It was a grateful U.S. President who put pen to paper on this date in 1980 to write a note of thanks for Canada’s role in both sheltering six American diplomats and then assisting in the smuggling them out of the country under the very eyes of Iranian militants. The events surrounding this are often known before history as the “Canadian Caper.”
You can read President Carter’s letter, now declassified, below.
Dear Joe: I want to thank you and your colleagues profoundly for your courageous cooperation with us on the very sensitive matter which has now been resolved. I want you to know that, out of concern for the hostages that remain behind we will keep this secret on our side until the hostages are released. Since continued secrecy is important, I would appreciate it if a way could be found through your own secure channels to pass on my personal thanks to those who were involved. We have been deeply moved by your government’s staunch support on this issue, and I will always remember what you have done for us.
Sincerely, Jimmy Carter.
Arthur Milnes is an accomplished public historian and award-winning journalist. He was research assistant on The Rt. Hon. Brian Mulroney’s best-selling Memoirs and also served as a speechwriter to then-Prime Minister Stephen Harper and as a Fellow of the Queen’s Centre for the Study of Democracy under the leadership of Tom Axworthy. A resident of Kingston, Ontario, Milnes serves as the in-house historian at the 175 year-old Frontenac Club Hotel.