Canadian Caper
Iran hostage crisis |
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The "Canadian Caper" was the joint covert rescue by the Canadian government and the CIA of six American diplomats who had evaded capture during the seizure of the United States embassy in Tehran, Iran, on November 4, 1979, after the Iranian Revolution, when Islamist students took most of the American embassy personnel hostage, demanding the return of the US-backed Shah for trial.[1]
After the diplomats had been sheltered by the British mission and Canadian diplomatic personnel, the Canadian and United States governments worked on a strategy to gain their escape through subterfuge and use of Canadian passports. The "caper" involved a CIA officer (Tony Mendez and his colleague Ed Johnson) joining the six diplomats in Tehran to form a fake film crew. It was purportedly made up of six Canadians, one Irishman and one Latin American, who were finishing scouting for an appropriate location to shoot a scene for the science-fiction film Argo, production of which had in fact been abandoned. On the morning of Sunday, January 27, 1980, the full eight-person party passed through passport control, at the Mehrabad Airport in Tehran, boarded a Swissair flight to Zürich and escaped Iran.[2]
An article written about these events was published in Wired in 2007. The article was used loosely—alongside a memoir Mendez wrote—as the basis of the 2012 film Argo.
On September 14, 2023, as part of the season finale of The Langley Files podcast, the CIA disclosed the identity of "Julio" to be Ed Johnson, a linguist and expert in extractions.[3]
Background
When the
Although the new Iranian government stated that the hostage-takers were students acting on their own, it joined in demands for the return of the Shah.[citation needed] Most of the hostages were held until early 1981.
Sanctuary for diplomats
Robert Anders, Cora Amburn-Lijek, Mark Lijek, Joseph Stafford, Kathleen Stafford and Lee Schatz were the six American diplomats who were harboured by Canadian diplomats Ken Taylor and John Sheardown and exfiltrated from Tehran in 1980. They were working in the consulate, a separate building in the embassy compound, when the Iranians came over the wall. Two groups of diplomats fled into Tehran's streets with orders to walk to the British Embassy: The Anders group (excluding Schatz), along with two Americans seeking consular services (including Kim King, who later had a local embassy employee help him obtain an exit visa and fly out of Iran); and the second group, including Consul General Richard Morefield. The latter took an indirect route and were soon captured and returned to the compound. The Anders group neared the British embassy, but saw a huge crowd staging a protest in their path. Robert Anders invited the others to his home, as he lived nearby.[2][non-primary source needed]
Over a six-day odyssey, the Anders group, aided by Thai cook Somchai "Sam" Sriweawnetr, went from house to house, including one night spent at the British residential compound. After three days, the Bazargan government fell, and the diplomats realized the ordeal would not be over quickly. Looking for options, Anders contacted his old friend John Sheardown, a Canadian immigration officer, and received an enthusiastic invitation for the entire group.[6] On November 10, five from the original Anders group (Anders, the Lijeks and the Staffords) arrived at the Sheardown residence. In addition to seeing John and Zena Sheardown, they were greeted by Canadian Ambassador Ken Taylor. The Staffords were taken by Taylor to his home, where they joined his wife Pat. The other three stayed with the Sheardowns. They were sheltered by the two Canadian households for a total of 79 days.[7] On November 27, Taylor received a call from the Swedish ambassador Kaj Sundberg, asking him to take in American Lee Schatz. Schatz had initially slept on the floor at the Swedish embassy and later stayed at the apartment of Swedish consul Cecilia Lithander. However, the Swedish ambassador felt he could better impersonate a Canadian. Taylor agreed, and placed Schatz in the Sheardown residence.[2][non-primary source needed]
The Canadians had taken great personal risks in sheltering the Americans, giving refuge in their private homes to the six American diplomats who were in danger. Two "friendly-country" embassy officials assisted as well, and an unoccupied diplomatic residence was used for several weeks.[2][non-primary source needed]
Taylor contacted
Preparation
The CIA enlisted its disguise and exfiltration expert,
Alternative passports and identities had been prepared for a variety of scenarios, but the cover story selected had the six as Canadians working on a
To make the cover believable, Mendez enlisted the help of John Chambers, a veteran Hollywood make-up artist. They established a functioning office at Sunset Gower Studios on Sunset Boulevard, named "Studio Six Productions" (a nod to the six diplomats). It used office space that actor Michael Douglas had recently used while making the film The China Syndrome (1979). Telephone calls to the "Studio Six" office in Los Angeles would be answered, should anyone call to check on the film's production. Display ads for the upcoming "Studio Six" film were placed in Hollywood publications, and one such newspaper was given to Cora Lijek to carry as part of her cover materials.[7] The team also prepared fake business cards, held a film party at a nightclub in Los Angeles, and took out early advertisements for the film in Variety and The Hollywood Reporter industry magazines. Robert Sidell, a friend of Chambers and also a makeup artist, posed as a film producer at related events, while his wife Joan performed as the receptionist at "Studio Six". Chambers was later awarded CIA's Intelligence Medal of Merit for his help in the operation.[11][12]
A mistake was made in dating the visas, as the Iranian year begins at the spring equinox. One of the Canadian embassy officers spotted the mistake while checking the documents. Fortunately, extra passports had been included, so Mendez was able to insert new visa stamps with dates based on the Iranian calendar.[13] As the weeks passed during this preparation, the American diplomats read and played games, mainly cards and Scrabble. Taylor worked to fly out non-essential Canadian embassy personnel. Taylor sent others on fake errands, both to establish erratic patterns and to case airport procedures. Tension rose as suspicious telephone calls and other activity indicated that the concealment of the diplomats might have been discovered.[14]
Rescue
Early on the morning of Sunday, January 27, 1980, Mendez, Johnson, and the six American diplomats, traveling with real Canadian passports and forged entry documents, easily made it through security at Tehran's
The next day, the story broke in Montreal, in an article written by Jean Pelletier, Washington correspondent for La Presse; it was quickly picked up by the international press.[14] The CIA drove the six diplomats from Switzerland to the US Ramstein Air Base in West Germany to be flown across the Atlantic to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.[16]
The eight Americans in the "caper" left Iran on Sunday, January 27. The Canadians closed their embassy the same day. Ambassador Taylor and the remaining staff returned to Canada. The six American diplomats arrived in the United States on January 30, 1980.
The six rescued American diplomats:
- Robert G. Anders, 54 – consular officer
- Mark J. Lijek, 29 – consular officer
- Cora A. Lijek, 25 – consular assistant
- Henry L. Schatz, 31 – agricultural attaché
- Joseph D. Stafford, 29 – consular officer
- Kathleen F. Stafford, 28 – consular assistant
The Canadians involved in the rescue were appointed to the Order of Canada, Canada's second-highest civilian award. They included:
- Ambassador Taylor and his wife Patricia Taylor
- Immigration officer John and his wife Zena Sheardown
- Mary Catherine O'Flaherty – communications officer
- Roger Lucy – political officer and first secretary for the Canadian Embassy.
- Laverna Katie Dollimore – personal secretary for Ambassador Taylor
Zena Sheardown, a British subject born in Guyana, would normally have been ineligible for the Order. Flora MacDonald intervened to ensure that she was awarded honorary membership, later converted to full membership when she became a Canadian citizen. Ambassador Taylor was subsequently awarded the Congressional Gold Medal by the United States Congress for his critical assistance to the United States.
Pelletier had uncovered some of the facts concerning the escaped diplomats before January 28, 1980, but he did not publish the story. He knew the safety of those involved had to be preserved, although there was great news value to the paper and writer. Several other news organizations also possessed some elements of the story. Pelletier's article ran on January 29 as soon as he knew the hostages had left Iran. But his exposure of the operation resulted in the US having to end their plans to house the six Americans secretly while the hostage drama continued.[14] The Argo story was blown, but the CIA's role was kept secret by both the US and Canadian governments at the time. They wanted to ensure the safety of the remaining hostages. The CIA's full involvement was not revealed until 1997, when records were declassified.[7]
President Jimmy Carter had officially maintained for negotiation purposes that all of the missing American diplomats were held hostage, so the news about six being rescued came as a complete surprise to the public. American gratitude for the Canadians' actions was displayed widely and by numerous American television figures and ordinary citizens alike, who particularly recognized Taylor for gratitude. The Canadian flag was flown in many locations across the United States, and ads were taken out on "Thank You" billboards.[8]
In popular culture
In 1981, a
The critically and commercially successful film Argo, based on this event, was released in North American cinemas on October 12, 2012. In the film, the role of John Sheardown and his wife Zena were omitted for reasons of length and cost.[6][19] The film includes elements of both fact and fiction.[20] In particular, the film focuses largely on the role the CIA played in the operation and minimizes the extended involvement of the Canadians, and their share of strategy and preparation. Former President Jimmy Carter acknowledged this in an interview in 2013, while also praising the film.[21] In addition, the film incorrectly states that the six American diplomats had been turned away by the British and New Zealand embassies. The American diplomats spent one night in a British diplomatic compound before it became obvious that the militants were searching for the diplomats and had confronted the British embassy. All of the diplomats involved agreed that the residence of the Canadian Ambassador would be better suited to sheltering them.[22] Argo won three Oscars, including Best Picture, at the 85th Academy Awards on February 24, 2013.[23]
Historian Robert Wright also covered these events in his book Our Man in Tehran (2010). A companion documentary film of the same title was released in 2013.[24] And popular British docudrama television series Banged Up Abroad featured the story in 2014 as the focus of its Series 9 episode The Real Argo.
References
- ^ Halton, David; Nash, Knowlton (January 29, 1980). "Canadian Caper helps Americans escape Tehran". The National. Toronto: CBC Archives. Archived from the original on January 28, 2013. Retrieved February 24, 2013.
- ^ a b c d e "Ken Taylor and the Canadian Caper". Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada. Archived from the original on December 2, 2018. Retrieved January 18, 2014.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
- ^ Macleod, Scott (November 15, 1999). "Radicals Reborn". Time. Archived from the original on March 13, 2007. Retrieved May 5, 2016.
- ISBN 978-0465068883.
- ^ a b Wright, Robert (January 3, 2013). "Our other man in Tehran". Ottawa Citizen. Archived from the original on February 24, 2013. Retrieved January 5, 2013.
- ^ a b c d
Mendez, Antonio J. "A Classic Case of Deception: CIA Goes Hollywood". Studies in Intelligence (Winter 1999–2000). Arlington, Virginia: Center for the Study of Intelligence. ISSN 1527-0874. Archived from the originalon January 21, 2013. Retrieved February 24, 2013.
- ^ a b c Gervais, Marty (March 28, 1981). "Iran rescue: Our bashful heroes". Windsor Star. p. C8. Retrieved February 24, 2013.
- ^ a b c Bearman, Joshuah (April 24, 2007). "How the CIA Used a Fake Sci-Fi Flick to Rescue Americans From Tehran". Wired. Archived from the original on June 20, 2012.
- ^ Watercutter, Angela (July 29, 2013). "Jack Kirby's Art for the Fake Movie in Argo Goes Up for Auction". Wired. Retrieved September 26, 2022.
- ^ Susan King (October 23, 2012). "'Argo': John Chambers' friends recall the renowned makeup man". Los Angeles Times. p. 1 &2. Retrieved March 6, 2013.
- ^ Patrick Hruby (October 10, 2012). "Tony Mendez, clandestine CIA hero of Ben Affleck's 'Argo,' reveals the real story behind film smash". The Washington Times. Retrieved March 6, 2013.
- ^
Wright, Robert (2010). Our Man in Tehran: Ken Taylor, the CIA, and the Iran Hostage Crisis. Toronto: HarperCollins Canada. p. 270. ISBN 978-1-55468-299-7.
- ^ a b c "Canada to the Rescue". Time. February 11, 1980. Archived from the original on January 20, 2011. Retrieved June 23, 2009.
- ^ "Aviation Photo #0139560: McDonnell Douglas DC-8-62 - Swissair".
- ^ "The Talk of the Town". The New Yorker. Vol. 56, no. 3. May 12, 1980. p. 87.
- ^ a b Boone, Mike (May 16, 1981). "TV captures heroic Iran escape". The Montreal Gazette. p. 81. Retrieved February 24, 2013.
- ^
Scandiffio, Laura; MacEachern, Stephen (2003). Escapes! True Stories from the Edge Series. Toronto: Annick Press. ISBN 978-1-55037-822-1.
- ^ Martin, Douglas (January 4, 2013). "John Sheardown, Canadian Who Sheltered Americans in Tehran, Dies at 88". The New York Times. Retrieved January 5, 2013.
- ^ Haglund, David (October 12, 2012). "How Accurate Is Argo?". Slate. Washington, D.C. Archived from the original on February 3, 2013. Retrieved February 24, 2013.
- ^ Black, Jonny (February 22, 2013). "Jimmy Carter On 'Argo:' 90 Per Cent Of Plan From Canadians (VIDEO)". The Moviefone Blog. News.moviefone.ca. Archived from the original on May 8, 2013. Retrieved November 15, 2013.
- ^ Film. "Ben Affleck's new film 'Argo' upsets British diplomats who helped Americans in Iran". The Telegraph. Retrieved November 15, 2013.
- ^ Germain, David (February 24, 2013). "Affleck's Argo wins best-picture Oscar". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on February 25, 2013. Retrieved February 24, 2013.
- canada.com, September 19, 2013.
Further reading
- ISBN 978-0-06-186530-5.
- Pelletier, Jean; Adams, Claude (1981). The Canadian Caper. Toronto: Macmillan of Canada. ISBN 978-0-7715-9583-7.
Media
- "A CIA Agent Relies on Hollywood Tricks to Rescue his Targets". Spy Wars with Damian Lewis: Escape From Tehran. Smithsonian Channel. April 23, 2020.
External links
- Ken Taylor and the Canadian Caper — from Foreign Affairs Canada
- "Escape from Iran: The Canadian Caper". May 17, 1981 – via IMDb.
- The Langley Files: "File 013: The Side of the Argo Mission You've Never Heard" - CIA podcast about the operation