Tony Mendez, the 'Argo' spy who rescued Americans in Iran, dies at 78

Source: NPR

Tony Mendez became a legend inside the CIA with his daring 1980 rescue of six American diplomats who were given shelter by the Canadian Embassy in Tehran after the U.S. Embassy had been stormed by Iranian revolutionaries.

But the "Canadian Caper" remained classified for nearly two decades, and Mendez didn't receive full acclaim until the Oscar-winning movie Argo, came out in 2012, with Ben Affleck portraying him.

Mendez, who was 78 and had Parkinson's disease, died Saturday at an assisted living facility in Frederick, Md., outside Washington, according to the International Spy Museum, where Mendez was a founding board member.

"He was a legendary intelligence officer," said the museum's Executive Director Chris Costa.

Read more: https://www.npr.org/2019/01/19/686942870/tony-mendez-the-argo-spy-who-rescued-americans-in-iran-dies-at-78

President Jimmy Carter thanks CIA exfiltrator Tony Mendez for his rescue of six Americans from Tehran in 1980.

Known at the time as the "Canadian Caper" for the Canadian Embassy's collaboration in their rescue, Mendez's key role remained classified for two decades.