From: Ryan Carboni <ryacko@gmail.com>
   [1]http://rigorousintuition.blogspot.com/2004/09/disreputable-men.html
   >Gary Sick's is an interesting story. Sick is the author of October
   Surprise, one of the best accounts of the covert deal struck in the
   Fall of 1980 between senior Republicans, arms merchants and Iranian
   mullahs to delay the return of the American hostages until Ronald
   Reagan's inauguration.
   I have never seen the purpose of "delaying the return of the American
   hostages until Ronald Reagan's inauguration".   Delaying until after
   the election, until after Reagan won, would have made perfect sense.
   If anything, it would have made Iran more "mojo points" if they delayed
   until just after Reagan won.  That would have made it appear that Iran
   had swung the election to Reagan.
                 Jim Bell

References

   1. http://rigorousintuition.blogspot.com/2004/09/disreputable-men.html