Tony Mendez

For other uses, see Antonio Mendez (disambiguation) and Tony Mendes.

Tony Mendez
Mendez (left) with Jimmy Carter
after the Canadian Caper
Born
Antonio Joseph Mendez

(1940-11-15)November 15, 1940
Eureka, Nevada, U.S.
DiedJanuary 19, 2019(2019-01-19) (aged 78)
Frederick, Maryland, U.S.
Alma materUniversity of Colorado
Spouses
  • Karen Mendez (died 1986)
  • ​
    (m. 1991)​
Awards
  • Intelligence Star (1980)
  • CIA Trailblazer Award (1997)
  • Order of the Sphinx (2000)
  • Honorary Doctorate (2016) University of Colorado, Boulder
Espionage activity
AllegianceUnited States
AgencyCIA
Service years1963–1990
RankTechnical Operations Officer, SIS-2
OperationsCanadian Caper

Antonio Joseph Mendez (November 15, 1940 – January 19, 2019) was an American technical operations officer for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), who specialized in support of clandestine and covert CIA operations. He wrote four memoirs about his CIA experiences.

Mendez was decorated, and is now widely known, for his on-the-scene management of the "Canadian Caper" during the Iran hostage crisis. He exfiltrated six American diplomats from Iran in January 1980 by arranging to have them pose as a Canadian film crew. As part of their cover, the diplomats carried passports issued by the Canadian government to document them as Canadian citizens.

After declassification of records, the full details of the operation were reported in a 2007 article by Joshuah Bearman in Wired magazine.[1] This was loosely adapted for the screenplay and development of the 2012 Academy Award-winning film Argo, directed by Ben Affleck, who also starred as Mendez. Mendez attended the 70th Golden Globe Awards to give a speech about the film, where it was nominated for (and later won) Best Motion Picture – Drama.[2]

  1. ^ 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 February 25, 2013. Retrieved February 26, 2013.
  2. ^ Rosenwald, Michael S. (January 14, 2013). "Golden Globes: A big night for the real Tony Mendez". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on January 21, 2013. Retrieved February 25, 2013.