The New York Times reports that the recently approved spending legislation includes compensation of up to $4.4 million for each of the 53 people taken hostage at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran in 1979 and held captive for 444 days, until the day Ronald Reagan took office.

Those hostages still alive include a Little Rock native, Steve Kirtley. Then a corporal assigned to the security force at the embassy, the retired Marine major lives in the Miami area according to an on-line profile and works in information technology for Hewlett Packard. After he retired from the Marines, he worked in the Washington area in the tech field before moving to Florida.

Advertisement

The hostages had been barred from restitution by the agreement that won their release, but efforts in Congress and elsewhere continued. The money in the spending bill  arose in part because of reaction to the nuclear agreement with Iran and money paid by a bank for violations of trade restrictions with Iran. It remains unclear exactly how the money will be parceled out. 

It is not clear, however, whether all the former hostages or their families will receive full payments. In large measure that is because the $4.4 million total authorized by Congress depends on the outcome of efforts to collect on judgments won in earlier court rulings involving victims of terrorist attacks, as well as on the number of victims who file claims.

The law authorizes payments of up to $10,000 per day of captivity for each of the 53 hostages, 37 of whom are still alive. Fifty-two hostages were released on Jan. 20, 1981; a 53rd hostage had been released earlier because of illness. Spouses and children are authorized to receive a lump payment of as much as $600,000.

Another Arkansan was among the hostages. North Little Rock native Robert Blucker,  was a State Department economics officer. He died in North Little Rock in 2003 at age 76.

Advertisement

Be a Part of the Fight

Step up and make a difference by subscribing or donating to the Arkansas Times, the progressive, alternative newspaper in Little Rock that's been fighting for truth for 50 years. Our tough, determined, and feisty journalism has earned us over 63,000 Facebook followers, 58,000 Twitter followers, 35,000 Arkansas blog followers, and 70,000 daily email blasts, all of whom value our commitment to holding the powerful accountable. But we need your help to do even more. By subscribing or donating, you'll not only have access to all of our articles, but you'll also be supporting our efforts to hire more writers and expand our coverage. Join us in the fight for truth by subscribing or donating to the Arkansas Times today.

Previous article Runaways back in custody, Sebastian sheriff’s office says Next article Texas governor ousts Bill of Rights from state Capitol