On the day of November 4, 1979, hundreds of young angry Iranians climbed over the ten foot wall guarding the US Embassy building in Tehran Iran and took control of the Embassy building. Out of the ninety people inside the Embassy building the Iranians took sixty three American workers, then captured three more making the number sixty six. Within a few weeks, several women and African- Americans were set free, along with one sick hostage. After all of this the number of hostages ended up being fifty two, all of whom were American. These Iranians stormed the Embassy building because the US had given aid to a former leader of Iran who was overthrown named, Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. Reza Pahlavi was the ruler of Iran from 1941 to 1979; he was also exiled temporarily in 1953 because of a power struggle against the Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh. The Shah had been diagnosed with cancer and the US had allowed him into the country for treatment. This angered the Iranian people who wanted him returned to Iran to go on trial and to hung for strictly using his secret police, the SAVAK to strike fear into anyone who opposed him. The SAVAK would also torture anyone who spoke against the Shah. After the Shah Reza Pahlavi was overthrown a new leader came to power, his name was Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. During Khomeini's rule chaos corrupted Iran, so he allowed his people to hold the fifty two Americans hostages. Back in the United States President Jimmy Carter was thinking of a way to get the fifty two hostages back safely.