and penetrate her heart, soul and stretch limo. In contrast, Condoleezza Rice was judged most powerful woman in the world by Forbes magazine. She is currently Secretary of State and resides in Washington DC. She is single. COURTING CONDI will tell the life story of one of our era's most inspiring and controversial figures through an innovative combination of interviews, archive footage, animated stills and music. As Devin travels the country from Birmingham to Palo Alto to D.C., we learn more about this great lady from those who knew her best, and watch as Devin tries to win her heart.”

The Huffington Post is reporting that the Stanford Film Society (SFS) has canceled its Dec. 2 screening of "Courting Condi." Doggart believes that a conservative force within the University or even the federal government shut down the screening (Oh my!). Although the filmmakers speculated that Rice's supporters forced SFS to cancel the screening, SFS officers said they will not screen the film due to its poor quality. (Ouch!)

Courting Condi is scheduled for general international release in January 2009 and for transmission on Channel 4 in February 2009. I think this is going to open whether we like it or not - so might as well get the popcorn ready!

Now, beyond the Seventh Floor filmography, there are a couple more movies coming up:

"Real life hostage situation is now the basis for an untitled action thriller at Warner Bros that details the rescue of fifteen hostages in Colombia last year. The film will focus on Operacion Jaque (Checkmate), a five-year plan to locate and rescue three Americans who had been captured in 2003 by Colombian guerilla group FARC. The covert effort involved numerous governments, diplomats and intelligence services and a vast network of spies, military advisers and soldiers plus high-tech surveillance measures. New York Times Magazine’s foreign correspondent Peter Landesman will script the drama."

“We’re fed so many post-9/11 movies filled with political ambiguity, but this story is unequivocally about good vs. evil, with a happy ending,” Landesman said. The WB film will reportedly rely heavily on McLarty Associates as a resource. The consulting group was involved in the entire operation, having been hired by Northrop Grumman, which employed the three Americans. Read more here.

Movie Web is also reporting that Jessica Postigo is set to write Operation Checkmate, a drama based on the recent rescue of hostages held by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) for Screen Gems. According to Variety, Simon Brand is directing the drama. “The film will tell the story of the rescue from the viewpoint of military rescuers who duped FARC and freed 15 hostages, which included former presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt. Plan is to have the final 22 minutes of the rescue unfold in real time.”

So the screen race is on. Michael Douglas has been rumored to play Colombia’s President Uribe in one of these two films. Not fair! Who’s going to play Bill Brownfield, our Ambassador to Colombia? Or our Consular guys who's been at this since 2003? Brownfield is a career diplomat with three ambassadorships under his belt (including Chile and Venezuela; Hugo the Gladiator had threatened to kick him out of Venezuela twice, but never got beyond yak). Ed Harris would be great for the ambassador's role, except that he seemed to have less hair. British actor Jason Isaacs would, of course, be perfect unless you think James "the Soprano" Gandolfini could do better.


Whatever. I admit that this is a nice opportunity to have our diplomats on the silver screen - just don’t make them wear those wide side burns and please - give them some un-Trammell roles.

Mumbai Online

The bloggers in Mumbai were quick to help. Especially when the landlines were swamped and only text messaging could work. Below were the online sources I've looked at since 11/26. Obviously there are privacy concerns when amcits deal with any of the embassies and consulates; but there is a lesson here especially in the face of a mass casualty and how to leverage more effectively new technology.

Mumbai Help
http://mumbaihelp.blogspot.com/
Surviving Mumbai – Information for emergencies in the Bombay area

The group blog originally started in July 2005 has now about 40 contributors and provides information from blood banks, oxygen suppliers to Mumbai floods and this week, helping the victims of the terror attacks in the city of 13 million people. If you are trying to find friends or family in Mumbai, you’re asked to leave your contact cell phone and your friends/family’s cell phone in Mumbai. The group will try to SMS them and get back to you.

_____________________

Arun Shanbhag
http://arunshanbhag.com/

An American live blogging in Mumbai including twitter updates and Mumbai photos;
Follow updates on Twitter http://twitter.com/arunshanbhag
And photos at http://www.flickr.com/photos/shanbhag/

_____________________

Help Mumbai
http://helpmumbai.pinstorm.com/

A help page for the November 2008 Mumbai attacks with live twitter feeds, contact numbers and info on blood donation

_____________________

Mumbai Terror Help Online
http://mumbaiterrorhelpline.blogspot.com/

Blogger Harish Iyer with a virtual helpline to help foreign nationals and others, with up-to-date information. Some info reposted from Mumbai Help

_____________________

Global Voices Online
http://globalvoicesonline.org/-/world/south-asia/india/

_____________________

Mumbai Attacks
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/26_November_2008_Mumbai_attacks

The Wikipedia page for this unfolding event is already up and running, with volunteers presumably updating as events develop.

* * *

The Mayhem in Mumbai: Making sense of India's terrorist attacks
By Fareed Zakaria (a Mumbai native)
http://www.newsweek.com/id/171006

November 1979 - 444 Days

Photos from MemoryHole

On November 4, 1979, a group of Iranian students took control of the US embassy in Tehran and detained 52 US diplomats for 444 days.

The anniversary of the US embassy takeover in Tehran is marked each year by demonstrations and rallies against the United States. Reuters reports that the Iranian date of the takeover was the 13th day of Aban, which this year falls on November 3. So, today was no different. See the Reuters slideshow here.

You can see the names of all the hostages here and at the Carter Library here.

Back in November 1979, 29 years ago, Time writes: “However the embassy affair ends, it is a sharp reminder of the degree to which the traditional rules of international conduct can no longer be taken for granted. The world is changing; the unpredictable is becoming the commonplace.”

But that was only the beginning.

Related Items:

• Guests of the Ayatollah by Mark Bowden
• The First Strike from Time Magazine
  
• Blackmailing the U.S. from Time Magazine