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Argo

How the CIA and Hollywood Pulled Off the Most Audacious Rescue in History

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About this listen

 The true account of the 1979 rescue of six American hostages from Iran

On November 4, 1979, Iranian militants stormed the American embassy in Tehran and captured dozens of American hostages, sparking a 444-day ordeal and a quake in global politics still reverberating today. But there’s a little-known footnote to the crisis: six Americans escaped. And a midlevel agent named Antonio Mendez devised an ingenious yet incredibly risky plan to rescue them.

Armed with foreign film visas, Mendez and an unlikely team of CIA agents and Hollywood insiders—directors, producers, actors—traveled to Tehran under the guise of scouting locations for a fake film called Argo. While pretending to find the perfect scenery and backdrops, the team succeeded in contacting the escapees and smuggling them out of Iran without a single shot being fired.

Antonio Mendez finally details the mind-bogglingly complex and dangerous operation he led more than three decades ago. A true story of secret identities and international intrigue, Argo is the gripping account of the history-making collusion between Hollywood and high-stakes espionage. Americas Freedom & Security Middle East Political Science Politics & Government United States Espionage Celebrity Iran Entertainment
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i was sorry to hear that the most exciting incidents in the film didn't happen! nevertheless, very entertaining and informative

interesting

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Exciting story providing a rare insight into clandestine operations. Well written and well narrated. Couldn’t stop listening.

Couldn't stop listening

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Having recently seen the film 'Argo' at the cinema I was keen to listen to the full story and what a story! A very interesting and detailed book which brought to life the events of the late 1970's in Iran and USA.Fascinating.

Argo

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Whilst you can appreciate the danger many people put their lives in on a regular basis, and the bravery of many individuals; what came across more was the sheer amount of money that was thrown at this undercover industry, and the infinite level of detail they covered. It is an amazing story that has been stretched somewhat to become a book - have not seen the film and now I don't feel I want to.

Mmmmm...

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If you enjoyed the Oscar winning Argo but wanted to really under stand what the operation to save the house guests was really like, this is where to start. Written the real 'Ben Affleck' Tony Mendez, you can hear about the role of the Canadians British and the real world politics of a crisis that affects the world to this day.

Better the film

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