Iran, 1979. A group of university students proposing radical changes in their nation, desperate to oust then ruler, Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, have turned their anger towards the United States and have become increasingly violent. On Nov. 8, they storm the US Embassy building in Tehran and take over 90 people hostage. Included among them are over 66 Americans, 52 of which will become hostages as the protestors and revolutionaries demand the extradition of the Shah from the United States. What began as a revolution in the country soon turned into a 444 day long foreign relations nightmare for everyone involved, however for six Americans who were able to escape the takeover, it was a stroke of luck… and this is their story.
For history and movie buffs alike, the backdrop of the Iranian Hostage Crisis serves as the basis for the film “Argo” (directed by Ben Affleck who also had the leading role). But what happened that made it so significant, and why was it relatively unknown? The answer is because the CIA and the Canadian government absolutely had to keep it a secret in order for it to work.
Shortly after the takeover at the US Embassy in Tehran, the American CIA had gotten word that six Americans had managed to escape the takeover and were able to hide. Four of them hid with then top immigration official, John Sheardown, while the others hid in the home of Canadian Ambassador Ken Taylor. The CIA decided that something had to be done and fast before anything else got out of hand.
Tony Mendez, one of the CIA’s top dogs, was the man for the job. He and another partner (name unknown) were tasked with creating a backstory that absolutely had to be believable in order to work, otherwise they risked the deaths of the hostages or others involved. Tony, with the help of the CIA, soon came up with a foolproof plan that was sure to work. Who or what soon became their partners in crime? The most unlikely ally imaginable… Hollywood. Tony and his colleagues all went so far as to create the scheme that the six Americans were part of a film crew that had gone to Iran to scout locations for a science fiction film titled “Argo.”
The CIA soon began creating not only a fake film complete with studio, ads and a number of other necessities, but they carefully created fake passports, visas, drivers licenses and identities for the six Americans. The plan was set and soon everything began to fall into place. Tony and his partner soon made their way to Iran, met with the hostages and drilled them to make sure they knew what to do when the time came. Early in the morning, they set out for the airport, boarded without issue and were finally home free once they cleared Iranian airspace. The story remained classified until 1997, and in 2012, the award winning film “Argo” brought it to life on the big screen with Ben Affleck as the director (Tony Mendez also aided in the film production). Hopefully, through the film or through other ways, the story of this daring rescue and the people involved will remain alive for others to learn from.