The worst tragedy for America was yet to come. A Navy RH~S3 Sea Stallion helicopter crashed into the U.S. Air Force C-130 Hercules aircraft in the Iranian night air . Flames illuminated the area and gradually flickered out. Eight U.S. servicemen lay dead and a rescue mission for the hostages had ended in failure. President Carter took the blame for the incident's failure saying: "It was my decision to attempt the rescue operation. It was my decision to cancel it when problems developed. The responsibility is fully my own." Carter said that "the operation was difficult and it was certain to be dangerous." He added, however, that the operation had "an excellent chance of success." He chose the rescue mission because of the shaky authority in Iran and "mounting dangers posed to the safety of the hostages." One White House Official maintained that the mission had been worth trying. "Nothing ven· tured , nothing gained, II he said. "I have no regrets. If we could replay history, I would do it again. " The hostages seemed even more in danger when the lran~Iraq War broke into full scale action in the fall. The Persian gulf oil fields burst into flames as nation warred agaist nation. Ayatollah Khomeini, Iranian leader, said, "We • • will have no compromise with him. (Iraq President Saddam Hussein) He is an infidel ... We shall fight against him right - to the end." The possibility of an early end to the war through compromise and a cease-fire quickly vanished. Iraqi forces had all but cut off Iran's oil production, but Iran continued to show bold determination. "Even if we do not sell one drop of oil, we can last at least eight months with current foreignexchange levels," Iran's Central Bank governor, Ali Reza Nobari said. President Carter took action and ordered that three AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System) be sent to Saudi Arabia for round-the-clock radar surveillance of the Persian Gulf. Iran and Iraq both accused the U.S. of getting involved in the war. "We are not happy with the arrival of the (AWACS) airplanes," Iraqi Defense Minister Adnan Khairallah said. "It is a sign of interference." RIGHT: THE UNSUCCESSFUL rescue attempt of the 52 American hostages results in twisted wreckage of two U. S. Air Crofts. Eighlservicemen lost their lives in the mid air collision. BELOW: Flaming Iranian refineries are common sights in the Mid East during the air auacks of (he Iraqi Air Force. • --- .' 0 " ... ., .. .~ _ . --1-'1-- ."'-. ' . -". -, .~·A._ ~~~?~:~~' , --<0. ... -' ',;;:..;. -, 0' .. " • _ Wide World Phv/()s - , _ Wide World Pholos 51 World News -
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