“A few hours after [President Ronald] Reagan was inaugurated [on January 20, 1981], following four months of exhausting negotiations led by the Carter White House, Iran finally freed the American hostages, who had been in captivity for 444 days. Ultimately, the United States agreed to unfreeze nearly $8 billion in Iranian assets in exchange for the safe delivery of the fifty-two hostages.”
– Stephen F. Hayes, Cheney, Page 157