Read the story that inspired ‘Argo’

How the CIA used a fake sci-fi flick to rescue Americans from Tehran. [View this email in your browser]( | [Manage newsletter subscriptions](newsletter=wir) [(image) WIRED Classics Logo] By Paul Sarconi | 03.26.22 This is a preview of our new subscriber-only Classics newsletter. Each Saturday, we highlight an epic tale from WIRED's archives. If you're not a subscriber, you can still receive our Thursday edition, which focuses on the best stories from a year ago. [Click below to sign up for Classics](newsletter=wirclassics). [SIGN ME UP](newsletter=wirclassics)   The CIA offices were in chaos when Tony Mendez arrived at his desk on the morning of November 5, 1979. Militants had just stormed the US embassy in Tehran, Iran, taking 52 Americans captive in what would come to be known as the Iran hostage crisis. Mendez initially planned to free those hostages. He spent 90 hours straight working on a ruse involving a dead body double for the Shah, but the White House rejected it. Then he received a secret memorandum that said six Americans had escaped the embassy before it was overrun. They were in hiding, and Mendez, who spent 14 years specializing in “identity transformation,” was going to get them out. As Joshuah Bearman [writes in a story]( that would later be adapted into the Academy Award-winning film Argo, Mendez’s “strategy was straightforward: The Americans would take on false identities, walk right out through Mehrabad Airport, and board a plane.” Mendez would need to sneak into the country, equip the Americans with their aliases, and help them make their great escape. But first, he needed to build a cover story—so he put $10,000 in a briefcase and flew to Los Angeles. [Collage detailing a successful campaign by the CIA to extricate Americans from Iran in 1979]( [How the CIA Used a Fake Sci-Fi Flick to Rescue Americans From Tehran]( [Sneaking six Americans out of Iran in 1979 would take an audacious plan, false identities, and an epic Hollywood cover story.]( [Read the Story]( Originally published in April 2007.   Related Stories [This image may contain Face, Human, and Person]( [How the CIA Trains Spies to Hide in Plain Sight]( [When you're a spy for the Central Intelligence Agency, being able to execute a perfect disguise can be a matter of life and death.]( [This image may contain Head, Human, Person, Clothing, Apparel, and Hood]( [How the US Made China Quit Stealing—Using a Chinese Spy]( [For years, China looted American trade secrets. Here's the inside story of how DC got Beijing to clean up its act for a while.]( [GET WIRED]( [Flash Sale. Give yourself the gift of information.]( [Get the print edition of WIRED and exclusive subscriber-only stories for just $29.99 $5.]( [Subscribe now.]( [(image) WIRED Logo]( [(image) WIRED on Facebook]( [(image) WIRED on Twitter]( [(image) WIRED on Instagram]( [(image) WIRED on LinkedIn]( [(image) WIRED on YouTube]( [Podcasts]( Have questions or comments? [Reply to this email](mailto:hello@wired.com?subject=WIRED%20Newsletter%20Questions,%20Comments%20or%20Feedback). This e-mail was sent to you by WIRED. To ensure delivery to your inbox (not bulk or junk folders), please add our e-mail address, wired@newsletters.wired.com, to your address book. View our [Privacy Policy]( [Unsubscribe]( or [manage your newsletter subscriptions](newsletter=wir) Copyright © Condé Nast 2022. One World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007. All rights reserved.