In 1981, Iran released the American hostages. It had been the defining problem for the Carter administration, and was a personal slap in the face to former President Carter upon the inauguration of his successor in an effort to viscerally embarrass the outgoing administration. To the American public, it also represented a new era to be coming with Ronald Reagan. However, it most importantly removed a major problem for the incoming Reagan administration which the new president would not be forced to deal with. Instead, he could shift focus to the economic issues of the era and the necessary recovery. It was a sort of gift from above that he would not be forced to deal with an ongoing hostage crisis, and the need for it's resolution.
What if the Iranians did not free the American hostages? What if Ronald Reagan had been forced to deal with the hostage crisis?