James GleickThere’s no longer any doubt. Ronald Reagan prolonged the captivity of the 52 American hostages by making a corrupt bargain with Iran to help his election.
Michael Katzmann🐈
Larry 
@vk2bea @JamesGleick This was the first thing I thought of.
Camille Bacon-Smith@JamesGleick How is this different from the Iran-Contra hearings that should have put a slew of people in jail but didn't because Reagan was such an "aw shucks" kinda guy?
Ramzi Nemo@JamesGleick How fitting that a #TSEliot poem titled #TheHollowMen includes the insight that everything “ends not with a bang, but a whimper.”
Stargeezer Smith@JamesGleick
That was considered at the time as I recall.
That was considered at the time as I recall.
Scott Bailey@JamesGleick Reagan was the dangerous, evil puppet protégé of Nixon.
Fifty Shades of Hey@JamesGleick And then the Reagan administration went on to secretly facilitate the sale of arms to Iran, and use the proceeds of the arms sale to fund Contras fighting against Sandinistas in Nicaragua. All of the officials convicted in the scandal either had their sentences vacated on appeal or were pardoned by George H. W. Bush.
Michael de PodestaI remember learning from Ken Burns documentary on The Vietnam War that Nixon had promised they North Vietnamese that if they held out at peace talks with LBJ's administration that he would offer them a better deal if he won the election.
I'm a brit, but I remember being shocked at such traitorous double-dealing.
Reading that story I feel doubly shocked to learn that similarly traitorous behaviour could have happened twice.
John Weeks 
@JamesGleick Reminds me of when Nixon made a deal with the North Vietnamese, seems like a pattern
Mike@JamesGleick There was never any doubt
Doug is riding the mastodon!@JamesGleick I thought it was well known but media were afraid to print it. Seems like every (or nearly every) republican that ultimately occupied the white house got there through dubious means. (And I'm counting electoral college vs. popular vote among these.)
Mary Forrest@JamesGleick Imagine being one of the hostages or one of their loved ones. Prolonging their captivity for any length of time for purely political purposes is sadistic. How many of these ghouls had yellow ribbons displayed in front of their homes?
Lily Star@JamesGleick Reagan is the reason for everything you hate about America today.
VHaschAs someone who was not political at the time , I can tell you it was obvious what was going on. Like something out of a Hollywood western, with the new sheriff saving the day.
Hokey, but it seemed to fool people.