Crisis: The True Story of an Unforgettable Year in the White House

Presidential advisor Hamilton Jordan (1944-2008) presents a revealing look inside the White House during the final year of Jimmy Carter's term. The story begins with the taking of hostages in Iran on November 4, 1979, and continues until Carter leaves office 15 months later. Jordan focuses mostly on that hostage crisis, and to some extent on the upcoming 1980 election. Readers get an inside view of President Carter, Secretary of State Cy Vance, National Security advisor Zbigniew Brezinski and Jordan as they strive to free the hostages. Not surprisingly they didn't always agree, and were bedeviled by Iranian shenanigans. Of course, inside Iran there was an apparent struggle between the fanatical Ayatollah Khomeini, foreign minister Ghotbzadeh (later shot) and moderate President Bani Sadr (who soon fled to France). Jordan also focuses heavily on the 1980 Presidential campaign, accurately guaging the primary challenge of Senator Ted Kennedy, and correctly viewing Republican Ronald Reagan as a formidable opponent. But he barely covers inflation, high gas prices, and the President's tightening of credit, all of which contributed to Carter's defeat. Jordan is understandably biased towards his boss, and overly optimistic on Iran. Despite these flaws, this is a gripping inside look.