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

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

3.88 of 5 stars 3.88 · rating details · 3,090 ratings · 400 reviews

The true, declassified account of CIA operative Tony Mendez's daring rescue of American hostages from Iran that inspired the critically-acclaimed film directed by and starring Ben Affleck, and co-starring John Goodman, Alan Arkin, and Bryan Cranston.

On November 4, 1979, Iranian militants stormed the American embassy in Tehran and captured dozens of American hostages, spar...more

Hardcover, 320 pages

Published September 13th 2012 by Viking Adult (first published January 1st 2012)

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Mar 16, 2013 Brent rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

If you liked the movie, you should really enjoy the book. It's a fast-moving story dealing with the Iranian hostage crisis of 1979-1981 but focusing on how the CIA worked to remove the six Americans who were hiding in the residences of two Canadian diplomats.

In a 300-page narrative you get a story that includes the following: a short background to the Iranian revolution, the embassy take-over, how six American "Houseguests" got out of the embassy and evaded capture in Tehran, background on CIA e...more

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Jan 04, 2013 David rated it 5 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Excellent book. Recently saw the movie in the theater and loved. The book was written by the lead CIA operative (Mendez)who was responsible in exfiltrating the six American hostages from Iran. There were some differences in the book from the movie which is expected from Hollywood. Specifically, Mendez had a colleague from the CIA with him during the exfil operation although he clearly had a bigger role. Mendez did not take the Americans out into town in Tehran prior to their departure as was sho...more

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Jan 13, 2013 Becky rated it 5 of 5 stars

Excellent revelation of secrets and mysterious how-to disguise techniques. A real page turner with historical context. Really fabulous. And if you decide to make a career in the spy arena remember the three keys to success : details, details, details. Next stop for me will be the movie theater

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May 17, 2013 Joy H. rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction, suspense, cia, cia-agency

Added 5/17/13.
I did not read this book. In May 2013, I watched the movie instead. The suspense was unbearable! An incredible story and a great movie! The movie won 3 Oscars and many other awards.
==================================
"ARGO" (2012)

IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1024648/?...
"A dramatization of the 1980 joint CIA-Canadian secret operation to extract six fugitive American diplomatic personnel out of revolutionary Iran."

NETFLIX: http://dvd.netflix.com/Movie/Argo/702...
"In 1979, when Ir...more

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May 07, 2013 Rebecca rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: history

It's not often that the CIA will let its operatives tell one of the better stories. But apparently they were in search of a feel-good exploit to highlight for an anniversary, so we get this gem. There's been some fuss over historical accuracy of the movie, so here's a chance for the record to get set straight.

Mendez is an artist who spent most of his career forging documents and creating disguises. By the time the Iran hostage crisis rolled around, he was a department head who was still willing...more

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Apr 10, 2013 Jeff Scott rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction, audiobooks

Argo is the story of the rescue of six U.S. Embassy employees during the Iranian Hostage Crisis. Tony Mendez was a CIA agent in charge of disguise and an expert in exfiltration (the one word used again and again during the book). Exfiltration involves disguises, false documents, and knowledge of immigration and custom laws to get people out of the country. They don’t use hidden compartments in vehicles or cross the border in some remote place. If you are good enough, you can walk right out the f...more

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Mar 31, 2013 Adam Watson rated it 3 of 5 stars

Possible spoilers ahead!

I picked this up by impulse; the Hollywood cover story was a great hook, and while waiting to have a chance to see the movie, I thought it would be good to read the "real" story first. I was both entertained and a bit disappointed. First, the disappointment. The Hollywood angle doesn't come up until halfway through the book, and as it turns out, becomes unnecessary window dressing. (In real life, there was never a need for the extraction team to use it; no Iranian officia...more

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Mar 28, 2013 Sharonewoods rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

At first, I didn't think I was going to like this book. The claims of "most audacious rescue in history!" on the cover seemed a little hyperbole. Thankfully, that hype was limited to the marketing. The book itself is a meticulous review of the whole operation told from the viewpoint of the CIA officer who headed the operation. He's a character within himself -- quite driven and detail-orientated. I guess some people might find him a bit arrogant or too long-winded on side-stories, but it didn't...more

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Mar 25, 2013 Rohan Patel rated it 5 of 5 stars

I recently read Argo, written by Antonio Mendez and Matt Baglio. This book is a memoir of Antonio Mendez' time at the CIA, specifically the time during the occupation of the American Embassy in Tehran. This incredible book has now been turned into and Oscar winning movie, however while the movie was good the book is far better.
The book starts off talking about Mendez' dreams as a child and how he was recruited into the CIA. It also mentions some of Mendez' previous exfiltrations. The book goes m...more

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Mar 25, 2013 Jennifer rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: biographies, history, nonfiction, books-based-on-movies, read-at-work

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I wanted to read this because of all the controversy over who gets the glory but didn't want to spend money - so this is my first "read at work" book. Basically, if it's slow at work, I pick up a book that looks interesting but not interesting enough to own and read whenever I have a few minutes! Yes, I work at a bookstore!

So, to sum it up, we're all glory-hogs. Smuggling six Americans out of Iran during the 1979 hostage crisis was huge and made for a great story. But Antonio Mendez suggests th...more

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Mar 25, 2013 Jenny GB rated it 4 of 5 stars

Even having watching the movie and read Mendez's other account of the Argo operation I was still greatly entertained and enthralled with this book. It provides a lot more details than either the movie or his former information because it delves into the Iranian history, the hostage's story in greater detail, and the details of the set up of the operation. It was truly a fascinating read about the entire situation and made me appreciate the peril of the hostages that much more after hearing about...more

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Feb 23, 2013 Laura rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: film-only, read-2013, suspense-thriller, history, non-fiction

I watched the movie Argo (2012) based on this book.

The film contains other historical inaccuracies, take a look at Wikipedia

The film is nominated for seven Academy Awards except in the Director category. Following the announcement of the nominations, Bradley Cooper, whose film, Silver Linings Playbook was nominated in several categories, said: "Ben Affleck got robbed".This opinion is shared by the ceremony's host Seth MacFarlane and Quentin Tarantino.

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Feb 07, 2013 Kathleen rated it 3 of 5 stars

I still haven't seen the movie, but want to. I found the straightforward book at the library and read it quickly. I remember the Iranian hostage crisis during the Carter Administration and the failed attempt to rescue them. The "houseguests" are six extra Americans who weren't taken with the other Americans at the U.S. Embassy. The six have to scramble through Tehran to stay together, find a hiding spot, and hope for "exfiltration" and the help of the CIA. Help comes first from the Canadian amba...more

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Dec 30, 2012 Lucy Weber rated it 2 of 5 stars

I was thrilled when I came across this book. I thought it would be soo exciting, as I thought the previews to the new Ben Affleck movie looked witty and entertaining and amusingly funny. I had a hard time staying interested in the detailed logistics and logistics and logistics. I thought there would be more character development that I could enjoying getting interested in as the story unfolded. Halfway through the book, with no indication that the book was picking up steam, I gave up. And usuall...more

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Dec 15, 2012 Brian DiMattia rated it 4 of 5 stars

A short book, but a really interesting read. And interestingly, the actual rescue of the "Houseguests" isn't even the most interesting part!

In explaining the creation of a fake movie to use as cover for the exfiltration of six Americans hiding out with Canadian consular officials, Mendez has to give a brief explanation of the fall of the Shah, a history of how the embassy was taken (and why it wasn't better secured), how the CIAs disguise and documents division operated, even how operations are...more

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Dec 13, 2012 Olivia rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction

What a great story! You can't help but feel a little pride in the CIA after reading this book. This book is about the exfiltration of 6 Americans who escaped the American Embassy in Iran when it was captured by the revolutionary "students" in 1977. The 6 Americans were taken in and hidden by the Canadian Ambassador in Tehran for several months before the CIA was able to arrange for their exfiltration. The CIA exfiltration team ended up setting up a pseudo Hollywood movie production company and d...more

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Dec 13, 2012 Sara rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, non-fiction

I heard about this book before the movie but ended up seeing the movie before reading the book. Because of this, I already knew a lot about what to expect in here: the author traveling to Iran in a disguise, planning to smuggle six Americans out of the country by having them pose as part of a film crew, while the extremely tense hostage situation at the American embassy continued.

While the book and movie were very similar (and both excellent), there were definitely notable differences, and I enj...more

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Dec 10, 2012 David Romigh rated it 4 of 5 stars

Lots of people dream of a spy's life, especially after reading John LeCarre, or the "Adam Hall" series of novels, or even Fleming's master spy, Double-Oh-Seven.

By every account, Tony Mendez lived a spy's life, serving as the CIA's Chief of Disguise and earning the Intelligence Star for Valor for his actions during the events outlined in "Argo."

Most people are by now aware of the general gist of the story: during the storming of the American Embassy in 1979, 6 Americans escaped and were kept sa...more

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Dec 03, 2012 Michelle rated it 4 of 5 stars

I kind of did this book in reverse order. But, I gathered that the book was written in reverse order, too. I usually like to read a book and THEN go see the movie. Towards the end of this book it kind of sounded like the movie came first and then the book...so...I don't feel so bad.

I really really liked this movie; which made me log right on to Amazon and download the book. Despite having seen the movie, I did find myself truly and genuinely interested in continuing to read the book. One of the...more

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Oct 25, 2012 Allie Rathert rated it 5 of 5 stars

Argo is the most gripping nonfiction book I have ever read. It is the historical account of the rescue of six Americans who miraculously escaped being taken hostages by the Iranians during the revolution. Unfortunately, the other 66 Americans at the Embassy that were captured November 4, 1979, were held for 444 days, in what was known as the Iranian Hostage Crisis. One of the co-authors, Antonio Mendez, was one of the CIA agents involved in the rescue of the six fugitives. Argo intertwines seve...more Argo is the most gripping nonfiction book I have ever read. It is the historical account of the rescue of six Americans who miraculously escaped being taken hostages by the Iranians during the revolution. Unfortunately, the other 66 Americans at the Embassy that were captured November 4, 1979, were held for 444 days, in what was known as the Iranian Hostage Crisis. One of the co-authors, Antonio Mendez, was one of the CIA agents involved in the rescue of the six fugitives. Argo intertwines several stories: the story of the CIA officers, the stories of the six fugitives, and the story of the hostages, giving you the full picture of what of the situation in Iran and in America at the time.

Part of what I like about the book, Argo, is that it didn't over exaggerate; it just told you what happened. History shouldn't be over dramatized to make it “interesting”. Also I liked how the scheme to rescue the fugitives was so preposterous that it actually worked, as if it was from a Hogan’s Heroes show. The idea of disguising everyone like a Hollywood film crew was ingenious; they even created a studio overnight, it was so believable that many large names in the movie industry started to inquire about working in it.

Given the political scene of today, I found it refreshing that it wasn’t politicized; it wasn’t anti- or pro-Jimmy Carter and his policies that effected the situation, it just told the facts. But it showed the media no mercy for calling the Iranians “students” instead of what they truly were, terrorists and captors. Also how the militant “students” viewed the media as an ally, spreading their message into the living rooms of America. Argo also gave me a new respect for Canada, for all their cooperation and efforts, not to mention the incredible risks to their own people and country, which they went through to help out the six fugitives in hiding and caring for them for over three months.

The book has several instances where profanity is used. Though it’s not really glorified, it gives a realistic and honest account of what was said. There was no other immoral content, making it a good book to read for high school students to adults.

One of the book’s co-authors, Matt Baglio, wrote another book, The Rite: The Making of a Modern Exorcist, which was made into a movie and now Argo has recently come into theaters as well. Having not yet seen the movie, I cannot say if it follows the story accurately or not.

Overall, Argo was a fantastic read that I highly recommend!
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Oct 19, 2012 Jane rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: history, nonfiction

On November 4, 1979, Iranian militants took over the American embassy in Iran. The Americans inside the embassy when the takeover occurred were held hostage for 444 days. The drawn-out crisis made President Jimmy Carter look weak, and he lost the next presidential election to Ronald Reagan.

A dozen or so Americans managed to exit the embassy during the siege. Most were captured and brought back, but six ended up on the run. Eventually, they were sheltered by Canadian diplomats in their homes for...more On November 4, 1979, Iranian militants took over the American embassy in Iran. The Americans inside the embassy when the takeover occurred were held hostage for 444 days. The drawn-out crisis made President Jimmy Carter look weak, and he lost the next presidential election to Ronald Reagan.

A dozen or so Americans managed to exit the embassy during the siege. Most were captured and brought back, but six ended up on the run. Eventually, they were sheltered by Canadian diplomats in their homes for weeks of boredom from nothing to do and terror at the risk of being discovered.

Antonio Mendez and others at the CIA created an outlandish scheme to explain why the six were in Iran and as cover to get them out. Even in the midst of a military crisis, Hollywood rolls on, and Hollywood execs are crazy enough to visit war-torn countries seeking places to film. Using a script for a science fiction movie project that had fallen through a few months earlier, the CIA created the elusion of a production company scouting locations in Iran.

The logistics of such an operation seem overwhelming. The book is thorough without bogging down. Without getting lost, I understood the incredible amount of coordination and attention to detail that was required. One of the parts that struck me had to do with acquiring Canadian passports. The six Americans were to pose as Canadians, and Mendez expected getting permission from Canada to create fake Canadian passports to be a major obstacle. Instead, on arriving in the office of a Canadian official, he and a colleague were astonished to discover that the Canadians had already done the background work necessary to make that happen.

Canada emerges from this book as a true friend of the United States, something that is always true but taken for granted by most Americans. The Canadian assistance provided in Iran was incredibly dangerous for the individuals and for diplomatic relations.

Some of the information in Argo is recently declassified. The text is not always politically correct – one of the Americans in hiding is described as having “a small-town librarian’s wholesomeness,” for example – but this is a nonfiction book that reads like fiction. The movie version is playing in theaters now. It is an excellent movie, but it has been a bit “Hollywooded” up. If you enjoyed the movie and want to learn more about what really happened, check out the book. I recommend Argo for anyone with an interest in the Middle East, American history, and spy thrillers. This is the real thing.

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Apr 04, 2013 hamptonenglish10 rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction-emmett

Alexander Russ
Ms. Emmett
Academic English 10
5 April 2013

In 1979, the American embassy in Iran was invaded by Iranian revolutionaries and all Americans working there were taken hostage. However, six employees managed to escape without detection. They fled to the official residence of the Canadian Ambassador. The American Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) was eventually ordered to somehow get the six Americans out of Iran without the country finding out about it. With few options, exfiltration expe...more Alexander Russ
Ms. Emmett
Academic English 10
5 April 2013

In 1979, the American embassy in Iran was invaded by Iranian revolutionaries and all Americans working there were taken hostage. However, six employees managed to escape without detection. They fled to the official residence of the Canadian Ambassador. The American Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) was eventually ordered to somehow get the six Americans out of Iran without the country finding out about it. With few options, exfiltration expert Tony Mendez devised a daring plan: to create a phony Canadian film project looking to shoot in Iran and smuggle the Americans out as its production crew. With the help of some trusted Hollywood contacts, Mendez created the ruse and proceeded to Iran as the movie’s associate producer. However, time was running out with the Iranian security forces closing in on the truth while both his charges and the White House had grave doubts about the operation.
Everyone who reads Argo will learn about the daring plot of Tony Mendez to smuggle six Americans out of Iran. Mendez risks his life in order to help these six American citizens. The American government was also on the edge of their seats hoping that Mendez would succeed in his mission. Readers will learn how critical members of our government reacted to this mission as well as feel the emotions Mendez was dealing with during every phase of the plan. Altogether people who read Argo will definitely learn about the extremely huge risk the United States took to take care of its citizens which eventually paid off in the end.
I would recommend Argo to anyone who enjoys suspenseful or thrilling books. I would also recommend it to someone who would like to learn a little bit more about one of the most daring escape plans the United States has ever devised. It is extremely interesting to learn how the CIA works from an insider’s perspective. Argo is not a very long book by any means though it will keep the reader on the edge of his seat during each chapter. Argo has an easy to follow, suspenseful plot. All and all, Argo is a book for almost anyone looking for something exciting to read.

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Feb 11, 2013 Robert Federline rated it 4 of 5 stars

Interestingly, this book was written after the movie, and not before. Nonetheless, it is an engrossing account of a critical mission of the CIA in rescuing American citizens from Iran. The hostage crisis during the Carter administration will long be remembered. For 444 days, a number of Americans were held hostage because of a change in the government to a dictatorial theocracy under the Ayatollah Khomeini.

This book concerns itself with the employees of the American Embassy in Iran who escaped...more Interestingly, this book was written after the movie, and not before. Nonetheless, it is an engrossing account of a critical mission of the CIA in rescuing American citizens from Iran. The hostage crisis during the Carter administration will long be remembered. For 444 days, a number of Americans were held hostage because of a change in the government to a dictatorial theocracy under the Ayatollah Khomeini.

This book concerns itself with the employees of the American Embassy in Iran who escaped from the mobs which overran the embassy campus and hid, with the aid of the Canadians, from the new terrorist regime.

It is refreshing to read a "spy" story which is actually a recitation of history - a history remembered because it is of so recent a vintage. One can appreciate the fine attention to details and the preparation, study and hard work which goes into a mission of exfiltration designed to save innocent parties from the grasp of a government which would not negotiate.

Of particular interest is the involvement of private industry in the workings of the spy world. Not surprisingly, it is primarily Hollywood which provides such assistance, since it has long been in the business of illusion and misdirection and the creation of fantasy worlds.

The plans which must be laid are painstaking, as they should be in a matter which is literally an issue of life and death. It is still fascinating to see the levels of bureaucracy which must be dealt with even in a clandestine operation demanding swift action. It naturally creates tensions between the politicians and administrators and the agents in the field who must be able to improvise according to constantly changing dynamics.

One of the questions which is likely to remain unanswered is why did the CIA decide to disclose this particular clandestine operation, particularly when the methods have potential for future use.

The interplay between diplomats, diplomatic employees, and professional espionage agents is engaging and intriguing. The necessity of the average person to be able to suddenly adapt to an undercover alias and back story is also a good demonstration of the psychological sophistication of the plans used to extract these innocent Americans from s a dangerous situation.

Not having seen the movie, it is interesting to note that the movie related to this book won both Golden Globe and SAG awards, but was snubbed by the Oscars. Politics intrudes into art.

Whatever the political motivations on any side, the story is well-told and holds the reader's interest from the start. That grip is not lost even to the last page. One remembers the headlines thanking Canada for the courage of its individual citizens and diplomats in helping American citizens to escape a dangerous situation, and voluntarily placing themselves in compromising positions. The tourism slogan from the 80's comes to mind: "America borders on the magnificent --- Canada!"

The book is an excellent read for anyone who wants to know what good the spy networks can do, and gives a far greater perception of the variety of talents and personalities the field attracts.(less)

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Dec 29, 2012 Noah W rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012

Typically when someone mentions they're an artist, the last thing you want them to say next is, "I'm going to sneak you past Iran's Revolutionary Guards." Argo does an excellent job recounting both the extraction of six embassy workers from Iran and Mendez's career path through the CIA.
- The reader receives details without being burdened with classic spy myths/tales (For those who read a lot of military/intelligence books)
- Mendez conveys an open, yet discrete presentation of the mission which...more

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May 16, 2013 Michelle rated it 4 of 5 stars

Having seen the film a few months ago, I knew the basic
narrative of the story. Yet I was still surprised at how
lucky the 6 American citizens were that they were not
discovered and held hostage. The book showed us how volative
their situation was and how difficult it was for them to find
a safe, long term place to hide. I was amazed that no one informed
on their hiding place since it was likely that some Iranian citizens
as well as some international reporters had suspicions. We did a
little better sen...more Having seen the film a few months ago, I knew the basic
narrative of the story. Yet I was still surprised at how
lucky the 6 American citizens were that they were not
discovered and held hostage. The book showed us how volative
their situation was and how difficult it was for them to find
a safe, long term place to hide. I was amazed that no one informed
on their hiding place since it was likely that some Iranian citizens
as well as some international reporters had suspicions. We did a
little better sense in the film of the individual personalities of
the 6 Americans, but in all other respects, the book gave us much more
detail about this intense situation. The 6 may have spent long
days in isolation, indoors, playing Scrabble and napping, but the
sense that they could be captured at any moment must have been with them.
What was also suprising was the author's statement that when he
and his CIA colleague Julio first encountered the 6 Americans, the
author described them as fit and rested with one even being suntan
due to an interior courtyard where he could get some sun. It seemed
a little suspect to me that moments of panic were not more detailed except the recognition by the Americans that one of them could always
become sick and require medical care, but that may not have been the focus of this book which was more about the CIA and its workings. Of course, the chapter about their progress through the airport on the day of departure was filled with tense moments and I held my breath a few times imagining their passage through the airport with questioning by an Immigration Officer of one of the men concerning his change in appearance due to a mustache, their recognition by employees of the Canadian Embassy and the delay of the flight due to mechanical failure.

I liked the detail in the book, learning about the author's prior missions, his training and especially about the field of disguising
one's appearance. I also did not know that Ross Perot had employed
private military officers to get two of his employees out of Iran at the start of the hostage situation.(less)

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Jan 11, 2013 Gabby rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013, non-fiction

How anyone could take a real-life, suspense-filled story involving Americans held hostage in Iran, coupled with a risky plot by the CIA to sneak them out of a dangerous situation and make such a story mind-numbingly boring and mundane is beyond me. Until I read "Argo" I wouldn't have believed such a thing possible. The story is certainly worth telling now that most of the information surrounding the operation is declassified, but the man who takes all the credit for the success of the mission is...more

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view all 4 comments

Suzanne Potts That's funny! I didn't look at it that way at all. I took it as the story was being told from the perspective of the CIA operative and not from the ho...more
Apr 28, 2013 12:32pm

Gabby I didn't mean to imply that I expected this book to be a telling of the hostage experience. I understood it was to be told from the CIA perspective, a...more
updated Apr 28, 2013 04:16pm

Dec 06, 2012 Paul Pessolano rated it 4 of 5 stars

“ARGO” by Antonio Mendez and Matt Baglio, published by Viking.

Category – History

If I asked you what happened on November 4, 1979 most of us would not have an answer, but if I asked if you remember the taking of over 40 American Embassy personnel as hostages by Iranian militants, I believe we would all answer in the affirmative. Again, how many of us remember that six Embassy personnel escaped and found refuge in the Canadian Embassy. “ARGO” is their story.

Antonio Mendez worked for the CIA as hea...more

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Apr 06, 2013 Natalie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: nonfiction

I saw the movie the other week and I loved it. I have read many novels and nonfiction about Iran, all from an Iranian's perspective. The hostage crisis at the American Embassy was referred to several times but I didn't know a whole lot about it. I learned a lot more after watching the movie and I thought the story was fascinating. I also knew that the movie embellished a lot, there were several spy-movie cliches, so I wanted to read this book to find out the true story. I was happy to read that...more

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Mar 18, 2013 Julie rated it 5 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this book and learned alot about the tactics of a CIA operative. Evidently the CIA hires people who can do the job that do not stand out in a crowd appearance wise in any way, and have very subdued personalities on the surface. Who knew?
Anyway, if you have seen the Argo movie, 3/4 of this book is not in the movie. And Mr. Mendez does a great job detailing all the painstaking detail that goes on behind the scenes to pull off an ex-filtration.

A friend of mine actually worked with...more

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Feb 03, 2013 Andrew rated it 5 of 5 stars

First, go see the movie. It's Hollywood and you know that certain aspects are overdone, such as the Iranian Revolutionary Guards chasing the Swissair 747 down the runway as the hostages fly out. I've been held hostage (by Idi Amin in 1973 when he ordered a planeload of American Peace Corps volunteers to return to Entebbe Airport after takeoff) and it would have been far easier for the Komiteh members to simply call the tower and get the plane grounded.

Then read the book for the background story...more

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