In the Shadow of the Ayatollah: A CIA Hostage in Iran

Rating:
Summary: A Timely Review for Those Who Remember
Review: Author William Daugherty provides the reader with a review of the incidents leading up to the 1979 taking of American hostages from the American embassy in Iran. The first nine chapters provide you with background information regarding the shah and relations between the the United States and Iran. The author then provides us with details regarding the taking of the embassy by the Iranians, their unskilled attempts at questioning him, the food they were provided to eat, and their movement from one place to another. Author Daugherty believes the embassy would not have been taken over by the Iranians if the shah had come directly to the U.S. from Iran in 1979 for medican treatment. However, it was a mistake to let the shah "roam the world for ten months" before entering the U.S. that led the embassy to be taken over by the Iranians. Bitterness towards then President Carter was in the minds of the former hostages when released. Carter addressed the former hostages and took a few polite questions until a State Department officer commented that the embassy had provided plenty of advance warning of what would happen if the shah entered the United States. Mr. Carter then looked to the floor, raised his head and smiled, and said he wanted his picture taken with each of them. Thus ended the meeting. The author does, however, praise Mr. Carter for his volunteer work since leaving office. The author also does a great job in providing examples of discussions with the Iranian guards and the futility of dealing with people who have closed minds. The Iranians somehow believed that the removal of President Carter in favor of Ronald Reagan would help their cause. They assumed that anyone who was Carter's opponent would be their friend. This despite the fact they were holding Americans against their will, claiming America was their enemy, and desecrating the American flag. I don't have time to list any additional examples here, but page 163 provides an outstanding example of the logic of their reasoning regarding stopping for a traffic light at 2:00 a.m.

Rating:
Summary: A Timely Review for Those Who Remember
Review: Author William Daugherty provides the reader with a review of the incidents leading up to the 1979 taking of American hostages from the American embassy in Iran. The first nine chapters provide you with background information regarding the shah and relations between the the United States and Iran. The author then provides us with details regarding the taking of the embassy by the Iranians, their unskilled attempts at questioning him, the food they were provided to eat, and their movement from one place to another. Author Daugherty believes the embassy would not have been taken over by the Iranians if the shah had come directly to the U.S. from Iran in 1979 for medican treatment. However, it was a mistake to let the shah "roam the world for ten months" before entering the U.S. that led the embassy to be taken over by the Iranians. Bitterness towards then President Carter was in the minds of the former hostages when released. Carter addressed the former hostages and took a few polite questions until a State Department officer commented that the embassy had provided plenty of advance warning of what would happen if the shah entered the United States. Mr. Carter then looked to the floor, raised his head and smiled, and said he wanted his picture taken with each of them. Thus ended the meeting. The author does, however, praise Mr. Carter for his volunteer work since leaving office. The author also does a great job in providing examples of discussions with the Iranian guards and the futility of dealing with people who have closed minds. The Iranians somehow believed that the removal of President Carter in favor of Ronald Reagan would help their cause. They assumed that anyone who was Carter's opponent would be their friend. This despite the fact they were holding Americans against their will, claiming America was their enemy, and desecrating the American flag. I don't have time to list any additional examples here, but page 163 provides an outstanding example of the logic of their reasoning regarding stopping for a traffic light at 2:00 a.m.

Rating:
Summary: Resist Terror and Survive with Class
Review: How can I most effectively resist my captors without being self destructive? This seminal question was answered by Stockdale in Hanoi, taught by Hegdahl in Navy Survival School, and practiced by Daugherty in Tehran. The lessons are all the more important today in our campaign against world terrorists. Once a master of resistance, Daugherty had become a master story teller and his book rings true.This is a must read for anyone going into combat and those who support them.

My review is based on 2,221 days experience as a prisoner of the Communist North Vietnamese and 5,475 days as a clinical social worker working mostly with veterans and active duty personnel.