The most detailed first-person account kept by any of the 52 American hostages — over one thousand pages, written in secret, hidden for nearly forty years.
On November 4, 1979, Iranian militants seized the U.S. Embassy in Tehran. Among those taken was Michael H. Howland – held not at the Embassy but at Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs alongside Ambassador Bruce Laingen and Victor Tomseth.
Each day, in secret, Howland wrote in a journal. Observations, intelligence, 444 days of captivity, hidden in letters that no captor ever found – and that remained hidden for nearly four decades before becoming this book.
Hidden Lines is the only account of its kind: a daily, intimate record of the Iran Hostage Crisis from the inside, written with detail that history has not heard before.
Howland's position — separated from the Embassy, inside the Ministry of Foreign Affairs — gave him access and perspective no other hostage possessed.
Howland created and sustained secret lines of communication while in captivity, demonstrating intelligence tradecraft under extreme pressure.
Concealed within personal letters to Joan, the journal serves as both a historical record and a profoundly human testament—reflecting fear, determination, and the oppressive burden of endless waiting.
More than one thousand pages, kept secretly and preserved for forty years. No other hostage account approaches its scope, detail or intimacy.
Available now through Amazon. A story of captivity, courage, and the enduring power of bearing witness.
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