Returning Iran Hostages Press Conference - Audio qulaity is natural to master
Returning Iran Hostages Press Conference - Audio qulaity is natural to master
Returning Iran Hostages Press Conference West Point, New York
Returning Iran Hostages Press Conference - Audio qulaity is natural to master
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Returning Iran Hostages Press Conference - Audio qulaity is natural to master
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Returning Iran Hostages Press Conference - Audio qulaity is natural to master
Titles
Returning Iran Hostages Press Conference - Audio qulaity is natural to master
Paul Smirnoff, PBS Reporter, introduces coverage of homecoming press conference of Iran Hostages at West Point.
Returning Iran Hostages Press Conference - Audio qulaity is natural to master
Audience at returning Iran hostages press conference. Bruce Laingen, former Charge d'Affaires, US embassy staff in Iran. At the first opportunity this morning, back on American soil, we want to reach out with affection and undying respect to the families of the eight men who did not come back. Their readiness will always be the symbol of the best in American dedication, to the principles of freedom that we all enjoy. We also pay our respects to those who have gone before us and come out before us - Richard Queen, the six with the assistance of the friendly government Canada, and the thirteen who were released earlier and those who by happenstance and good fortune happened to be out of the embassy that morning. We look forward with keen anticipation to rejoining them in Washington this morning."
Returning Iran Hostages Press Conference - Audio qulaity is natural to master
Bruce Laingen. "We also want to reach out with thanks to all of our countrymen. We have been humbled by what we have seen of the magnificence of the support both while we were captive and now so beautifully after we have been released. To paraphrase I think never has so small a group owed so much too so many the countless prayers in the countless synagogues and churches all across this country. The expression of love, many of them that have come through to us by mail, of children all across this country. Things like a valentine reached some of us in August but nonetheless very welcome. From a school girl in California that told us it s just not America without you. That was a beautiful expression in simple children s words that reached some of us and I think were felt by all of us. Countless messages from groups all over the country. The yellow ribbons. The church bells that we gather have rung in many places all across this country. Church bells that in the future will add, I think, I hope, for us a new dimension, not only of the blessings of almighty God but a reminder, refurbished by this experience of the blessings of freedom that we enjoy in this country. We have a love affair with this town, with this academy, with the men and women who are here, with General Goodpaster and Mrs. Goodpaster and all of the others who have made our stay here so welcome, including the staff, and all those wonderful people over at the hotel Thayer."
Returning Iran Hostages Press Conference - Audio qulaity is natural to master
Bruce Laingen. And we remember particularly and we want to make note of it again, as many of us have already with you, that celebration of love that we experienced on that drive in from the airport, through those cities and towns along that road, that demonstration of small town America. We saw that and we knew we were home. We saw that and we knew America was well. I remember that evening an excerpt from a TV coverage of that affair. The buses I gather made it difficult for you to see in because the windows were a bit smoky. This boy was asked about that and he said, it was a boy about ten, that it didn t matter if I saw them or if we on the street saw them it was important that they saw us. And I want to tell that boy, and I want to tell you, and I want to tell all of America, that we saw him and we saw you and we are deeply grateful. We saw it simply not as a welcome to us 52 people, but as evidence that the spirit of American is strong, that America has heart, that America is prepared as it always has been, refurbished perhaps by this experience to reach out to people in distress.
Returning Iran Hostages Press Conference - Audio qulaity is natural to master
Bruce Laingen. Today we look forward to another demonstration of that kind of respect. We look forward to paying our respect to our new President, President Reagan, and to expressing to him our appreciation for our government s support for us during our time of captivity and the process of achieving our release. And to renewing our commitment to the American people through him to the principles and purposes of our country, we as government servants and private citizens. I know I speak for all of my colleagues in saying that we have great pride in the way our country demonstrated through this affair, through those long months, its respect for the defense of principles of international law, international decency and civility, damaged in this crisis,, strengthened by the stand our government took, and so important to all governments around the world, including the government of the country from which we ve come. The Spanish ambassador in Tehran at one early stage in this capacity passed to me a quote that he remembered, perhaps all of you have heard but it was new to me, it goes to the effect that patience is a bitter cup that only the strong can drink. That was true for all of us, for all of you and for our families in particular.
Returning Iran Hostages Press Conference - Audio qulaity is natural to master
Bruce Laingen. Finally may I, on a personal basis speaking as head of this embassy in exile, out of business I supposed officially as of today even though it hasn t had much work to do for some time how much I respect and admire and have benefited from the courage, the resilience, the professionalism of all these people, every single one of them, how much they furthered the purposes of our mission when we were a functioning diplomatic mission, how much they did for each other and for all of us back home to face up to the difficulties of those 14 months. Those qualities that they demonstrated plus the knowledge of the support, and I know they had it in their hearts that knowledge, the support of all of you back here made it possible for all of us to face up to the difficulties we faced. And for those, my 49 colleagues and particularly Richard Queen and the 6 and the 13 to cope with the abuse of the fundamental human rights that were so egregiously violated in our experience.
Returning Iran Hostages Press Conference - Audio qulaity is natural to master
Bruce Laingen. Finally, one more point, and we had made that point all along the way, we are so grateful, our government is grateful, out people our grateful to governments all around the world for the backing and support they have given us in this crisis. We want to pay particular respect to the government of Algeria, to the distinguished Prime Minister and foreign minister, their diplomats, who were so instrumental both for the government of the United States and Iran to achieve this settlement and who gave us that first stage of that magnificent flight to freedom that we have been on now for some a week I guess it is. I suppose nothing will match, nothing could match the scene on the Algerian aircraft as we left Tehran applauding as the wheels left the soil on which we had spent some time while eventually it got sort of rested with us, we thought you really can t fly an airplane with everybody in the aisles slapping each other on the back. We are also indebted to the government of Switzerland for the way they have protected and furthered our interests in this difficult time in Iran. And at risk of naming yet another, because so many governments have been of support, the most recent hospitality we have benefited from government and people of the Federal Republic of Germany. And those beautiful people back there in Wiesbaden. I cannot overlook the Irish because I m sure there are Irish among us and when we met with the Prime Minister of Ireland - our families find that rather amusing and I m not sure why we identified a dozen Irishmen in our midst, but the Prime Minister said it doesn t matter as far as we re concerned your all Irish today.