Agro F**k yourself is the best line in the movie.

nazo311 on February 24, 2013 at 3:08 PM

Unfortunately true.

Can’t really comment on the historical accuracy, but there appeared to be no direction of the actors: for example, in the scene where the apparently terrified group is being held up by gun-toting Iranians, they are all sitting there as if waiting for the #9 bus. Obviously catering was running late and they were pre-occupied.

The most impressive thing about Argo, is Ben Affleck’s hair which is by itself Oscar-worthy.

As far as “short changing” the Canadians, I’ll just say it wasn’t Canadians who (a) came up with the exfiltration plan, (b) put it into practice, and (c) escorted the disguised Americans past the Kometeh and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and onto the plane. Their contribution is to be commended, but the CIA did all the heavy lifting.

cozmo on February 24, 2013 at 2:54 PM

OK, that was unneccesary. And, very … eeewwwwwwwwww.

This story is one told in the Spy Museum in DC. Which is a pretty good museum, though it costs to get in. I seem to recall they gave the Canadians their due at the museum.

I never thought I would miss Carter.

I’ve always been proud of the role my (Canadian) government played in the rescue of the American hostages. I wasn’t as aware of the CIA story, so this made “Argo” more than just a re-tread for me. Yah, they could have played up the Canuck part more prominently, but I was fascinated by the story I didn’t know.
Affleck made a great movie btw.

Randy

Good movie, tense, but not best picture material.

It’s a liberal tribute to Jimmy Carter.

However I would direct all of you Mendez’s book.
He goes into some detail about this as well as a few other operations he did for the Company.

Beats any flick.

By the way: No matter how much lipstick they slap on the pig that was the Carter Administration, it still was better than the Affirmative Action Obozomarist one we got now, if only in that it was 4 years long.

TSRA stands dor ‘Technical Service Retirees Association’ The spy techs for which Tony Mendez was one.

——————————

To all TSRA members:

John T forwarded a note from Jerry S regarding his review of the Argo book and movie.

Thought you all might want to see what Jerry thinks.

Thanks to John for sending us the review.

Mike G
______________________________

I have now read the book and seen the movie–ARGO. I also decided to review the book and have now done so, and you can see that by going to Amazon website, Books, under readers reviews. I decided to do that for several reasons, not the least of which is that it fairly accurately portrays a very successful spy operation from Office of Technical Service in a positive way.
And of course it is rather exciting/intriguing almost in the sense of a good fiction story–but it is true. And lastly it reflects favorably on the agency–and of course Canada as well. Some good history there in the book too, see the review and I trust that will sell some more books for Tony.
Tomorrow we may even see an Oscar from all that–to bad John chambers is gone.

Jerry S

This is the review.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Insider comments on ARGO, February 23, 2013
By Jerry S. – See all my reviewsAmazon Verified Purchase(What’s this?)
This review is from: Argo: How the CIA and Hollywood Pulled Off the Most Audacious Rescue in History (Paperback)
I was directly in the management chain as ARGO was planned and executed ’79-’80. The credit for its’ inception and completion is properly attributed in Argo to the principals involved, Tony et al. My role, alone with other OTS managers in Mendez’ office, was to support it administratively and “stand clear”. I recently saw the movie and found it basically accurate except for a few hollywood enhancements like the shootout at the airport. I just finished reading the book and, even though I was bureaucratically Tony’supervisor, I learned much new detail of the operation from the book. I, and others of OTS retirees, sometimes think Tony has an advanced case of “egomania” that has appeared in his writings, now three books amplified by the movie– “it is hard to be humble when you are so damned good”; It is also true that most of us have experienced at least a few high profile unheralded successes in our agency careers that we also treasure and can only bragg about in a limited restricted context, if at all. And so, we may simply suffer from some degree of envy for Tony’s spotlight–though most of us probably don’t want it. The details of the book enhanced my recollections of the operation, now over thirty years old, and added considerable new detail despite my having been there. In a sense Tony was pushed into sharing his ARGO and other exfil adventures by senior management and so he is not a “blabbermouth” in that regard. Most of us “oldies” remain paranoid about revealing too much operational detail on many subjects. I am pleased that Tony has represented our Agency in a positive way; ARGO shows the complexity and intracacies of clandestine spy operations and, in this instance, especially that of the disguise, documentation and exfiltration operations, supported by a large cadre of skilled behind the scenes experts: thanks guys/gals, you were there. SEE THE MOVIE, READ THE BOOK, since it also has some good historical documentation–oops, there’s that term again! ARGO should be required reading for all rookie CIA operatives. Thanks Tony, good show. Keep painting,as I am sure you are. Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
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Comment Comment

bayam on February 24, 2013 at 3:33 PM

Might want to wipe that spittle off your chin, I think you got some on your “Obama’s my homeboy” shirt.

Hollywood Progs must be screaming and crying into their organic Kale and Radicchio salads today

Sacramento on February 24, 2013 at 3:10 PM

Can’t you appreciate something without politicizing it? Actually both files were financed and made by progressives. Haters like you on the right apparently aren’t very good at projecting American soft power abroad.

bayam on February 24, 2013 at 3:33 PM

Sigh.

you cant swing a dead cat in Hollywood today without hitting a proud activist lib with tickets to the awards show bitterly lamenting why the industry is even thinking about honoring these movies instead of “approved-by-progessives” box office poison such as Lions for Lambs, Valley of Elah, Syriana, Rendition, Stop Loss Death of a President. etc in prior years.

andycanuck on February 24, 2013 at 4:33 PM

Exactly.

I remember the hostage crisis very, very well, as did most of the people who lived through that shameful episode, and I remember the joy of the escape of these six Americans very clearly.

Sunday, Feb 24, 1980 was the day the US Olympic hockey team beat Finland to win the Gold Medal.

They had beaten the Rooskies in the Miracle on Ice game two days earlier.

One of the very few things to cheer about back then.

Can’t you appreciate something without politicizing it?
bayam on February 24, 2013 at 3:33 PM

Nope. Everything is political now. And it’s all war. Those are your rules. Stop whining.

We watched Argo last night as well. Funny how it was only briefly mentioned that the 53 hostages were released after 444 days of captivity on January 20, 1981. Did anything else happen on that day? I forget…

monalisa on February 24, 2013 at 3:19 PM

Well, in their defense, it would feel to them like their skin was burning off their bodies if they actually had to admit that one event had anything to do with the other.

The movie has Gordon Pinsent as Ken Taylor and Chris Wiggins as the his deputy John Sheardown, who also hosted American refugees. They had to dance around the CIA involvement in this film because in 1981, when the film was made, much of that was still secret.

As a Trawnna native (that’s Toronto for the benefit of the uninitiated), I loved the training scenes for the Americans prior to going to the airport to escape from Iran. They had to be convincingly Canadian. One delicious bit involves the pronunciation of Etobicoke, a ‘burb of Toronto. The American was unaware that the “k” is silent. Ha!

bayam on February 24, 2013 at 3:33 PM

…Haters like you on the left apparently are very good at braying your soft brain power here and abroad

Funny how it was only briefly mentioned that the 53 hostages were released after 444 days of captivity on January 20, 1981. Did anything else happen on that day? I forget…

monalisa on February 24, 2013 at 3:19 PM

…in another decade Carter will be the hero…and you’ll see it in the history books like all the other revisionist/omitting history… you have seen in the last couple of decades