The Political Sabotage of Iran Hostage Talks for Carter's Defeat.
Former Texas Lt. Gov. Ben Barnes claims his political mentor, Gov. John Connally Jr., persuaded Mideast leaders to keep US hostages in Iran locked up until the 1980 election that put Ronald Reagan in the White House. Barnes alleged Connally was committed to stalling the negotiations, and invited him on a trip to several Middle Eastern capitals to urge leaders not to release the hostages because Reagan would offer a better deal. Barnes’ claims echoes those of the so-called October Surprise Theory, in which Carter supporters have long alleged pro-Regan agents had secretly influenced the outcome of the 1980 election through the Iran hostage crisis.