; Eight other Westerners have been freed since August, when the United Nations launched negotiations involving a complex swap of Western hostages, hundreds of Arabs held by Israel, and information about missing Israelis. Terry Anderson , the last American hostage in Lebanon , walked free today of his pro- Iranian Shiite Muslim beliefs . His released ended a brutal saga that kept 15 Americans in captivity , left 10 dead and bedeviled two U.S. presidencies . A flurry of contradictory reports early in the day about Anderson 's whereabouts mirrored the agonizing cycle of raised and dashed hopes for recovery from his brutal captivity . Anderson 's capture brought an outpouring of public support for the hostages and put intense pressure on the Reagan and Bush administrations to get them out .
Terry Anderson , the last American hostage in Lebanon , walked free today of his pro- Iranian Shiite Muslim beliefs . His released ended a brutal saga that kept 15 Americans in captivity , left 10 dead and bedeviled two U.S. presidencies . A flurry of contradictory reports early in the day about Anderson 's whereabouts mirrored the agonizing cycle of raised and dashed hopes for recovery from his brutal captivity . Anderson 's capture brought an outpouring of public support for the hostages and put intense pressure on the Reagan and Bush administrations to get them out .