“Someday This Is Going To End:” An Iranian Hostage Reflects On Detention, Survival, and Returning Home

Don Cooke joined the State Department Foreign Service in 1978 and was posted to Tehran, Iran on the cusp of the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Shortly after he arrived on station, the American Embassy was taken over by a group of Iranian militants, and he was held hostage with 52 other American diplomats and citizens for 444 days. In this interview, Don Cooke describes his experiences as a Foreign Service Officer and details about his time as a hostage. He discusses his period of captivity, typical and atypical days, and his interactions with his captors.