Christmas in Tehran During the 1979 Iran Hostage Crisis

Summary

Summary of "Christmas in Tehran During the 1979 Iran Hostage Crisis"

The New Yorker Radio Hour delves into a compelling and personal narrative surrounding the Christmas of 1979, amidst the tumultuous Iran Hostage Crisis. Hosted by Adam Howard, the episode offers an intimate glimpse into his father Reverend M. William Howard Jr.'s unexpected journey to Tehran to conduct Christmas services for American hostages. This summary captures the essence of the episode, highlighting key discussions, insights, and emotional moments.

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Introduction: An Unexpected Invitation

The story begins with Reverend M. William Howard Jr., a prominent minister and president of the National Council of Churches, receiving an unusual telegram on December 22, 1979. This invitation from the Revolutionary Council of Iran requested him to lead Christmas services at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran during the unfolding hostage crisis.

Adam Howard recounts:

“I have a personal, sort of unusual holiday story to share with you today. It starts back in 1979.” [00:53]

Reverend Howard, along with other clergymen like William Sloane Coffin and Bishop Thomas Gumbleton, accepted the invitation despite the escalating tensions and fears surrounding the crisis.

Context of the Hostage Crisis

The Iran Hostage Crisis erupted when Iranian revolutionaries seized the U.S. Embassy, holding over 50 American diplomats hostage. This political upheaval was primarily a response to the U.S.'s support for the Shah of Iran, who had fled to the United States for cancer treatment.

Adam Howard explains:

“During the hostage crisis, revolutionaries in Iran invaded the embassy because of America's ties to the Shah.” [03:25]

The clergymen's mission was both a humanitarian effort and a strategic move to alleviate public unrest and prevent potential military interventions.

Journey to Tehran: Navigating Uncertainty

Upon arrival at JFK Airport, Reverend Howard and his colleagues were swiftly escorted through private channels to Tehran. The atmosphere was charged with anticipation as media from around the world sought to document this unprecedented visit.

Reverend Howard shares:

“We arrived in Iran. We were escorted to the Hilton Hotel. It was like a circus with people from all over the world wanting to meet us.” [12:30]

Their reception at the embassy was both ceremonial and tense. They were blindfolded and separated, signifying the precariousness of their mission.

Engaging with the Hostages

Once inside, Reverend Howard met the hostages for the first time. The initial interaction was marked by suspicion and uncertainty. However, as conversations unfolded, a bridge of understanding began to form.

Reverend Howard recalls:

“I said, look, I have a family. I'd rather be at home, but doggone it, I agreed to come over here because the nation is concerned about you.” [20:14]

They conducted a short prayer, which served as a moment of solace and reflection for both the clergymen and the hostages.

Cultural and Religious Sensitivities

The episode highlights the delicate balance Reverend Howard had to maintain between respecting the hostages' diverse religious beliefs and introducing Christmas traditions. The Iranian captors, predominantly Shiite Muslims, aimed to honor the Christian faith of the hostages without imposing their own religious narratives.

Reverend Howard explains:

“We wanted to show respect for the Christian faith. It was essential to acknowledge their beliefs without imposing our own traditions.” [06:12]

Challenges and Tensions

Despite the peaceful intentions, tensions remained. Reverend Howard’s colleague, Bill Coffin, momentarily veered towards provocative remarks, drawing a parallel to the Vietnam War and suggesting a potential removal of hostages. This incident underscored the fragility of their mission.

Reverend Howard recounts:

“Bill backed down right away when he made those comments. It was a reminder of how delicate the situation was.” [24:10]

Additionally, interactions with the Shiite mullahs revealed the deep-seated grievances against U.S. policies and the legacy of the Shah’s regime.

Impact and Reflections

Upon returning to the United States, Reverend Howard faced intense media scrutiny and public reaction. His appearance on shows like Donahue highlighted the polarized perceptions of the hostage crisis and the role of American support for the Shah.

Reverend Howard reflects:

“The people were angry, they were uninformed. That combination was pretty dangerous.” [29:01]

The experience profoundly influenced Adam Howard’s understanding of Christmas and faith. He realized the profound sense of vulnerability and reliance on faith that arises when individuals are stripped of their autonomy.

Adam Howard shares:

“In the Iranian hostage crisis, I understood how alone we are and how powerless we are when other people take control. It’s in that setting that one can develop faith.” [30:12]

Conclusion: A Legacy of Faith and Compassion

Reverend Howard's involvement in the crisis not only provided comfort to the hostages but also served as a testament to the enduring power of faith and compassion amidst political turmoil. His legacy extends beyond the crisis, influencing movements like the anti-apartheid struggle and leading theological education at the New York Theological Seminary.

Adam Howard concludes:

“That's my father, Reverend M. William Howard Jr., a pillar of faith and resilience.” [32:18]

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Notable Quotes

• Adam Howard: “I have a personal, sort of unusual holiday story to share with you today. It starts back in 1979.” [00:53]
• Reverend Howard: “We agreed to conduct Christmas services because the nation is concerned about you.” [20:14]
• Reverend Howard: “We want to show respect for the Christian faith without imposing our own traditions.” [06:12]
• Adam Howard: “In the Iranian hostage crisis, I understood how alone we are and how powerless we are when other people take control.” [30:12]
• Reverend Howard: “The people were angry, they were uninformed. That combination was pretty dangerous.” [29:01]

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This episode of The New Yorker Radio Hour offers a poignant exploration of faith, diplomacy, and human resilience during one of the most challenging periods in U.S.-Iran relations. Through Reverend Howard’s firsthand account, listeners gain a nuanced understanding of the complexities involved in providing solace and support amidst geopolitical strife.

Transcript

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[Adam Howard]

Welcome to the New Yorker Radio Hour. I'm Adam Howard and I have a personal, sort of unusual holiday story to share with you today. It starts back in 1979.

[WNYC Announcer]

On 22 December, which was a Saturday. Your mother and I had been out grocery shopping, so when we returned, we found the telegram. I read the telegram aloud to her and it said something like, the Revolutionary Council of Iran is pleased to invite you to conduct Christmas services with the Americans in the U.S. embassy.

[Adam Howard]

That's the Reverend M. William Howard Jr. He received that telegram as the Iran hostage crisis was unfolding. Reverend Howard was a prominent minister at the time, the president of the National Council of Churches. He also happens to be my father. So when this came across your mail and you're reading it with Mom, I mean, did you even hesitate for a minute? Or did she raise any concerns or reservations about you going?

[WNYC Announcer]

Well, as you know, I've done some pretty daring things in my younger days. One of the things she often said when I was given invitations to go to various places Like Syria or Guatemala. She would look at me and say, is this what you think you need to do?

[Adam Howard]

During the hostage crisis, revolutionaries in Iran invaded the embassy because of America's ties to the Shah. The Shah was the country's corrupt last monarch and he'd been propped up largely by the CIA. Now, by that point, the Shah was in the United States receiving treatment for terminal cancer. The revolutionaries had vowed to occupy the embassy until the US Sent him back, something that the United States was refusing to do. The US Embassy in Tehran has been invaded and occupied by Iranian students. The Americans inside have been taken prisoner.

[WNYC Announcer]

And according to a student spokesman, will be held as hostages until the deposed.

[Adam Howard]

Shah is returned from the United States. They had taken more than 50 hostages. My father got his invitation seven weeks into the crisis. Now, I wasn't even born yet. My older brother Matthew was 2.

[WNYC Announcer]

Shortly after I received the telegram, it came on the news that American clergy had been invited. And they mentioned that William Sloane Coffin, who was leader of the Riverside Church in New York, and Bishop Thomas Gumbleton of the Roman Church were going to also go.

[Adam Howard]

My father and the other clergymen were asked to be there because of their reputations within their religious communities. But they were also known to be progressive minded people, which didn't hurt.

[WNYC Announcer]

And we agreed to meet the following day at Riverside in New York. We met and we thought about, you know, the implications of this. We began to call around and speak with people who could give us some kind of orientation. We talked with then Secretary of State Cyrus Vance.

[Adam Howard]

What was his perspective on what he thought was happening here.

[WNYC Announcer]

Frankly, they were delighted that we had been invited because up to this time, no American had been allowed to see the Americans that were in captivity there at the embassy. So of course there was a lot of speculation, but no one had actually seen them. So we were in no way discouraged from doing this. It never really occurred to me. And this was a striking question, surprising question I received from many people who presumed that there was a level of risk that we might be taken hostage.

[Adam Howard]

I was going to ask, I mean, was that a genuine fear that you had or.

[WNYC Announcer]

No, I don't think either of us who traveled to Iran had that feeling.

[Adam Howard]

Why?

[WNYC Announcer]

Number one, we'd been invited. And number two, from the beginning, there was a sense of genuine respect for the religious heritage of the hostages. Unitary. I mean, there were people there who were orthodox, there were non believers, but there was a presumption that they were Christian. And remember, the Iranian government was overwhelmingly Shiite Islam.

[Adam Howard]

Right.

[WNYC Announcer]

And they wanted to show Respect for the Christian faith. Now, keep in mind that prior to that time, a lot of the public discourse, news media, they referred to these people as communists. See, they were very devout Muslims, from all that I could tell before and during this event.

[Adam Howard]

I do want to touch back on Matthew because he was about what, you know, my daughter's age almost at that time. I'm assuming he was far too young to understand any of what was happening. But, I mean, did you explain to him that you were going away? Were you concerned about, you know, his well being while you were in this pretty scary situation?

[WNYC Announcer]

Well, yes, of course. And I'm not recalling the exact thing that mom and I said together, but remember, this is at Christmas, and Mom was responsible for assembling toys and things like that while I was away. She, you know, made me aware that she had quite a struggle getting him ready for Christmas. But the interesting thing about this is that the Iranian hostage crisis was the breaking news all day, you see, and Matthew literally could watch his father, television. It didn't feel, I guess, to him that I was so far away. At this moment, there are 50Americans who don't have freedom, who don't have joy.

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[WNYC Announcer]

Their families with them. And there are 50American families in this nation who also will not experience all the joys and the light and the happiness of Christmas.

[Adam Howard]

How concerned were you about the fact that this was probably as much a PR move as it was sort of a genuine act of kindness?

[WNYC Announcer]

Well, let me just say I think propaganda is always part of something like this. But on the other hand, we had a public that was quite riled up. Who knows what might have resulted if this issue were not somehow addressed. In other words, might there be an American invasion, an attempt to rescue the hostages in a militaristic way? And frankly, I saw this as an opportunity to reduce that possibility. And this thing just kept going on and on and a lot of vigorous protests. I don't know if you would recall. You may have read it.

[Adam Howard]

Yeah, I've seen the footage.

[WNYC Announcer]

Yellow ribbons.

[Adam Howard]

Right, right.

[WNYC Announcer]

That thing, I think it was taken from a.

[Adam Howard]

And there's a lot of T shirts with the Ayatollah on it. Yes, but, you know, mocking his name.

[WNYC Announcer]

They invaded a Sacred heart, the Embass, an embassy is a sacred part of any nation. That's what they invaded. The Ayatollah is condoning this and we want them. As I recall, we went to the airport, jfk, and it was evident that we were getting. I'M not sure who was giving us this assistance. I thought maybe the airport authorities, because we were taken through a private entrance to the airport and held in a very lovely private lounge, not in the normal sort of place until our flight left. It's like you enter a situation, it's ordinary in some ways, but the gravity of it unfolds as you're in it. We arrived in Iran. We were escorted to the, I think the Hilton Hotel. And we walked in the door and there must have been 200 or more press people. It was a circus. I mean, people from the United States, but from all over the world wanting to meet these clergy who were about to go into the embassy. You know, I'm a Protestant clergyman. I'm thinking Christmas, that's tomorrow. Because this was in the evening of Christmas Eve. And I had staff people accompany me and some one of them came to the door of the hotel and knocked on the door and said, bill, you'd better get dressed. We have to be at the embassy at the strike of midnight, the midnight mass. And that's what the Muslim hosts knew about the Christian. So we dressed quickly and literally at midnight, we were at the embassy, driving to the embassy from the hotel. You talk about paparazzi. I mean, my lord, you know, just speeding cars, reporters hanging out the window of cars with TV cameras. And you're wondering, is there going to be some kind of accident, accident here? But we arrived at the embassy and the moment we arrived and we were expected.

[Adam Howard]

Yeah.

[WNYC Announcer]

You know, that's when that'd have been awkward. Yeah. We didn't surprise them. Yeah.

[Adam Howard]

Yeah.

[WNYC Announcer]

But the thing that what happened at that point really became interesting. They blindfolded us.

[Adam Howard]

They at least give you a warning that they were going to do that.

[WNYC Announcer]

They explained to us why we were being blindfolded. Sure, they weren't mean to us.

[Adam Howard]

Right.

[WNYC Announcer]

But we were completely at their mercy.

[Adam Howard]

My dad, the Reverend M. William Howard, Jr. Recalling his visit to the U.S. embassy in Tehran during the Iran hostage crisis of 1979. Our story continues in a moment. This is the New Yorker Radio Hour. Stick around.

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[Adam Howard]

This is the New Yorker Radio Hour. I'm Adam Howard. We're hearing a story today about the Christmas of 1979 when a young pastor traveled to Tehran during the Iran hostage crisis. At the time, the diplomatic staff of this US embassy had been held by revolutionaries for about seven weeks. Their captivity would ultimately last 444 days. My father, Reverend M. William Howard, Jr. Received an invitation to Iran by telegram, along with another Protestant minister and the Catholic bishop of Detroit. That was December 22nd. Just two days later, Christmas Eve, the three clergymen were ushered into the embassy to meet the hostages.

[WNYC Announcer]

They escorted us to a place, sat us down. Once we were inside, they removed the blindfold. Now each of us were taken to a different location. We didn't know where the other people were, our colleagues. I was brought to a large room, well lit, and there was a table there with sort of desserts, you know, like cookies and cakes and so forth. That was the Muslim understanding of how Christmas was celebrated.

[Adam Howard]

What was it like, sugar cookies and things?

[WNYC Announcer]

I think it was sweet stuff. I don't know. I didn't explore it because I didn't dare eat it.

[Adam Howard]

Sure, sure, I didn't. Was there a Christmas tree there and all that stuff?

[WNYC Announcer]

Oh, yes, yes. It was sort of like what the Shiites imagined, maybe what they had seen on movies. Movies, you know, in walks a stream of people, obviously hostages. And some of them were wiping their eyes and looking around. And of course, they're looking at me like, who the hell is this guy? They looked as if they had been kept in maybe a place not so bright. They didn't look disheveled or abused or anything. And so one of the students, and let me just say, the hostages were taken by and held by university age students. And one of them said to the incoming people, this is Reverend Howard. He's going to conduct Christmas services.

[Adam Howard]

How did they take that?

[WNYC Announcer]

Did they say, oh, with a lot of reluctance, you might say, suspicion. Like, who is this guy? And once, you know, they were all seated, I said, look, if I were in your situation, I would be suspicious of me, too. And I said, in so many words, look, I have a family. I'd rather be at home, but doggone it, I agreed to come over here because the nation is concerned about you. And then they began to warm up because I was not kidding around with, you know, I said, look, if you don't want Christmas, we could just sit here until they come and get you. And then at some point, one or two of them would say, no, Reverend, we respect what you're doing. And, you know, what do you have planned? You know? And I said to them, look, I don't know your religious affiliation, so I'm not going to come and impose my own religious tradition on you. So you need to talk to me about what your needs are. And I remember very early in the conversation, before anything that we might consider religious began to happen, they asked me about the NFL playoffs.

[Adam Howard]

That's a test. If you're really an American.

[WNYC Announcer]

Yeah. Are you? Are you really who you say you are? You know, yard line. So Denver will be moving on offense from their own 11 yard line. That punt covering some 33 yards. 843. That is the time remaining in the first quarter. It is Denver 7, Houston 3. And then at some point, someone asked if I would offer a prayer. And we had a prayer. You know, the prayer was sort of a culmination of the conversation of acquaintance, and it was a prayer of contrition prayer, recognizing the need for the intervention of a divine spirit and so forth and so on. But it was not long. My colleague Bill Coffin was quite the musician, and I learned later that he actually played the piano for the people he was with. There was a piano there, and they sang church hymns. Well, I had no facility of that kind, but we did something that I think personally was quite affirming of the people. I said to them, if you have, as individuals, something you want to share with me of a personal nature and so forth, you know, sort of pastoral counseling, if you will, I'm going to sit here and you can come over. And there were a few people who came over. We talked about how they were being treated, and they wondered, for example, if there was a way for me to communicate with their families, and was there a way for us to make an appeal for their release. And sure enough, on Christmas afternoon, a representation of our group went back to the embassy to pick up letters that were being written by the hostages, and they were subsequently delivered to the family members when we returned. So that is essentially the first sort of link the family members had with their relatives who were being held captive. And then at some point, the times ended and they were escorted out of the room. My colleagues and I eventually wound up in a common room that felt like a basement to me. And the students who actually had invaded the embassy, taken the hostages, were there. And by the way, around the wall of this room were very young men. They could have been teenagers from all that I could tell very much, armed with semiautomatic rifles or automatic rifles, standing around the wall of this little room. And that's when Dr. Coffin said something to the effect, how many of these folk are you going to allow us to take home.

[Adam Howard]

Now, when he said this, had he given you and your colleagues any warning that he was going.

[WNYC Announcer]

To do this, about what he was going to say?

[Adam Howard]

Did he. Did you think this is completely crazy what he's doing and dangerous?

[WNYC Announcer]

Well, I said right away, Bill, is not that kind of situation. He was associating this with Vietnam. The Vietnamese were not driven by religion. These were people of real conviction about Islam. There was a female leader of these students, and she was known in the American media as Mary. When she spoke to him very sternly, you heard the young men cock their rifles, that kind of sound. And I said to him, bill, you'd better leave that alone. And he backed down right away. And after that experience in that room, we also were taken to meet with the mullahs. In the Shiite tradition, the clergy are mullahs.

[Adam Howard]

Did you get a sense that anybody was trying to. I hate to use the word indoctrinate, because that's so loaded, but trying to get you to be persuaded as to either the message of the captors or some other alternative perspective about what was going on to bring back to the United States?

[WNYC Announcer]

No, but let me answer that in two ways. One, the students were always clear, not appearing to try and influence us, but they were very clear about the role of the US in supporting the Shah, the presence of the US in Iran, the role of the US in overthrowing Mohammad Mosaddegh in the 1950s. They knew all of that in ways that most Americans did not. But when we went to visit the mullahs after visiting the Foreign Ministry, there were so many checkpoints, armed checkpoints. And it was evident at that point that we were going to visit the real power, not the government guy, but these clergy. And we were clergy. They were clergy. So we sat in this little room. I mean, a little room. Like, if Amula was sitting here and I'm sitting here, our knees were almost touching. And that was when they really poured out all of their suffering. Some of them were crying. They told us stories. I'll give you one really iconic story about American teenagers riding motor scooters into the mosque at prayer time. And the leaders. The leaders were unable to do anything about it because the Americans were so much in, so much influential of the Shah that the Shah would not allow anything untoward to happen to the Americans. So these kids could just disrespect and so forth. And they cried. They explained. There was some guy there with one eye, and he told a story about how he lost his sight, the brutality of the Shah. Now we had some general knowledge of this, but this was like detailing now on the image and indoctrination thing because many people in the United States were assuming that if you guys could get in there and see the hostages, you must be a little bit biased toward these folks. You know, that was going around. And so what we decided, because we got some word that the Ayatollah was going to invite us for a conversation. And we had seen these conversations on.

[Adam Howard]

The television dictating to people.

[WNYC Announcer]

He's telling them things. And you were sitting there quietly. We did not want to be in that situation. So we literally planned our exit from the country in some forethought that this may transpire. So we were successful.

[Adam Howard]

And I'm sure he maybe would have used it for propaganda purposes. Oh, yeah, yeah.

[WNYC Announcer]

Oh, yes. It would have been on American television before you could imagine.

[Adam Howard]

So, speaking of American television, when you came back, obviously there was quite a lot of press coverage, quite infamously, in our family memories. You appeared on the Donahue show. What are your memories of that in terms of what the reception was when you came back?

[WNYC Announcer]

It was virtually every major outlet. One thing I would say, especially the live shows, is how uninformed the people in those audiences were about the history of Iran. I'm tired of seeing my flag burned. I'm tired of seeing hearing these people kill President Carter, saying to go in and. And militarily take them over. But I think that you better understand that we are tired of everywhere in this world that people that we have helped turning around and allowing them to destroy our flag, our self image. And I, for one, oh, wow. I mean, the people were angry, they were uninformed. And when you put those two combinations together, man, that's a pretty. That's a pretty dangerous combination.

[Adam Howard]

I wonder, when you reflect back on this, what do you think about what took place? And did this experience in any way change your perspective on the holiday of Christmas?

[WNYC Announcer]

I'm from the school of religious thought that doubts whether the average worshiper has fully understood the tradition that they claim. I think in this period we are seeing, for example, how devoid certain sectors of the American religious community is of basic Christian principles and ethics, how they behave in politics and so forth. I knew deeply the religious significance of Christmas, of course, but I knew that Christmas had evolved into, and it still is, an overwhelmingly commercial enterprise. It's about giving gifts. So I understood that. But what I did understand in this experience was what it meant for the first time, really. And you know very well that I grew up in the Jim Crow south, where there were many instances of not necessarily knowing how much control you really had in your life because of external forces, meaning segregationist and so on. It was in the Iranian hostage crisis that I understood how alone we are and how powerless we are when other people take control. And really, it's in that setting that one can develop faith. If you think you have other options, you often don't turn to faith. When you have no other options, you turn to faith.

[Adam Howard]

That's my father, m. William Howard Jr. The former president of the National Council of Churches. He went on to be active in the anti apartheid movement, became president of the New York Theological Seminary, and grandfather to my two adorable daughters. That's the New Yorker Radio Hour for today. Thank you for listening. David Remnick will be back next week.

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Kenya Young is the senior Vice president at New York Public Radio. The New Yorker Radio Hour is supported in part by the Cherina Endowment Fund.

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My name is Madeline Barron. I'm a journalist for the New Yorker. I focus on stories where powerful people or institutions are doing something that's harming people or harming someone or something in some way. And so my job is to report that so exhaustively that we can reveal what's actually going on and present it to the public. You know, for us at in the Dark, we're paying equal attention to the reporting and the storytelling. And we felt a real kinship with the New Yorker, like the combination of the deeply reported stories that the New Yorker is known for, but also the quality of those stories, the attention to narrative. If I could give you only one reason to subscribe to the New Yorker. It would be, maybe this is not the answer you're looking for, but I just don't think that there is any other magazine in America that combines so many different types of things into a single issue. As a New Yorker, you know, like, you have poetry, you have theater reviews, you have restaurant recommendations, which for some reason I read even though I don't live in New York City. And all of those things are great, but I haven't even mentioned, like, the other half of the magazine, which is deeply reported stories that honestly are the first things that I read. You know, I'm a big fan of gymnastics and people will say, oh, we're so lucky to live in the era of Simone Biles, which I agree. We're also so lucky to live in the era of Lawrence Wright, Jane Mayer, Ronan Farrow, Patrick Radden, Keefe. And so to me, it's like, I can't imagine not reading these writers.

[Adam Howard]

You can have all the journalism, the fiction, the film book and TV reviews, all the cartoons just by going right.

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[Adam Howard]

Winning work just waiting for you. That's newyorker.com dark and thanks.