Iran had hostage deal with Reagan

Re Cal Thomas column on Sunday:

Once again Cal Thomas is rewriting history. In his Sunday column he suggests that Iran released the hostages in 1981 because they feared Reagan as opposed to the “weak” Carter. I guess he's never heard of the October Surprise, which has been documented ad nauseum and nearly brought down the Reagan presidency.

Behind Carter's back, the Reagan campaign worked out a deal with the leader of Iran's radical faction - Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khomeini - to keep the hostages in captivity until after the 1980 Presidential election. Reagan promised them (and delivered) a better deal with his administration. Thomas' version makes a nice bedtime story.

This story was originally published January 28, 2016 at 9:59 PM with the headline "Iran had hostage deal with Reagan."