"The dramatic film footage of U.S. embassy personnel in Tehran taken hostage by Islamic militants in 1979 remains a haunting memory for Americans who watched the crisis unfold on television. But far removed from the news cameras an even more harrowing series of events took place that involved the author of this book. Bill Daugherty was specially targeted by his captors once they learned he was an officer in the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

Enduring extraordinarily harsh treatment, he managed to survive the 444-day ordeal by relying on his training as a Marine and his experience in combat. Ultimately he was awarded the State Department Medal of Valor and the CIA Exceptional Service Medal.".

"In addition to his own firsthand knowledge of events, Daugherty draws on intelligence information not available to previous writers, recently declassified materials, and interviews with key government officials to shed light on what happened and why. Among the book's many revelations are details of the decision-making process in the White House during the crisis and the involvement of the former Soviet Union.

To help the reader fully understand the situation, the author also takes a serious look at U.S.-Iran relations over the past fifty years. Daugherty's account of this pivotal event in U.S. diplomatic history is impressively objective and, considering the still volatile situation in the Middle East, it begs careful analysis."--BOOK JACKET.