Argo:
how the CIA & Hollywood Pulled Off the Most Audacious Rescue in History
by Antonio Mendez
Hello Readers!
I hope that this review
finds you as well as your reading going well!
This month’s ILAB book
of the month was Argo: how the CIA &
Hollywood Pulled Off the Most Audacious Rescue in History by Antonio
Mendez. I have to admit that when I first read the title I was a little taken
aback and was wondering what this read would be about. I was quite surprised
and enjoyed the book immensely!
I read the book and saw
the movie. Tony Mendez is a true life "James Bond". What was
fascinating was how ordinary Mr. Mendez makes himself sound like -a wife and
kids in the suburbs, an art studio etc. However, after reading the book, you
realize how extraordinary he is. Think about how dangerous it was for an
American CIA agent to go into Iran at that time or any time since then. In fact
in was more dangerous than going into Moscow during the Cold War. In Moscow,
you would likely be thrown out of the country but not killed. In the movie you
see Ben Affleck’s character take off his wedding ring before he goes. The book
explains that if you were caught, you wanted your captors to think you were
single. Imagine the implications. At the same time the sheer audacity of the
cover story was something that you wouldn't believe could come out of a
government agency. The movie over dramatizes the events that occur to make it a
more interesting story; but what makes this caper so successful in reality was
how boring it really was. The elaborate Hollywood backstory was necessary both
in case the Iranians checked, but also to sell a skeptical White House on
trying it and then to sell the hidden Americans that they could actually pull
it off. Part of the message here is that disguise is more than makeup, it is
the attitude to support it and the backstory was necessary to make people
believe it was real. In many ways this was a true "Mission
Impossible" mission in the spirit of the TV series. The intersection
between Hollywood and the spy world was also amazing. While there wasn't as
much action as there would be in a movie (or in the movie Argo) the reality was
every bit as dangerous and what distinguishes a true professional is pulling it
off without triggering any suspicion. The cooperation of the Canadians was also
extraordinary. They actually held a secret session of parliament to allow the
Americans to use false Canadian passports (but only for the 6 refugee
Americans, Mr. Mendez as a CIA agent had to supply his own fake Canadian
passport). It is details like this that make this book so interesting for me.
I thoroughly enjoyed
this book and would recommend reading it if you haven’t done so already!
Until next month…HAPPY
READING!
Hello Readers!!
Have you ever wondered
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