Iran Hostage Crisis
Further information: Iran hostage crisisIranian students invaded the United States embassy on November 4, 1979 (Iran hostage crisis). During the riot six Americans managed to escape. They hid for four days before reaching the Canadian embassy where they met Taylor who devised the plan to get them out of Iran safely. The other 52 hostages were released on the last day of U.S. President Jimmy Carter's term in office, in January 1981.
After returning from Iran, Taylor was appointed Canadian Consul-General to New York City. In 1980, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada, and was also awarded the United States Congressional Gold Medal that same year.
Taylor would play a crucial role in providing intelligence on the hostage crisis to Canadian and American intelligence agencies. Reportedly, he helped scout out landing sites for the abortive Delta Force rescue attempt, Operation Eagle Claw. Taylor did not confirm that the C.I.A. organized the rescue of the diplomats who were hiding in the Canadian embassy, a statement which echoes what former U.S. President Jimmy Carter said about the operation in 1986.
A made for TV movie was produced in 1981. In 2012, Ben Affleck produced and starred in a movie titled Argo, which is based on the book The Master of Disguise by Tony Mendez, a CIA agent involved in the incident. After the film was previewed at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2012, criticism arose that the film unfairly minimized the participation of the Canadian government, and Taylor, in the extraction operation. This included the addition to the film of several fictional events for dramatic reasons, as well as a postscript text indicating that the CIA let Taylor take the credit for political purposes, implying that he did not deserve the accolades he received. Affleck noted, "Because we say it's based on a true story, rather than this is a true story, we’re allowed to take some dramatic license. There’s a spirit of truth." However, Affleck did respond by changing the postscript text to read, “The involvement of the CIA complemented efforts of the Canadian embassy to free the six held in Tehran. To this day the story stands as an enduring model of international co-operation between governments.” Taylor himself said that the film was "fun, it’s thrilling, it’s pertinent, it’s timely,” but notes that "Canada was not merely standing around watching events take place. The CIA was a junior partner.”
Read more about this topic: Kenneth D. Taylor
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