foreign service officer john limbert talks about his time as a hostage in iran, including a memorable visit from an iranian clergyman. this interview is from the association for studies and training oral history collection. >> i am john limbert. i was in the foreign service for years, served mostly in the middle east or africa. during that time, i didn't see a lot of what you would call successes. there were not a lot of saving the world, stopping a coup, averting a humanitarian disaster , the kind of thing you might see madam secretary accomplish in her half-hour series. i was never really in that kind of position. perhaps the opposite, trouble seemed to follow me wherever i went. i saw a lot of military mutinies, and i served in iraq, served in sudan. none of which places you would call a triumph for american diplomacy. but thinking about this, i want intell a story from iran 1980. before i joined the foreign service, i had lived in iran. i was a teacher, a researcher. iranian.s i thought i knew the country fairly well. i went there as a diplomat. august of 1979. that was about six

foreign service officer john limbert talks about his time as a hostage in iran, including a memorable visit from an iranian clergyman. this interview is from the association for studies and training oral history collection. >> i am john limbert. i was in the foreign service for

and john limbert negotiating with iran: wrestling with history. we saw a portion of you in that documentary. explain what happened as he went outside and then were taken hostage. >> first, thank you for having the program. as they mentioned the documentary, those responsible for our safety, the iranian government, was clear they were not going to do anything. or could not do anything. when i called over there, i reach the prime minister's office. the first thing she said was what about those passwords we sent over? are the visas ready? they were not going to help. we were on our own. going out to talk to the crowd was not a smart thing to do. it was one of the least successful negotiations that i had. we did not have a lot of choices. the priority was to make sure no one got hurt. if somebody did, if there had been bloodshed, and i take my hat off to our marine security guard, if they had started shooting or somebody has started shooting, things would have ended differently and i probably would not have been here today. >> take a step back. the ho

host: john limbert, i will get your reaction. guest: it's an interesting point. andsurvival of the islam republic for 40 years has caught observers -- islam at the public for 40 years is caught a lot of observers by surprise. happend not expect it to . there was the eight-year bloody war with iraq, the economic catastrophe, international isolation, all of these things have not brought down the islamic republic and it's very clear the priority of those in survival.their own their survival in power in they will make the kind of compromises they need to do. they may say never. , but forhuff and puff example, in 1988, khomeini himself agreed to a cease-fire with saddam hussein, something he said he would never do. he only did it after tremendous cost. but the story is his advisors went to him and said, sir, we are finished. we are broke. we don't have the people. we have to get the best deal that we can. retreat,eed to make a and i think the supreme leader phrasei has used the "her heroic flexibility -- "her roicic flexibility -- "he flexibility" in this regard. they

host: john limbert, i will get your reaction. guest: it's an interesting point. andsurvival of the islam republic for 40 years has caught observers -- islam at the public for 40 years is caught a lot of observers by surprise. happend not expect it to . there was the eight-year bloody war with iraq, the economic catastrophe, international isolation, all of these things have not brought down the islamic republic and it's very clear the priority of those in survival.their own their survival in power in they will make the kind of compromises they need to do. they may say never. , but forhuff and puff example, in 1988, khomeini himself agreed to a cease-fire with saddam hussein, something he said he would never do. he only did it after tremendous cost. but the story is his advisors went to him and said, sir, we are finished. we are broke. we don't have the people. we have to get the best deal that we can. retreat,eed to make a and i think the supreme leader phrasei has used the "her heroic flexibility -- "her roicic flexibility -- "he flexibility" in this regard. they

host: john limbert, i will get your reaction. guest: it's an interesting point.survival of the islam republic for 40 years has caught observers -- islam at the public for 40 years is caught a lot of observers by surprise. happend not expect it to . there was the eight-year bloody war with iraq, the economic catastrophe, international isolation, all of these things have not brought down the islamic republic and it's very clear the priority of those in survival.their own their survival in power in they will make the kind of compromises they need to do. they may say never. , but forhuff and puff example, in 1988, khomeini himself agreed to a cease-fire with saddam hussein, something he said he would never do. he only did it after tremendous cost. but the story is his advisors went to him and said, sir, we are finished. we are broke. we don't have the people. we have to get the best deal that we can. retreat,eed to make a and i think the supreme leader phrasei has used the "her heroic flexibility -- "her roicic flexibility -- "he flexibility" in this regard. they use

eastern, stuart eizenstat from the carter administration and iran hostage john limbert join american history tv and c-span's "washington journal" to take viewer calls and tweets. that program will be simulcast on c-span and c-span3. >> good afternoon, everyone. welcome to today's seminar book talk and conversation. my name's alexander cooley, i'm currently director of the herriman institute here at columbia university, and it is a great pleasure to welcome back our guests, co-authors irina boar began and andre sold to have who will be talking about this book just out called "the compatriots." irina and andrei are cofounders of -- [inaudible] authors of "the red web" previously, a history of russia's internet, governance of the internet, and then also the excellent book "the new nobility," which was on looking at russian security services. so this, i guess, is the third part of the trilogy -- [laughter] and we're, we're so excited that you're, that you're here with us today. the -- i think just a couple of issues. one is we are filming this, so just a note to the audience as you engag

discussion on the 40th anniversary of the iran hostage crisis with former john limbert and former carterisor stewart. be sure to watch c-span's at 7:00on journal live easton sunday morning. join the discussion. >> at c-span.org we're making it to watch c-span's coverage of the impeachment inquiry and the administration's response. you miss any of our live coverage, go to our impeachment inquiry page at c-span.org/impeachment for video on demand. thewe've added a tally from associated press showing where each house democrat stands on inquiry against president trump. follow the impeachment inquiry page ateb c-span.org/impeachment. it's your fast and easy way to watch c-span's unfiltered time.ge any >> actor and environmental danson was on capitol hill for a hearing on the environmental impacts of pollution. he currently serves as a board member for oceana, a nonprofit ocean conservation organization. the hearing also included testimony from other environmental advocates and a plastic industry representative. >> subcommittee on water, oceans and wildlife will come

and then a discussion of the former iranian hostage crisis with john limbert and stuart eizenstat. join the discussion. >> next, joe and jill biden visit a new field office for mr. biden's 2020 presidential campaign. on the south side of des moines, iowa. after his remarks, mr. biden greeted those in attendance. greeted those in attendance. [applause] [applause] [crowd cheering] [crowd cheering] good morning, everybody. aren't from south side, welcome to the south side of des moines, or as the rest of us like to call it, god's country. [laughter] you are part of a family when you are in the south side, because we on the south side are really a working class family. we are a working-class family who believes that if you work hard for a living, played by the rules, do what is right, you deserve a little dignity in your life. >> absolutely. [applause] with are a diverse family, irishns living next living next to latinos living next african-americans living next to straits, length thing next to immigrant -- living next to immigrants, living next to natural-born citizens, and we are a f

eastern, stuart eizenstat from the carter administration and iran hostage john limbert join americanhistory tv and c-span's "washington journal" to take viewer calls and tweets. that program will be simulcast on c-span and c-span3. >> good afternoon, everyone. welcome to today's seminar book talk and conversation. my name's alexander cooley, i'm currently director of the

and then a discussion of the former iranian hostage crisis with john limbert and stuart eizenstat. join the discussion. >> next, joe and jill biden visit a new field office for mr. biden's 2020 presidential campaign. on the south side of des moines, iowa. after his remarks, mr. biden greeted those in attendance. greeted those in attendance. [applause]

our guests on washington journal, former carter administration official stuart eisenstadt, and john limbertand we will be taking viewer calls and streets. on real america at 10:00 a.m., freedom,"444 days to detailing the hostage crisis. >> with no help coming, the besieged staff treated floor by floor. he was immediately blindfolded and bound. announcer: on american history tv, every weekend on c-span3. >> the house will be in order. c-spaner: for 40 years, has been providing unfiltered coverage of congress, the white house, the supreme court, and public policy events from washington, d.c., and around the country so you can make up your own might. created by cable in 1979, c-span is brought to you by your local cable or satellite provider. c-span, your unfiltered view of government. washington journal continues. are joined by philip klein, executive editor with "the washington's amer -- " washington examiner," talking about his new book. let's start with the news of the day with the election. the vote yesterday in the u.s. house to proceed with the impeachment investigation. we have read th